Norwich bulletin., 1911-05-30
Commends Ciy's Proposed Charter
Secretary Woodruff of National Municipal League Says
It's Best He Has Seen-Chairman Tirrel1 Speaks
Fairgrounds for Children Favored
Resolutions.

Resolutions.
Resolved, That it is the sense of the
! Norwich Board of Trade that more
ample Fairgrounds for boys and girls
should be provided in Norwich and
that a voluntary ehiIdren's playground
association should be formed to aid and
direct in the movement.
Resolved, That the president of this
Board of Trade appoint a committee Of
five persons to cooperate with other
organizations, committees and parsons
interested in organizing and establish
| ing such an association for the city
and town of Norwich.
Resolved, That in case a children's
playground association is formed in
| Norwich with the purpose of aiding
and directing. the movement to provide
more ample playground accommoda-
| tions for the .children, to the satisfac-
| ton of the president of this board the
| treasurer of the board is authorized
and directed to pay to the reasurer
| thereof. to aid and further its pur-
| poses, the sum of $50.
| Report Accepted, Action Delayed.
On motion of Gen William A. Aiken
it was voted to accept the report and
lay it on the table for action at a
subsequent meeting when adequate
tine can be given, for its discussion.
General Aiken said that he made this
motion in view of the other extremely
| before this meeting
Before introducing the speaker,
President Haviland said that he re-
GREETED the small number attending the
meeting in view of the Importance of
| the subject. but he was glad to see
| the ladies present. for the handwriting
| on the wall indicates that the time is
| coming when they viii assist in gov
eminent and we shall have the pleas
ure of conducting them to the polls.
Commission Government of Cities.
| Following President Eavi1and's brief
Introduction Mr. Woodruff spoke up
| on the subject assigned to him, ex-
! hibiting thorough and comprehensive
grasp of the topic which won for him
| the closest attention of his hearers
| while he was speaking for over an
| hour and an quarter. Commission
| government of cities, he said, was a
| subject that was receiving attention
in every state in the union by thought
| full and public spirited citizens. 155
cities, ranging from 5000 to 1000
In population are operating under some
! one Of several forms of commission
| government, giving this subject
prominence which cannot be ignored.
! 1t had its inception in the plan adopted
| IN Galveston after the great flood, but
| it had worked even better results in
| Houston with no such great disaster to
act as spur to the citizens. Alto
| gether satisfactory results from rea-
sonable point of view were reported
from Iowa. and Memphis, a city of
| 1920 although having an excellent
administration under Mayor Malone,
| had results under the commission
| form which were far and away ahead
of even that satisfactory municipal adj
ministration. 1t is of the highest sig
nificance that in the ten years in
/ which this plan has been growing that
I not single community that voted for
| it has taken the first step to abandon
! the new form.
Eliminates MiddIeman in Politics.
As to its benefits, the speaker said
| that it represented first a concentra-
ton of power and responsibility. The
same sort of concentration of power
/ exists today in every American com
munity, but the question is whether
| Yen want to have it in the hands of
| men openly elected and accountable
| to the people or in the hands of a
| political organization not elected and
not responsible TO the voters. This
! new form has tented to eliminate the
Iniddiement in politics. You eliminate
the. middleman by making the matter
of nominations extremely simple.
Nor0ch Charter Best He Had Seen.
Right here Mr.. Woodruff interposed
word of praise for the charter pre-
pared by the Norwich committee
which he said was one of the best he
/ hed ever seen, brief. concise and con-
tainiflg the essential principles, and he
congratulated MAYOR Thayer. who was
present. upon selecting a group of men
who could produce such an admiraol
\ document.
Simplest Nomination Form.
The commission form provides one
of. the simple 81 and easiest of nomira =
ton forms. continued Mr.. Woodruff
and where is the practical politician
| whe g going to control the nomina-
| tons when any man can secure NOM
nation. if he can get twenty-five OF
his friends to endorse his applica ton
| The practical politician here sees his
livelihood endangered and for that
reason he is lighting the commission
| form of city government.
Gives Specific Responsibility
You want specific responsibility and
responsiveness TO the will of the peo-
pie. which vou hay emit now, for even
when you carry the election you can
not be sure that the issues involved
| are to be carried nut. Under the
/ proposed form, Il things are not done
you don't have 10 go lodging around
to. be met everywhere by the Tweed
answer, = Twant me-. but there are
/ five men 10 go to and You know who's
| to blaine
You get the short ballot that the
| people can understand and inform
| candidates The practical politician
now of any party takes advantage of
the situation by putting a good man
| at the head of the ticket and filling in
| with anything farther down.
The commission form eliminates ar
| birtrary ward lines, stimulates COM
munal interest and wipes out sectional