The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1911-06-01

q more nearly ideal form of govern
ment.
When the men who wrote the Con-
stitution of the United States gave
that document to the world, they
presented the foundation of the most
nearly perfect government ever con-
ceived but unfortunately, when the
system of federal government is ap-
piled to municipalities or states its
success is less pronounced and for
that reason we may we'll inquire in
to the virtues Of commission plan.
| SHAH not tire you with any attempt
at long treatise on the subject for
the best l could hope to do at this
time would be to arouse sufficient in
terest to cause a more thorough in
vestigatlc5isas
In word, the commission plan Of
government as proposed for use by
the state would crystalize in the
hands of few experts all that cum
bersome, half oiled, cog-missing,
rattlety bang machinery which now
churns the state government along.
Our officials, generally speaking, are
efficient, competent, conscientious
men SO that it must be the fault of
the present system rather than in
dividuals which is to blame for the
present undesirable conditions.
More than $50 cities are now gov
erned by the so called Commission
plan" and within score of years it
is likely that more than 100000
persons will be living in commission
regulated municipalities.
The idea of the commission plan is
simply an effort at complete CEN
tralization and concentration of all
the power and responsibility in a
small council or commission.
A certain lion hunter, Theodore is
his name, once said:
Governmental powers should be
concentrated in the hands of very
few men who would be so conspicu-
GUS that no citizen could help know
ing. all about them and elections
should not come frequently"
| can imagine of no more convinc-
ing argument in favor of commits
sion plan and if the commission plan
works well-and it has worked we'll,
since Galveston, after the great flood
of 1900 which threatened to swal-
low her up, launched the idea-why
cannot the same idea be applied to
states?
If the state government of Mime
sofa were to be placed in the hands
of a commission of say nine men
picked carefully and on merit alone,
it seems more than likely that a
great improvement over the present
system Of state departments, seeped
and stepped as they are and ever must
be in politics.
And not only should such a COM
mission have the power to appoint
subordinate administrative officials
but likewise the power to remove
them at will. Members of the COM
mission chosen for their competency
and honesty rather than for politi-
cal reasons would have the power
and responsibility of all branches of
state government. All questions
would be simply and finally settled
by majority vote of the commission.
1t would be simple, direct and
above all business-like way of adj
ministering the affairs of the COM
monwealth. Simplicity, directness
and effective control are the strong
features of the commission plan.
Under this plan there could be no
lodging or beating about the bush
the responsibility would be fixed on
the head Of each department 1t could
quickly be shopped of. It would
sound the death knell of graft and
notice by the Long Prairie Leader
that the state has some.
& It certainly is true that under the