Omaha daily bee., 1911-04-11
YOUNG TALKS OF DIES MONIES
Iowa Senator Tells How Well His
Home City is Governed.
OLD MACHINES TOO CUMBERSOME
He says that Expenses Have Not Been
Reduced, But that city ~
Getting More for the
Money,

WASHINGTON April 10. Senator
Lafayette Young Of Iowa today told the
senate all about the success OF the com
mission plan OF government as employed
for the last three years in his home city
OF Dcs Moines and advised other munich
palitics to adopt 1t in the interest of eff
cheney. we have not reduced expenses
said ne. hut we have secured more for
our money"
Asserting that there Is entirely. too much
machinery in the old type of city govern
ment and far more offices than the ser
vice demands Mir. Young told how Dcs
Mones had adopted the plan OF placing its
affairs in the hands OF five commissioners
with generally gratifying results The
COMM ssioners are all elected at the same
time and to them Is entrusted the duty
Of selecting all other city officials. Each
member of the commission represents the
head Of a bureau. The work is divided
up by themselves and not by law as the
commissioners agree on their divisions at
the beginning Of the judicial year one
commissioner has charge OF the public
safety, including the fire and police de-
partments Another has charge of streets
and public buildings. Another has charge
of parks. Another has charge Of public
accounts. The mayor complains that he
has not enough to do The commissioners
are paid by the year and are expected to
give all their time to the work.
Cuts out All boards.
we have cut out ell boards and com
missioners," Mr.. Young went on;
I'VE never complain to paving inspectors,
we complain to the commissioner having
charge of the work We never go to the
subordinate We go to his boss No com
missioner Is entirely Independent In his
department. The law does not give him
a department. His associate commission
ers could change him from one department
to another our city charter has the re-
call ! endorsed the recall feature as APP
piled to municipal government; l do not
endorse 1t in wider field. We have the
initiative and the referendum | think
these provisions might be beneficial in
cities, but wholly impracticable in states. '
This system Mr. Young characterized as
the application of business common sense
! to municipal affairs, and said;
Governing municipalities is a business
! proposition and in no sense political. Cut
! out the city hall. Cut out the city coun.
Gil. Ninety per cent Of all municipal funo
items are executive and not legislative
| yet every municipal government has beer
/ organized on the superstition that at leas
! one-han of the municipal functions wer'
| legislative"
Mr.. Young expressed the opinion tina
every state and every community should
have we'll restricted primary election laws
story About Graftera.
One Of Mr.. Youngs principal objections
! TO the present political method of conduct
ing the business affairs of the cities wa
based on graft and he told story illus
trative of the operation of graft Tn
scene was laid in Arkansas An employ
Of a grain elevator discovered knot hol
in the lower part Of a bin. He stoppe'
up the hole With cob and when nigh
came he vent hs stealth to the. elevate
and filled bags Of grain, which trickle'
out through the knot hole, He then re
stored the, cob. Every night. of his If
for twenty-five years he, stole a wagoi
load Of grain from his employer and MI
Young said that when he died, he under
took to give that knot hole to his heir
in his will as part Of his estate This
he said, illustrates the acceptance of tn
situation and the legitimacy of graft"