The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-04-17
The Commission Form of City Government
The Old Form of City Government Far Behind the Times the
4 Cart is Behind the AUTOMOBILES

!, SO afraid that our republic would be
converted into monarchy that they
thought it necessary that every NUM-
cipal government should initiate re
Ipublic in its form. Therefore every
municipal government has been en-
dowed with legislative authority. 1t is
true it is limited, but Notwithstanding
that limitation every municipal gov
eminent has been operated as if its
main function were that of making
laws. For this purpose every city
building has what they call a city
hail. In this city hall the legislative
body meets, and the gentlemen from
| the various wards are there. The
mayor presides, and all the formalities
of de1iberative body are observed.
The gentleman from the Third ward
addresses the presiding officer and
the gallery, having in mind his intelii-
gent constituents. as he frequently re-
/ marks. and also having in mind his
own reelection. The alderman has
been called ',false-alarm statesman. :
| but he deceives a great many people
! He is doubtless at his best when
speaking in opposition to the abolition
lof any office. He regards such a
move as one toward curbing the liber-
ties of the people. His admiring con
stituents and his admiring contractors
are prepared to applaud his utter
ances. In some states cities have been
known to have two branches of a leg
lislative body, an upper and a lower
house. Yet their authority is so limit
ed that they can neither add to nor
subtract from the penalty of any Of
Tense against the laws. They can or
der sewers and sidewalks and desig
nate what months wherein which
dogs shall be muzzled. They can also
prohibit chickens from running at
large. The legislatures of states make
the important laws. and practically
every function discharged by city
council is executive rather than legis-
lative. The claims are allowed by A
committee on claims. The report is
generally adopted without reading.
The men who believe in committees
on claims and who are willing to
adopt the report of the same are
radically opposed to reducing the
number of members of the council.
and they are especially opposed to the
abolition of ward lines.
1t happens in many cities that men
who represent wards practically rep
resent contractors. Having members
OF a city government from subdivi-
sions of any nature is mistake. Men
are elected from wards who never
could be elected. from the city 1T
large Bad men are elected from bad
I wards and good men are elected from
good wards. But the good men oftel-
times receive as much criticism and
as much blame for bad city govern
ment as do those who are really re-
sponsible. Thus good men are de-
tered from becoming members OF the
ieity council because the general citi-
eznship has been in the habit of dis
missing all city councils as being in
efficient, neglectful. if not actually
corrupt. People have been deferred
from undertaking TO reform city gov
eminent because they regard the task
as too large ever to be successfully
performed
The principal error in municipal
government of the old style has been
in connecting politics with it. The
average American connects politics
with every form of government. Bat
this has been especially true with
municipal government. In many cities
candidates for the municipal offices
are nominated by political parties
which ought never to be the case. 1t
/ ought not to matter what man be-
lieyes in regard TO tariff or reciproc-
the most radical insurgent, yet he
might make good member of city
government. Clays and Websters are
not demanded to look after letting
sewer contracts or putting down
pavement. Municipal governments
need men who know how to transact
business in businesslike way. Munic-
ipal governments do not need theor-
lists nor dreamers. Men are wanted
who know when contractors are prop
erly doing their work
| In the old form of municipal govern
ment, where the responsibilities are
so divided, it is impossible to find
out who is to blame when anything
| goes wrong. To have good govern
ment, those who do right should be
praised and those who do wrong
/ should be criticized. But the public
! has formed the habit of criticizing ev-
erybody and praising nobody, The
public formed this plan because there
has been vastly more for the critic
! than for the eulogst.
/ The public is scarcely informed as
I 10 the never-ending division of au-
/ thority under the old plan of city gor-
eminent, with boards of public works
cemetery boards. library boards, fire
and police boards, boards of review,
boards OF inspection. boards OF public