Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1911-05-08
Commission
FOR H0QUIAM
Attorney E. A. Philbrick
Gives Reasons For Favor
ing New System
CENTERS RESPONSIBILITY
Plain Reasons Are Advanced
in a Plain Way for
Making Change

f. A. Philbrick, the well-known at
torney of Hoquiam, has written the
! following letter to the Washingtonian,
that will be of interest to all con-
cerned as to the advantages of the
new commission law for cities:
Now that the mayor has issued
his proclamation calling an election
to decide whether or not this city
shall reorganiZe under the "commis-
sion form" of government it be-
hOoves every voter to get wise on
the subject.
AS great many people already
know, | am most heartily in favor of
the proposed change. | consider the
reasons for the change (the advan
tages to be gained thereunder) of far
greater weight than those against it.
but the question is altogether too
large to attempt to cover in single
letter or talk. Just to get the ball
rolling, however. | wish to suggest
three things that | consider would
be changes for the better: The cleo
ton of the smaller number of coun-
cilmen. at large, without party des-
ignatiOn.
| will take up the three points in
the order named: The election of a
small number of councilmen or com
missioners; second. their election by
the whole city instead of by wards;
and third, no party designation.
The law provides that there shall
be three men only to handle the city
business and that the city business
shall be divided into three depart
ments, each man being assigned to
one department. In other words, we
will have in each department ONE
responsible head. 1t is a well-known
fact that where there are twelve or
fifteen men trying to handle bust
ness with not one of them complete
ly in charge of any part of it, it is
impossible to go to any one or two
of them and put your finger on the
, man responsible for any Objectionable
legislation or work performed. With
each department under one respon-
sibe head and a weak spot in any
branch of that department we can
have the remedy applied at once and
a cure affected, or the knife applied
and cancer removed. Besides that
, with but one man responsible. and
under heavy bond, he realizes his
responsibility more than he does il
he can stuff it off onto some one else
and with his increasing sense of re
+ sponsibilty he endeavors more earn
, estly and honestly to make good from
the standpoint of the city's welfare in
stead of his own political welfare in
his particular ward.
The benefits to be derived from
, electing our councilmen at large are
too Self-evident to need elaborate
, setting forth. 1t prevents cOmbina
tions and ward-heeling which fire
quently places men in our large
councils simply because of. their
, ability to pull a few wires in single
ward whereas if they submitted their
F names to the city at large they would
be overwhelmingly showed under. 1t
eliminates the man who is faithful to
his ward and unfaithful to the city
as a whole. and thus gives us a better
, class of men to manage our municipal
affairs. Quoting a report on the
, workings of commission government
in Boston, it says, lowing to the III
creased sense of responsibility which
comes to members of a small body
and to the necessity OF looking at
measures from the standpoint of the
whole city the members of
the council have got together in an
admirable way. In fact. they have
shown a courage, judgment and a
breadth which could never have de-
veloped in the same men under the
old system. There has been real
business done and business of ser
ious nature" In other words, they
are men. not puppets.
The same arguments apply to the
doing away with party candidates;
the commissioners serve no party
masters no ward bosses, but are
simply employees of the city for which
they are supposed to and do work.
| have heard it argued that one
great danger of the change lay in
the fact that if a large corporation
or other interest wished something
done it would be easier to purchase
two commissioners than seven coun-
cilmen Granting for the sake of
the argument that we elect dlshon-
est men, the objection falls fiat in
the face of our new commission law
which provides us with the referen-
dun to prevent or cure that very
thing Every ordinance passed by
the commission except for real en-
ergencies, is subject to thirty days
scrutiny before taking effect and, if
Objectionable, may be put to vote
of the whole electorate of the city.
In the face of that where is the cor
poration or other interest that would
be so foolish as to attempt to brbe
the commissioners when their whole
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