Bisbee daily review., 1911-04-21
COMMISSION FORM IF RULE
 |S FAVORED BY DOUGLAS
(DouElas InternatIonsI.l )

On April 12th Senator Lafayette ioung of Iowa delivered a speech ih ne United States senate in which he dealt with the commission form of government. such as is in con trol of the city of DesMoines. his lome town. MT Young points vi, idiy to the faults and drawbacks oi the old plan of city governments and as vividly points to the i'm proyements oe the new plan
 As Douglas has had this new plan of government under favorable con alteration and as our new constitu tion provides for the commission plan of municipal government, We have extracted the following from Senator Youngs speech. which wall 1e found of interest:
 It seems that our forefathers were so afraid that our republic would be converted into a monarchy that they thought 1t necessary that every municipal government should initiate a republic in its form. Therefore every municipal govern ment has been endowed with legis- latve authority. It is true 1t is linn ited. but notwithstanding that limit. Rtion every municipal government has been operated as if its main function were that of making laws For this purpose every city has what they term a city hall In this Icity hall the legislative body meets anf the gentlemen from the various wards are there. The mayor pre- sides, and all the formalities of < deliberate body are observed. The gentleman from the Trird ward ad- dresses the presiding officer and the gallery. having in mind his intelll- gent constituents, as he frequently remarks. and also having in nina his own reelection The alderman has been called a 'false-alarm states man," but be deceives a great many
 
 when speaking in opposition to the abolition of any office. He regards such a move as one curbing the lib erties of. the people. His admiring and his admiring con tractors are prepared to applaud his utterances. In some states cit ies have been known to have two branches of a legislative body. an upper and a lower house. Yet their authority is so limited that they can neither add 70 nor subtract from the penalty of any offense against the laws. They can order sewers ard sidewalks and designate within what months dogs shall be muzzled. They can also prohibit chickens from run. ming at large. The legislatures of states made the important laws, and practically every function discharged by a city council is executive rather than Legislative. The claims are al- lowed by a committee on claims. The report is generally adopted without reading. The men who be- lieve in committees on claims and who are willing So 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.
 It happens in many cities that men who represent wards practically rep resent contractors. Having members in city government from subdivis ions of any nature are a mistake. Men are elected from wards who never could be elected from the city at large. Bad men are elected from bad words. But the good men often times receive as much criticism and and as much blame for a bad city government as do those who are re ally responsible. Thus good men are deterred from becoming members o: the city council because the general