The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1912-05-04

ice. and that it has proved wise
and thoroughly practicable meas
IRE.
Moreover, it is a fact that the
charters Of more than one hun
bred and fifty cities, scattered
through about half Of the States,
provide for their government un
der the commission plan, Of which
the recall is a part. In these cit
les, all the elective officers are
subject to recall by the voters at
any time.
The recall is a very important,
if not essential, feature of the
commission plan of city govern
ment. Under this system, a few
officials are elected and vested
with great powers. Without the
recall, it would he extremely dan
gerons to give such tremendous
scope to few men.
1t il widely objected to the re
ell that I'D IA community enjoying
the privilege of discharging its
elective officials at will there
wonld he continual turmoil be
cause some faction wOnJd be busy
all the time trying to get somebody
recalled from office. The experl
ence of commission governed cit
les proves quite She contrary.
The recall has seldom been invOk
ed. The very fact that public of
ficiak know such power to be
in the hands OF the people makes
them the more concerned to shape
their course with reference to
gaining and holding the approval
If the people.
The recall in the business
world is nothing new. 1t has
been with us since man began The
employment of man, and will be
with US so long as man employs
man. True, we have not known
the practise IN the recall. We
have called 1t by another name;
We have "dischargei," not gre
called' men.
Every one knows what it means
to discharge person; no one has
known, until comparatively re
Gently, what it means to recall a
person. And yet the two are one
aud the same thing. The dis
charge is applied to household
servants, to farm hands, to EN-
plOyees in manufacturing estab-
lishments, to banking, TO railroad
ing, to shipping, to business gen
elally, and is in force everywhere
except in the public service.
The contention of those favor
ing the recall is that it should ap
ply to public servants as well as
to private aud corporate interests.
There is nothing unreasonable or
dangerous in this. 1t would seem
to he one hundred per cent com
mon sense, all common sense.
Impeachment, az practical
measure, Is a failure 1t does not
furnish the necessary relief. 1t
h IS proved to be unavoidable. AS
a result, it is rarely brought into
use-never. indeed, except IN
cases OF extreme disIoyalty, or the
grOssest kind of unfitness. TO be
impeached, a man must he so
much worse than the worst of our
officials and public servants that
fluids almost no vic
Tins.
Moreover, impeachment damns
a man for life 1t brands him as
10 worthless or so vile a creature
that he never has chance again.
1t makes him an Outcast beyond
the pale Of dtcency.
To be recalled, on the other
hand, does not by any means ut
erly damn man 1t simply i'm
plies that he has failed to make
good on the particular job on
which he had been tried out
There are many men liable to
he recall, and who should prop
,rly be recalled; but there. are
'ery few to whom impeachment
could be successfully applied, or
wisely or humanely applied. The
ecall is a workable, practical