Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-03
DEMAND OF BUFFALO
Commission Form of Govern
ment Is Wanted.
APPEALS TO LEGISLATURE
Movement Has Been Ten Years in
Progress.
PLAN TRIED IN MANY CITIES
Believed That Gov. Dix Will Sign
Bill for a Charter If
It Is Passed.
Ian TRIED IN MANY CITIES
By WILLIAM z. CuRa1s.

By WILLIAM E. CuR4Is
Special Correspondence OF The Star and the
/ Chicago Record Herald.
BUFFALO. June o. 1911.
| The property owners and other tax
payers OF Buffalo are appealing to the
legislature Of New York for q revision
Of their city charter in order to secure
commission form of government SINH
lar to that which has been SO satisfac-
tory in Des Moines and other places
There seems to be an epidemic spread
ing over the country for the adoption
OF the commission plan. and propositions
similar to that at Buffalo are before the
legislatures OF several of the states. More
than 200 cities have already adopted
what Is known as the Galveston plan.
have adopted it entirely. The largest
number are In Texas, Kansas. Okla
homa and South Dakota. 1t is in opera
ton in seven Of the largest cities Of Iowa
Burlington, Sioux City. Marshalltown
and Fort Dodge; in California. Berkeley
Oakland, San Diego. Modesto and San
Luis Obispo: In Washington. Tacoma.
South Carolina. Columbia; in North
Carolina, Charlotte; In Kentucky, Lex
ington; in Louisiana, Shreveport; in IL
linois. Springfield and Moline: in Wis
consin. Eau Claire: in Massachusetts,.
Haverhill. Gloucester and Lynn. In sew
eral other cities it has been tried with
satisfaction.
Within the last few weeks. under what
was termed a ripper bill. passed by
the Pennsylvania legislature. Pittsburg
abolished her municipal government and
| intrusted the administration of affairs
| to nine business and professional men.
appointed by the governor, no one of
whom Is politician, and three of them
two are architects, two are physicians,
one Is the president Of a lumber COM
pany; one IS an engineer and architect,
the others are merchant and a manu-
facturer This commission is vested with
autocratic power and can do whatever 1t
likes with the public funds. 1t is prob
able that no city eyer had a more rot
ten government than Pittsburg. Recent
iy, In an upheaval, ninety-eight officials:
OF the city We're indicted FOR corruption;
hfty-four pleaded guilty, forty-fve were
allowed to go under suspended sentences.
The remaining cases are still unsettled
The Progressive Constitution League
OF Ohio was organized early in June with
president for the purpose Of promoting
the commission plan Of government in
that state.
A few days ago the city Of Trenton
with t1e approval or Gov. woodrow Will
son. voted to adopt the commission form
of government by majority of 1912.
On the 21st OF June the committee on
constitution Of the legislature OF Massa-
chusetts reported a bill permitting all
cities to adopt that form Of government
II a majority Of the voters declare for it.
| and also passed q special bill authorizing
the city Of Lowell to try the experiment
without vote, AS have said. the move
ment has become epidemic and is the
l C0ngp0uQnca nf nonufcina1 rrnff
graft and incompetency.
Movement Ten Years Old.
AS the movement in Buffalo is perhaps
| the best organized Of all and Buffalo is
| the largest city that has thus far de-
| manded the new system. 1t will be inter-
esting to know what has occurred here.
In reply to my questions Lewis Stockton,
one of the most prominent lawyers of
| Buffalo and president OF the Referendum
| League, which has been taking the lead,
| Saidr
THE movement for q commission form
| of government began in Buffalo In 1901,
when an organization Of business men
and taxpayers. comprising four thousand
| representatives of every race, religion
| and occupation In Buffalo, presented a
bill to the legislature at Albany. 1t was
referred to a committee, which refused to
report 1t out. Then the league obtained
an expression Of public opinion under a
| general welfare clause in our city char
| ter which allows the voters to declare
| themselves on any proposition by a petit
ton signed by per cent Of those who
participated in the previous election. This
Is the weakest form OF the initiative
known, and has no effect or force except
as an expression OF public sentiment. The
proposition. as stated on the ballot at the
regular election In 1904 was: Shall the
public school buildings be used for the
discussion OF public questions?' The vote
was 6,5O4 in the affirmative and Ago in
the negative. and the city council. assum-
passed an ordinance accordingly. thus de-
| Gliding q controversy which had been agi-
| tated for several years.
| "A few weeks before the general cleo
| ton in 1905 the league filed q petition
asking that the city clerk place upon the
| ballot the proposition Shall the city OF
Buffalo establish q municipal electric
| light and pawer plant? He REFUSED to do
the court to compel him. Then the local
electric light company went into court
claiming that 1t was not lawful under
the charter. The court said 1t was. and
ordered the proposition to be printed on
| the ballot The campaign was holly con-
/ tested. and the vote was 1851 in the af-
| frmative and 1880 in the negative. a
much more decisive majority than at the
Power Company. which furnished the
| light and motive power for the traction
companies. interviewed and persuaded the
i city council to Ignore the voice of the
4 people. This was a great mistake on It's
4 part. because il aroused public indigna-
/ ton and gave impetus to a movement for
! a charter which would relieve the people
/ from corporation control and allow them
| to administer their own government.
| There had been a great many scandal Is
and complaints about graft and corrup-
/ ton. both the executive branch of the
! government and the council were under
| the control Of the corporations, which OBJ
| tanned everything they wanted and paid
nothing. They had nine ninety-nine-year
franchises without any compensation 10
! except for the use OF certain park lands,
| cation.
Campaign of Education.
This agitation aroused public interest
to such a degree that the Referendum
League decided upon a campaign of edu-
cation. and we selected the charter adopt
ed by the city of Des Moines as the best
suited to our situation. We printed and
circulated a great deal Of literature. held
many public meetings, discussed the ques-
ton thoroughly from every point of
view, and at the election Of November
1903. had this proposition put on the
the legislature of the state OF New York
to enact a new. simple, home rule char
ter?
THE total vote cast at that election by
all parties was 10000. The total vote cast
for and AGAINST our prOposition wa c