The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1913-03-01
COMMISSION FORM OF GOVERN
1NT. FOR D0NALDs0NVILLE.

~ s
COMMISSION FORM OF GOVERN
AE31NT. FOR D0NaIDsoNVILLE.
Ali the needful preliminaries pre-.
scribed by the state law on the sub
iect having been compiled with, the
qualified electors Of DonaldsonVille
will be given an opportunity to decide
on Tuesday, March, %, whether the
commission form of government shall
be adopted for the future administra-
ton Of the town. The formal ques-
tio34 upon which the voters will pass
is thus stated in Maror Maurin's proc
Iamation calling the election:
Shall the proposition to organize
the city Of Donaldsonyille under Act
No. 207 Of 1912 Of the general assem-
5iy OF Louisiana be- adopted
It is. the deliberate and earnest
judgment Of The Chief that the best
interests of DonaldsonvIlle will be
subseryed by deciding this question
IN the affirmative, and we sincerely
trust a majority of our fellow citi-
Gems will view the matter in the
same light.
There is DO complaint or criticism
Of the present municipal admlnlstra-
ton involved in the advocacy of this
change in the form of local govern
ment Mayor Charles Maurin and
his associates on the board of alder
men and in the other town offices
have heen- faithful and diligent in
the discharge of their several duties,
and it is doubtful If any other set Of
officials could do any better than
these have done under the existing
system and like conditions.
A change of system rather than Of
individual officers is what the sup
porters of the proposition to adopt
the commission form Of government
are seeking, and the experience of
many other progressive towns and
cities in Louisiana and throughout
the United States amply justifies
the claim that such a change will in
ure to the benefit of the municipal
community.
Probably the NEST valuable fea-
lures of the commission plan are the
elimination Of the ward system and
tilS CSIILi ctiIECitlOn&
Every citizen is given a voice in the
selection Of the officials who are to
administer the business affairs Of the
municipality, thus making it impos-
sible for the candidate with a strong
pull in his own ward to be elected
if he is not the choice of a suffi-
cients number Of the voters of the
other wards to give him a majority
in the town. Centering the RESPONSE
Dility for official actions and the
conduct Of certain departments Of the
municipal government in one man or
a set of three men who are intrust-
ed directly with the administration
of these departments, will undoubted-
" go a long way toward curing some
Of the defects that exist under the.
present plan. It will not then be
possible to blame s'the other fellow
Or otherwise to shirk duty or respon-
sibility.
The Initiative, referendum and re-
call, component parts of the commits
sion plan, are all progressive doc
frines,. and serve to place the pow
er Of government as nearly and
directly in the hands of the people,
as il y possibsHs
republish va fdssay an article. By.
Attorney b. ID ]. Harvard of Hammond,
La, which was published in The
Chief of Nov. 8, 1912, explaining the
commission form Of government and
giving digest Of the law providing
for its adoption by Louisiana towns
and cities, and we commend it to the
careful perusal and study of Donald
sonville's voters as a reliable source
of Information and elucidation con-
corning the subject Of which it treats.
New Orleans, Shreveport, New
Iberia, Lake Charles, Alexandria and
Hammond are some of the progress
sive Louisiana cities and towns that
have adopted the commission form Of
municipal government, and the new
system is in successful operation in
many places throughout our sister
states. It is everywhere recognized
as a great improvement in municipal
and there can be no
doubt it will prove advantageous ard
beneficial in It's application to Dom