South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-08-14
AN INTERESTING EXPERIMENT.

An INTERESTING EABERiAlENI.
Dayton, Ohio. has just decided on
an Interesting experiment in the way
OF new charter, one which goes even
beyond Mr.. Themes Fort Wayne
plan. 1t has the initiative. referen-
du mand recall and all the filings. |
provisions for municipal ownership
anA operation but it doesn't stop with
rat.
1t is 10 have a city manager who
needn't be a resident Of Dayton, to be
appointed by commission OF FIVE
who will fix his salary. The four or
binary commissioners are TO get
$500 2 year ard the fifth. who will
be mayor. is to get $500. The COM
mission IS 10 make the laws and ap~
point the director, hold him respon-
sible for results and that's all. except
that the mayor may preside at the
commission meetings and greet distin-
guished guests Of the city and make
speeches at cornerstone layings.
Commissioners and manager are
subject 20 recall by the people. Dep
uties and assistants and secretaries
city manager may appoint men TO Of
fee, but all the minor offices are to
be filed through the civil service
commission and a city employment
agent, and employees can hold office
during good behavior.
Under the manager are directors of
five departments, finance. public SER
e..
law. Each of these directors is sub
ject &c the orders of the city man
ager, and back of him 10 the com
missioners. Under the directors are
the various officials to do the actual
work.
For example. in the finance depart
ment. there is the commission, the
manager. the director of finance and
the city treasurer all standing round
and bossing the men who actually do
the city's bookkeeping and financing.
Maybe it isn't complicated, maybe
1t will work all right, but it certainly
looks dubious.
OF course the planning Of ideal sys-
TENS or government has been the
type OF mind since Plato wrote his
''Republic"-and perhaps before.
And John ii. Patterson, chairman
OF the committee that wrote the new
charter. and the man who in the eyes
Of many redeemed himself for his
trust activities in cash register selling
by proving himself the man of the
hour in the recent Dayton floods.
probably had a lot of fun working out
this system.
But the trouble with most people
who work out ideal systems OF gov
erment is that they are planning
them for ideal people governed by
ideal men. And most people and
most officials turn out TO be merely
human beings.
The Dayton charter is expected to
be non partisan. If they succeed in
making it non-political they will have
set a new record in the history OF
American government.
What viii happen. for instance. if
the people complain about the cost
OF 4 certain Improvement and the
commissioners COLeclNe4y ana lnul-
vidually. the city manager. the direc-
tor of public service. the city engineer,
the city purchasing agent. the city en-
ployment agent. and the civil service
commissioners all start in on that
grand clG game called passing the
buck"-in other words blaming the
Other fsne.S?
The people have the recall. but
whom will they use it on?
Complaints are heard IN some quar-
tiers occasionally. about the system OF
government we have in South Bend.
But II there is something wrong in
any improvement in South Bend, the
people know right whom 10 blame.
1t is the mayor. He is responsible.
ne can't dodge.
But who are they going 20 blame
in Dayton when something goes
wrong? II looks like a system Of end
less confusion with final responsibility
lodged nowhere.
OF course It's hard 10 Judge theo-
retically about a theoretical system.
but the progress OF the Dayton charter
can at least be watched with interest.
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