The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-01-17
GOVERNMENT OF CITIES.

Salt Lake brings together a number
of different propositions, In so fal
as it is designed to give the people
of the different cities of the State {
chance to say whether they want tht
commission form Of government or not
the bill is commendahle; in so far as
it provides such roundabout way tc
reach results it is Objectionable; il
so far as it destroys the Independent
administration of school affairs it is
impossible.
The bin provides for the selection
of n board of seventeen councillors in
cities Of the first class, eleven in cities
Of the second class, and so on, these
councillors to select officers for the
Presidential electors act in the election
of a President and Vice President
| The people would elect these seventeen
or fewer councillors and the councillors
would do the rest. They would elect
the mayor and commissioners, and al
least some heads OF departments, but
none OF their own number must be
chosen. The councillors would have
power to fix the salaries Of the off.
| GERS they elected, and would also Sc.
| lect civil service commission Of three
members to secure 1xity in Office
These councillors would also have power
to remove by two-thirds vote any
Of the officers that they appoint, in
Producing a sort of recall on small
scale. They could thus by agreement
appoint those who would agree to do
their bidding, and remove them if they
did not
The thoroughly Objectionable feature
OF the bill is where it provides that
these seventeen councillors shall also
elect a city board of education We
are satisfied that any proposition to
merge the educational administration
of the city in the municipal govern
ment would be vigorously opposed by
the people OF Salt Lake. The separa-
tion of the schools from the municipal
government has been the salvation of
the school system. If it is connected
with tho municipal government we
wraugles there might be. to add to and
accentuate the differences that arise
over the municipal administration The
proposition to control the school ad-
ministration by agencies that control
also the city at large will have to be
expects any public support for his
bill We believe that the same sem
timent is true in all tho other cities
Of the State, and in the school dis.
tricts generally. The school districts
would not want their school affairs
connected with the county government,
and no city having a separate school
administration under the present law
would for one moment care to have
that board merged in municipal con.
troll or in any way connected with it
The school system Of this State has
been kept generally out of politics, and
this has been made possible because
the school system is made independent
and Is not merged with any other ad-
miDistrative entity. IL the district
schools of the county are TO be merged
in the county government, then the
schools would certainly receive q set
back But il this is true of the schools
IN The county, and If it is true that
there is no proposition 10 merge the
school government of the counties with
the county government, then the uues-
ton naturally arises. why should there
be any desire to connect tho school
administration Of the cities with the
control Of the municipal administration
of those cities? The only method of
safety and independence for the schools
is TO preserve them in their present
condition rs IN Independent admins
tratiVc unity. not merged with any
other
We take it that the proposition OF
Mr. Barnes, SO far as revising the
commission form of government for
cities Is concerned, is q symptom Of n
general unrest and uncasincss lest we
have not found the ultimate and best
method of city government. We agree
with The belief thai we have not found
1T, and VIC do not believe that we shall
ever find it until we turn over the
city administration 10 the undivided
authority and administration Of one
man. We have institutions of this
city of even greater magnitude in
the business involved in them than is
involved in the administration of the
city's affairs. One man, as a rule, is
at the head of these big enterprises
Why. then, should not one man be at
the head Of, and be made responsible
for. the business administration of the
city? We believe fully that the city
would profit by this change, and com.
mend the suggestion to the LegisIa-
ture.
John O. Wooley, former candidate