The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1911-04-21

The old plan OF city government is
to have mayor and council with q
board OF aldermen and various Other
boards to look after schools, water
works, health, etc. The councilmer
and members OF boards usually re-
ceive so little compensation that they
cannot devote their time to the public
needs and there is an absence OF thai
compact organization and energy
always found in successful business
enterprise.
The Commission Form OF Govern.
ment places control in the hands OF
three or five men, each in charge Of a
department and conducting it in a
business-like way, with full authority
and full responsibility. II Com.
missioner fails to give satisfaction an
election can be called at any time on
petition OF a certain number of voters
and the Commissioner can be ere
called" This is the "recall" idea oil
the Populists. The Commission Form
OF Government also includes the
submission of new laws to the people,
which is the referendum" of the
Populists. The whole idea is that the
people can make their own laws,
employ their own managers of public
affairs and fire" them when they get
ready to do 50. In DesMoines, Iowa,
an election can be called on petition
of twenty-five per cent of the voters.
The most conspicuous example OF
the Commission Form of Government
in this country is to be found in Des.
Moines. That city got into the hands
of graiters and incompetent men, re-
sulting in a revolution in 1907 and
the adoption OF the new plan OF
government, which is said to have
given great satisfaction.
DesMoines is a very beautiful little
city, about half as large as Atlanta,
but not to be compared with the Elm
perial City Of the Empire State" as
President Taft described our Georgia
Capital.
| The writer of these paragraphs spent
day in DesMoines three or four years
ago and while there met Mr.. Lafayette
Young, publisher of one OF the news
papers, who was recently appointed to
the United States Senate to fill a va
cancy. Senator Young is a man OF
the highest type, and one who stands
for clean politics, progress and all that
goes to make model city. He is not
a crank but fine business man, and
anything he says can be relied upon.
In the United States Senate on Mon
day of last week Senator Young made
a speech on the Commission Form of
Government. 1t appears in the Con-
gressional Record of Wednesday,
April -, and copies can probably be
obtained by all those who desire them.
With the speech is an addenda giving
in full the law under viii h DtsMoines
operates.
He says:
1.-The old form of city government is
as far behind the times as the ox-cart
is behind the automobile
After explaining the cumbersome
character of the old form of govern
ment, Senator Young said:
"ln the year of 1907 we adopted in
the city of DesMoines, where | live, a
simplitied form of city government. 1t
consists OF five trustees, or commission
ers, elected by the entire city at one
election, each for a two-year term and
without any ward lines. This has
been called the Desmoines plan of
city government. The idea originated
at Galveston, Texas. The people Of
Galveston, in their distress after their
great calamity, had to have a simph-
fed form Of city government. Their
! affairs We're too complicated for the Old
form. 1t is q strange fact that a few
men can do successfully what large
number Of men are unable to do For
instance, we often discover that re-
ceiver appointed by the courts can