The Pensacola journal., 1913-02-22
voX PoPULI.
JNo. g.. JONES COMPARES
THE TWO CHARTERS

Editor Pensacola Journal.
Pardon me for saying that your Sun
day editorial did not ring true" not
withstanding your extremely fiatter-
ing reference to the utility clause of
the Jones charter. 1t seems as If your
admiration for genuine commission
government. under charters which pro-
vide approved methods of public ac-
counting. and of administering public
affairs with adequate limitations and
restrictions, where nom partisan pri-
maries and civil service obtain, and
ring rule is prevented, has impelled
you to espouse the cause of a dummy
which is disguised in the garb of your
ideal, and blinded you to the principles
upon which the Jones charter is con-
structed.
Any impartial analysis of the
Semmes committee charter, and COM
parison of 1t, with the charter of COM
mission government cities which have
made good, will show that it lacks the
essentials for safe, efficient and pro-
gressive government which has OBJ
tained in the cities where commission
government has been successful. This
assertion must be true, If that great
champion of commission government
for cities, Henry Bruere. knew what
he was writing, when he gave to the
public the results of the labors of the
New York bureau of municipal re-
search by publishing the interesting
and valuable book: "The New City
Government"
1t behooves all good commission
government advocates to beware of
the dangerous expedient and counter
felt offered by the Semmes committee
While urging serious consideration
of the proposed commission govern
ment charter, I embrace the oppor-
tuntty to again appeal to all citizens,
who are desirous of making a change
in our charter that viii secure eco
nomical, efficient and honest local self
government, to read carefully the pro-
visions of the Jones charter, which
The Journal and the News through
misunderstanding place between the
"Scylla and Charybdis" of concen-
trated power and diffused response
| bility. The first mentioned paper er-
roneously states that the charter di-
vides the responsibilities of govern
ment between fourteen elective Off
GERS, and the other paper in a double
column editorial with terrible deadly
point type calls its readers attention
| to the danger of concentrating power
| and responsibility in the mayor, as ii
| enormously asserts the charter does.
Both papers cannot be right in this
matter of the concentration OF power
and responsibilities, which is a serious
and all important factor in municipal
government. That both are wrong,>any
citizen can see for himself by reading
| the charter. as now appeal to all to
| do, and not to accept the "say so" of
any man who opposes it.
The purpose Of the Jones charter,
| and it's effect will be. to provide for
our city a business-like commission
government representative of all the
people. It is like the charter OF a
large successful business corporation,
with the commissioners elected by all
the voters of the city so as to repre-
sent every section of the city, as a
| board OF directors, three Of whom con-
stitute an executive board, similar to
| the executive committee of private
corporation.
This executive board is composed
| of the mayor, commissioner of i'm
provement and commissioner Of rev.