The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-04-13
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT.


citizens voted for the commission
government And now, after only Is
months trial of this form of govern
ment some of our citizens have pre-
nounced it failure and are exertin!
themselves in an effort to do away
with it, and resume the old Mayor
Aldermanic system.
What is Commission Government,
anyway? Students of government
tell us that the two great advance
movements of our time, the move
ments which are to work a change for
better in every department of govern
ment, are the movements, 1st, to put
government on practical, business
basis, and 2nd, to bring the govern
ment closer home to the people; to
make the officers of the people direct
ly responsible to the people who elect
ed them. In other words the move
ments are for greater efficiency in
government and for greater power to
the individual voter; more liberty.
Now the movement which carries
both those movements in one is the
movement which is destined to work
revolution for good in our municipal
system, Commission Government,
plan OF government which puts the bus
iuape nf rtin,ino a oi+,, In tba bapdc
OF body of business men elected by
the citizens, and whom the citizens
have the power of removing from of
ficesfor neglect of duty, incompetency
or any unworthiness. Thus it brings
about two great things; a more eff
ticient administration of affairs, and
greater power to the voter, because it
really makes the officer elected by
him his servant, and gives him power
over his every act
Judging these two fundamental ben
etits which are to be derived from
Commission Government that of max
ing the government of the city more
efficient and therefore in the long run,
less expensive, and that of increasing
the voters power over the officers,
making it so that he can remove them
from office when they prove them
selves unfit, we may safely prophesy
at the, outset that the main opposition
to this plan of government will come
from those who are hit hardest by this
change; the professional politicians
who by the old plan of government are
able to install themselves in office,
and though afterwards proving them
selves unfit, nevertheless are able to
keep themselves in office, with no
check on their fragrant abuses of pub
lie trust whatever. When Commits
sion Government is set up of course
these men will howl. The hit dog
always bowls. The fact that this
class of mer everywhere oppose Com
mission Government, is conclusive
proof that it has been a complete sue
cess.
There is another class of people
who are opposed to this plan of gov
eminent, and they are good men and
good citizens. They are the class of
men who have never had the chance
of studying the method, and are there
fore in no condition to oppose it. This
class of people belong largely TO that
conservative class who are always
rather doubtful about a new PROPOSE
ton of any kind. These people should
remember that while this method of
government is new to us, it has been
tried successfully for some years in
several prosperous cities, some Of
which were even larger than Hatties-
burg and have a greater problem OF
government OF course it is a modern
method, but when the principles upon
which it rests are greater efficiency
and liberty which any man other than
an anarchist admits as the principles
upon which all government should
rest, and when it has proved itself as
practical in its working as it is per-
feet in principle and theory, then all
mem who believe in the rights of man
TO a good government and liberty
must come out on the side of Commits
sion Government.
Now one other thing: Suppose
Commission Government had never
been tried before except in Hatties-
burg; would it not even then seem
absurd to declare it failure, after a
brief trial of only fifteen months?
Commission Government has worked
we'll IN this city despite thesaying OF
its enemies to the contrary. Those
were foolish who thought it would
work revolution in a few months and
put city that had long been in a bad
,saII