Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-09-04
FITS ASHLAND AS WELL.


following from the Medford Sun.
The criticism fits every city because
it is against a system far behind
modern demands. The writer has
often wondered how business would
prosper if the proprietor should
adopt the policy of discharging all
experienced hands every two years
and putting the business into the
hands of novices, so that his busi-
ness place should become a training
school for apprentices from one
years end to another. Yet every
municipality in America does exactly
that and the people, who are the
government, cry out against incom-
potency and extravaganza. How can
anything else be expected under a
system that turns out an employee
as soon as he has mastered the busi-
ness and gives his place to a novice?
The system must be changed.
Read this wise editorial from the
Medford Sun:
mot very long ago a citizen of
Nedford found something he believed
TO be contrary to city ordinances and
he complained to the police.
'The police said they were not
governing the city and directed him
to the mayor.
''The mayor remarked that he was
not the responsible head in the city
administration and directed him to
the city council.
had nothing to do with the matter
and directed him to a certain COM
mittee.
''The chairman of the committee
was not responsible and directed him
to the chief of police.
$50 there you are. That is the
sort of responsibility existing in the
Medford municipal government at
the present time-there is no re-
sponsibility either for good govern
ment or bad.
''The city of Dayton, Ohio, is try
ing an interesting experiment at the
present time.
''They have put all the powers of
the city in one commission of five
members, and this commission hires
a general business manager, who
controls all the city departments ex-
cept schools and courts, and is paid
what he is worth.
This man may live in Dayton and
he may not; he may be republican
and he may be a Hottentot Resi-
dence, party badges and all the rest
of the non-essentials are brushed
aside and the city manager is chosen
just as the manager of any other
large corporation is chosen for his
qualifications for the job.
THAT is the only common sense
way to run our cities-most of the
European countries found this out
years ago, but it is taking long
time for Americans in their scramble
for more money and more power, to
give the matter their attention
"The Dayton manager will hold
his job as long as he makes good,
and no longer-it may be twenty
years and it may be twenty days, but
he is the man responsible to the
board of directors, and the board of
directors are responsible to the peo-
pie, and If any citizen is dissatisfied
he can go directly to the loss and
either have the fault removed or
know the reason why.
"How much does it cost the city of
Medford per month to clean the
streets?
How much to conduct the police
force, the water department, etc,
etc?
Someone knows, no doubt, but
the citizens of Medford do not. This
new arrangement in Dayton provides
for a monthly audit and itemized
statement showing where every
penny taken in by the city goes, and
that statement is printed in the news
papers for the benefit of the people.
This is not an indictment against
the members of the present city gov
ernment. 1t is the system that is
ford adopts the commission plan or
a similar plan, local government will
be wasteful, unbusinesslke and dis
appointing to all those who have any
knowledge of what municipal govern
ment should be-"