Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1912-02-09

80; Wis, Laws 1911. but constitaticnaiity
doubted, hence passed il Res 7a l9iI.
with same purposel, the aldermanic posi-.
tlons might be more attractive even without
salary.
Short Ballot Under Commission and Home
Rule.
Under either commission or home rule
charter an important improvement that
would take place would be the decrease IN
elective Offices Popular attention In tha
elections and in the administration would be
concentrated on a few men and the rand;
dates would be attracted not only by the
name OF the Office but by its real influence.
There can be no doubt that responsibility 10
the people IS destroyed when d long list Of
officers is elected 1t inevitably opens the
door to dependence on party for selection al
candidates Every opportunity for partisan.
ship TO enter into the chbi9e of non-partisan
officials is an opportunity for abuse.
Tour mayor, Mr.. Perry<s informs me that
besides the mayor and edit aldermen there
city ;reasuref city asses et ya clerk and
constable There seenS{1ittie excuse for
keeping these offices IA 66 ticket. The
people make no real CHI }sf these Off GERS
as you may well prova asking the first
hundred men ON the 81 Tor Whom they
voted for city clerk or <ullle at the last
election. The duties of fices are not
political The constabl <=f paftisAn or
az least should be so. we BIS no repub
liean bookkeeping and trhtic assess.
ing. Such Offices sh0u : fhe eIectiye
they should be filed "a annnintment
through some responsi * OH by civil
service in way toh bF1ras for eff
Eciency and -experie lRe7 n q ,i.ihmission
Government and Homo I'd Is S5jSkf this inn
provement. Except ind Ahe Office
OF treasurer any city az i'm ~ class ~cnn
take. this step forward IN BIZ present
saw,s and that withouE pos sti1sM of having
any constitution at question: Yised.
Appointments Under commissEM and Home
Rule. Co.,
Commission Government and Home Rule
Charters may differ on the control OF APP
pointments. The Wisconsin commission gov.
eminent law provides that all shall be made
by the commission, and there is no provi
sion for civil service. Under the home rule
charter amendment officials are appointed as
the city may determine, as at present, or by
the mayor under civil service system
Political Eleinent Under Commission and
Home Rule.
Finally commission government and the
NatfQnal Municipal Leagues plan differ as to
tfkF proper Importance of the political ele
tssent in our city government 1t is one of
'p6ur traditions that there should be some
lie opinion which should determine policy
and some other agency to carry out the pol
icy determined. Under commission govern
ment we will have turned back on this tradi.
ton. Policy will be both determined and
carried out by one body. Whether the small
commission will adequately reflect public
opinion and always be plant to the popular
idea of what is the best policy is matter
of opinion.
One fact it is always important for us to
bear lin mind in this connection--that is.
that the commission form Of government is
not the only way out We canS secure re-
sponsible government by a change less rad
zeal in our historical methods of municipal
government Home rule charters, with
sponsibilhy placed in the mayor promises to
secure more direct responsibility than
commission goyernment-and if necessary,
.o11 - - all h., nl.1 H. I. salx
dent reformers feel are~necessary to the sue
cessful operation of the commission scheme.
Longer terms, non-partisan primaries, initia-
tive, referendum, recall--these not part
of the commission form of government they
are experiments in the general movement for
Improvement of conditions OF government in
city, state and nation.
Almost as important also is recognition
of the fact that after all any scheme of
municipal organization is only piece OF
political machinery. 1t may do excellent work
under certain conditions and be less success
full in Others We have reviewed some of
the conditions which to argue for, and
some of those which seem to place iimita-
tions on commission government. For mid
die class cities there seems to be little doubt
that ii brings possibility OF radical improve
ment over our present system: FOR isfge
regards too much the political side OF the
communitys needs to allow proper reflection
Of public opinion there for small city, too,
its virtues are not 50 clear-the business ee-
ment does predominant there. it is true, but
where the budget is small the city may fsd
itself confronted by the dilemma of requlr-
ing only part time service from the commits.
sioners, in which case part OF the supposed
advantage of the sySfen is lost or Of
saying too large a percentage Of the budget
in salaries.
1t is quite possible for the same man TO
be in favor of the commission form Of gov
eminent. for Madison and for Eau Claire but
against it for a small city Ike Wauwatosa
and q large one like Milwaukee. The peculiar
conditions that surround each prpblem must
control Cities not like & row of frar-
tions all of which have COMMON de-
It is quite possible, too, for a man to be
in favor of commission government now
though he believes that the home rGlc charter
rs the expedient we will ultimately adopt;
The latter may even include the former and
would give the opportunity for freer exner'-
ment to adjust the the. form tS o. re
passed q law and a Joint resolution for
amendment of the constitution. both with
the same object, to make possible home rule
charters, shows that doubt exists as to
whether the law is now constitutional Many
friends of municipal reform will decide that
for the present the safe step is TO organize
under the commission government law. Oth-
ers will prefer to wait until the nome rule
charter amendment has been made part of
the constitution by the people or until in
test case the home rule charter law mas been
upheld by the courts.
Whether it is better to act under the com
mission government law now, or to act under
the nome RUE chafter law ia apteS " -
cloud that hangs over it. or to wait until
home rule charters have been expressly au
thorized by the constitution, or whether il is
necessary to act at all must be decided by
each constituency after considering the
peculiar conditions that surround ITS own
present government. Commission form OF
government is no universal specific and IN
many cities more will be risked by haste
than will be lost by delay. We cannot too
clearly keep in mind that social and political
conditions are not uniform and to try to
make them so by government is often
doubtful expedient.