The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1913-03-20
ATCH|SON HEAD
APPROvESOF THE
COMN|SS|ONPlAN
Describes Old System as Inefficient
and Wasteful With Scatter
ing Of Responsibility.
BRIEF STAY IN MEMPHIS
Remarkable Metamorphosis in Bluff
City Observed by Old Citizen
After 5-Year Absence. s

That the Commission Form Is the
true and absolutely correct system
of business government. Is the opin-
ion of every keen-sighted and sue
eessful business man, or the head Of
4 corporation Nv
Some days ago. w. d. Hines.
chairman OF the executive commit,
tee of the Atchison railroad system,
Igave an address at Topeka. in
which he referred to the growing
criticism OF our forms OF govern
Inent, national. state and municipal.
which he described as inefficient
and wasteful. He is thus reported:
THE trouble Is the lack of def
mite responsibility. We divide and
scatter 1t. and when things go
wrong there is no one to call to ac-
count. In long ana ysis IL demon
strates that throughout our system
we have far too many so-called
checks and balances. We cannot ex-
pect efficiency without cooperation
and coordination.
'';This fault isA what the eommis-
sion form of government is intended
to correct. II eentralizes responsi-
bility and does not depend upon "A
complicated system Of cheeks and
balances. which furnishes no wa-.
rant for efficient government. The
idea that the more elective offices.
the more democracy, is shallow; the
more Of these offices the more the
people are imposed upon, simply be-
cause responsibility is scattered.
What they want is short bal OF and
centralized authority, thus pre-
venting the scattering of responsi-
bility among so many that no one
can be called to account.
Worked Great Change in Memphis.
The Grit, a daily newspaper pub
lished at Williamsport. Penn, has
the following relative to Memphis,
Tenn.
"A traveller who had visited Mem
phis, Tenn, five years ago. returned
to The metropolis OF Tennessee for a
short visit this year. After being
In the city two days. he remarked
to one OF the Memphians OF his ac-
quaintance;
what has happened to your city
since. | was here five years agog 1t
doesn't look like the Cd Memphis.
with its dirty streets, filthy alleys.
and miles OF unpaved thoroughfares.
Today. this city appears to me- one
OF the cleanest in the United States.
The change is 50 great cant help
wondering II sized the old Mem
phis mp in. the right way.''
II can't tell you the reason for the
change in two words, The changes
you notice" said the Memphian,
"are merely on the surface. There
are tremendous changes you will
have to be told about. In fact. the
city has been renovated, cleaned
from top to bottom, inside and out"
II don't suppose You mean dry
ceaned," spoke the visitor, having
In mind the attitude Memphis has
taken in ignoring the statewide
prohibition law in vogue in Tennes,
see.
"That's different matter, a
question in ITSELF" answered the
Memphian. H
"But the two words which will
tell me the whole story about the
wonderful changes which have
taken place in Memphis? You
haven't told me.
Commission government
Enough said" answered the Wis.
itor, and the Memphian began to tell
the city's visitor about the accom-
piishments of commission govern
ment in Memphis. the substance Of
which the writer will tell the read,
ers in this article.
) Prior to 1910. Memphis had the
old-line American form OF munici-
pal government 1t supported a
gang" and the gang succeeded
in making taxes exceedingly burden.
some for the people of the worlds
greatest hardwood center. Under
the old regime taxes averaged about
$2.35. going as high as s2.sS in
1903. For these heavy taxes the
citizens didn't get clean streets,
didn't have the sewage system kept
in a asnitary condition. and didn't
have paved important thorough
fares which SHOULD have been made
passabie
JERSEY Cites in Line.
Jersey City, Hoboken, Elizabeth,
and Paterson vii vote on the ques.
ton of the adoption of the Com
mission Form on Tuesday. April as.