The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-02-03
MAYOR GAVE COMMISSION GOV.
EMINENT A BOOST.

| Praise From Chief Executive at Port
Collins Where Newspapers Inter
viewed Him; Colorado Town !:
Agitatine the Matter Of Taking
on the More-Up.to.Date Form;
His Talk.
From Mondays Daily.
Mayor Meyer returned yesterday
from Denver. Col, after placing his
son, Carl, in the Agnes Memorial
sanitarium a few miles east of there
The young man showed immediate
Improvement, which is encouraging
Mayor Meyer visited relatives al
Port Collins, Col, city of 5000 pop
ulation, which is agitating for the
commission form of government. He
met with a number of the leading
citizens and gave them a full &C
count of the commission form and
recommended it highly, but thought
that three commissioners would be
enough for Port Collins. He gave
them a copy of the Mankato char.
ter, which the committee took with
them in getting signatures for the
new form.
The Courier, published there, had
the following to say of Mayor Mey.
er's visit:
Confers With Charter League.
"a. G. Meyer, mayor of Mankato
Minnesota, is visiting his brother
Ernest Meyer, the harnessmaker
Mr.. Meyer is the official head of a
city of $4,000 people under the com.
mission form of government. In a
statement to The Courier, he said
the new form of government is very
good and especially so from the
viewpoint of the private citizen. He
was mayor of Mankato under the old
form of government and is thor.
! oughly familiar with the conditions
under both systems. The form OF
government is conducted by the
mayor and four commissioners. Pre-
clint and ward lines are eliminated
and they know no politics. A ward
heller can no longer force himself
upon the community and a man to
be elected to office must be able to
bear the closest scrutiny of all the
voters. The primary election is a
free-for-all and double the number
OF candidate as there are offices to
be filled are placed upon the final
ballot as the results of the primary
are determined.
Mayor Meyer will acquaint Judge
Garbutt, chairman of the Charter
league. with such information as is
desired. He has brought with him
official literature bearing on the sub.
ject and all of this will be placed
at the disposal Of the Charter
league"
Praises New System.
The Review, published at Port Col.
Inns. had the following to say, the
editor being one of the men at the
meeting with Mayor Meyer:
1--WE have tried both the old plan
of city council and the new plan
of commission government in our
town and we know that we get bet.
ter service for less money under the
new plan than we ever did under the
old" That is the opinion of A. G.
Meyer, brother of Ernest Meyer of
this city, and mayor of Mankato
MIMI, member of the city council
for twelve years under the old sys
tenn, and reelected mayor when the
charter was adopted. Mr. Meyer is
visiting his brother and so enthusias
tic is he over the new form of gov.
eminent that he sought out those
active In it's behalf here and told
them what he knew of the system as
it had worked out in MaDkato. The
change from the old system TO the
new in the Minnesota town furnishes
one Of the most striking object les.
sons in favor of the new plan that
could be devised.
The Divided Responsibility.
The health department declared
that the water committee was to
blame; the water committee passed
it on to the city engineer; the en-.
gineer declined to assume the blame
and pointed to the sewer committee
the sewer committee got out from
under and put the whole thing up
to the council and there it stayed
| There was no one who was directly
responsible.
1.-THE people decided that they had
had enough of that sort of thing
| and the charter was adopted by a
gOodly majority, amounting to more
than twO-thirds of the votes cast
Mayor Meyer, who was elected un.
der the old form of government, was
reelected-the only one of the old
administration to be accorded tina,
honor. Now that they have their
charter they would not trade it fol
the old system under any considera
| ton.
/ Makes Each Head Responsible.
"The commission government
makes each man responsible for the
work in his department" said the
mayor, land he makes it point
to see that every dollar his depart
ment spends is spent wisely and eco
nomically. He can't escape respon
sibility to the people by pointing te
anyone else. He must make good