Norwich bulletin., 1911-05-30

feeling, making it possible to accom-
plish what is for the general good
without holdup from some particu-
lar ward or district.
Get Better Men in Office.
You Inevitably also get a better
grade Of men in office and here the
speaker said he spoke from experience
as he did in all his arguments for the
new form. 1t is from he. rotten little
boroEghs and districts that the bosses
can elect their choices, but the larger
the constituency the higher the grade
of men elected and the higher and bet
ter the standard of municipal life.
But placing so greas . power in the
hands of five men is surely danger
Gus experiment, said Mr. woodruff, un-
less it is well surrounded by proper
safeguards, and such safeguards are
found in the commission form. It is
safeguardeG by the better grade of
men obtained, the direct placing of
responsibility and also By the sim
plicity of the form CT municipal gov
eminent. The completely of the pres
ent form of city governments is amaZ
ing. In Boston there were over 700
separate enactments that made up the
city charter. and in Kansas City 1t
was twenty times larger than the con-
stitution of the United tSates. This
cunlbersomehess and confusion is all
done away with in the simplicity of
lie new 1OTIils uHueT WHICH II Will not
be easy to fool the people.
Merit System Safeguard.
There is vet another safeguard and
substantial one in the adoption of
the merit system, through which men
are selected not for their party or re-
ligious beliefs or affiliations. but for
their fitness, and for their fitness to
run municipal governments. This pol
icy pursued in Germany has reerod up
n
in these requirements.
There are tlIre more Sa.e9ttarG res IN
the initiative, the referendeIn, ard
the recall which were o11y- other wosSSs
for direction, confirmation and can
collation..
Mr.. Woodruff said he had his doubts
whether a commission governIn ent
that left these out would prove the
most satisfactory in the end, and ex-
periemce had shown that the referen-
dunn and the recall do not subject the
government to a continual crass FIFE, as
some critics would claim
There is also the additional safe
guard of publicity in all municipal af-
fairs. He said that he didn't regard
the commission form as a panacea. for
all ills nor the ultimate end but he
did consider it a, long step in advance.
1t gives the people a chance to control
the government, and any city that has
q chance to change from the old an
tiquated form to the new should seize
the opportunity.
Natural for Politicians to Oppose.
1t is opposed, he said, by the polfti-
away their livelihood. The grafters,
of course, are against it, They don't
like the bright light of publicity,
and you can set it down that if they
are opposing it they are doing it for
this reason.
the commission idea is based on the
elimination of partisanship, choosing
men by their fitness instead. The So
cialist will admit frankly that he is a
partisan-frst, last and all the time.
The ultra conservatives are against
it because they are from Missouri and
want to be shown.
In conclusion. Mr.. Woodruff said
that while it was not expected to bring
/ the millennium, it must be backed up by
! a real desire to make 1t a success. It
encourages those who are striving for
better things; the old form discour-
aged them.
Mr.. Wcodruff's address received the
! heartiest kind of applause, and Gen
eral Aiken moved vote of thanks for
the splendid talk that had been given.
! 1t was unanimously passed.
Clears Up Old Confusion.
| President Haviland invited questions
! ana then suggested lew W0rQS from
| Principal T,rrell, chairman of the local
committee on the commission form
Principal Tirrell responded by saying
! that he wished to make 1t understood
/ that the commission form was some
/ thing very different from q committee
| appointed in a general way. This
/ seemed to he the impression some peo-
/ pie had of it,. The new charter clears
/ up the old confusion about the city or
| diuances, awakens more interest in city
i government because it gives the aver
| age citizen more of participation, and
| he can know the men he is voting for
/ There vas applause also for the Wig
! orous but brief remarks of the com
! mittee chairman.
Rev. G. 4. Northrop arose to say
that he knew of man who believed
the new commission form was to con
| tihue the chief of police and the fire
chief in Office perpetually. To this Mr.
| Tirrell responded by reading the sec
| tor referring to those two officers and
said they hold office only until charges
! are brought against them.
/ There were no more who wished tc
speak. and the meeting adjourned Al
9.35.