The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1912-08-25
TIIi RECALL.

liaical questions and Che ISSUES
which csnGsOHt them, if not every
day at lcsst very frequently. s{er"
would prevail bcttrs AnS 4 moGc
substantial Understanding of 'Scir
governments, local and parMhias end
Stale, i.ut particularly Locale
Every good citizen, including NE
business and professional man,
should be a politician, not in the
sense of being a seeker oe office nor
political tinse- scrscr, but as citi-
zen whe should spare some of bis
time iN dwelling on political prob
aems, as for instance az ih the dis
cussion of base ball anal other KIDS
of diversion and amusements.
AT soINe period there comes a
great and overwhelming demonstra-
sion for reform and then there fol-
lows a relapse, when the same old
complaints and shortcomings are in
evidence; when the needs of reform
crops out full fledged and then there
is renovated the reform spirit which
unfortunately is short lived.
Whatever be the system of gov
eminent which prevails in ANY COM
munity, is the direct result of the
majority Of the voters participating
in the election, or the neglect of the
citizens in not voting:
In every community there is the
class who never fails to vote and
the class that delays in voting until
after the polls are closed or who
forget to vote.
Take the vote on the recall as an
illustration. e."
The government by commission
which prevails in Shreveport was
adopted at a primary election d.
which there were cast about three
thousand votes. /
At the regular election fixed for
the election Of the mayor and com
missioners, nominated respectively,
there were less than one thousand
votes cast.
A petition for recall must ln
based on the aggregate vote for
mayor and as less than one thous-
and votes were cast at the mayors
election, 80 per cent of the individ-
uals who voted at that election are
qualified to sign a petition for a re
call of the mayor and any one or all
the commissioners.
III the vote cast at the primary
were the basis for a recall, it would
require the signatures of over nine
hundred voters who participated in
the election.
In the face of these facts the vot-
ers who failed to vote at the may
or's election should be held to ac-
count.
The recall was provided deliber-
ately as substitute for impeach-
ment proceedings.
II Is scarcely necessary to say
that the impeachment of any off,
cial of the highest TO the lowest
standing would be successful, re-
CARELESS Of his offense. T.
And equally impossible would be |.
recall of any official when over
nine hundred signatures of quail
fled voters would be required to the
petition recall. To obtain so many ,
signatures the offending official /,
would have to be charged with Of !.
lenses more Serious than trivial
tiles.
The secall is one of the best and
one Of the strongest links OF gov
eminent by commission, and with :
the initiative and the refer :,
endum there is offered to the .
people the very essence of Demo- :
cratic system of government where !.
the people are supreme in their !.
authority. !,
The recall is the terror of the pol
itician holding Office who is crook.
The crook may evade impeachment !,
with the technicalities of law, but :
ne can not escape when he is called :
10 face an indignant people he has
betrayed.
The commission form of govern
nent has been a success whenever h
I has been tested in the spirit of a y
broad substantial democracy. In
The success of the commission o
form of government at Galveston, h
Texas. is due to the efficient man n
igement of the commissioners il
named by the State, when Calves b
on, as a city, had become bankrupt O
Under the old system of mayer {,
ind aldermen or councilmen. Iii
Not only was Galveston's credit as
! municipality rehabilitated, but it b.
has constructed seawall, raised G
he surface of its streets sixteen Il
'eet and has constructed a cause g
Eay which pytendiup frnm fha Gal n