The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-01-29
LAYS RESPONSIB|LITYONTHREE
F. J. Harwood Former Member of Com
mon Council and Leader in Business
Life of Appleton Declares Majority
of Citizens Favor Commission Form.

Appleton, rated as one of the most
progressive cities in the Fox River
Valley, has a commission form of gov
ernment such as is proposed for the
city of Kenosha and Appleton is well
pleased with the working out of the
system. In order to ascertain the man
ner in which the commission form has
been received in Appleton, the Evening
News asked for an expression from +.
j. Harwood, president and manager of
the Appleton Wooden Mills and a man
who had served six years on the COM
mon council of Appleton under the old
form of council government. Mr.. Har-
wood gives the commission form an I'M
qualified endorsement and he is one
Of the men in Appleton who is es-
pecially well fitted to pass on the sue
cess or failure of the plan on account
Of his wide knowledge Of conditions in
Appleton as gained during his six years
OH the common council.
In discussing the matter Mr.. Har-
wood says "We are testing out the
commission form of government in APP
pleton and while there is difference
of opinion among our citizens, as there
always is on question of this kind,
personally, I believe that it is very
much Of an improvement over the old
council system was six years in our
city council as alderman and had
chance to know something of the inside
workings as ] was on active commit
tees all that time. ! also know the
difficulties that arise in trying to get
things done in businesslike way. The
commission form of government over
comes great deal Of this; the power
and responsibility is concentrated and
it is much more getable than under the
old form. With the right man at the
head / believe that it would be ideal
in its workings, but, of course, it is
not removed from politics and it is
difficult to get strictly business ele
mont into it the same as it is with
council, but not so difficult. l think
that it is safe to say that very large
majority of the citizens Of Appleton
and especially the business men, would
say without hesitation that the COM
mission form of government is a very
great improvement over the old
system
The success of the commission form
in Appleton is real endorsement Of
the system because it was the irony of
fate that all three of the men elected
to the commission for the first time
We're men who had bitterly opposed
the adoption of the new commission
form. They fought it in the primaries
but after it had been adopted by the
people they sought office under it and
were elected. They were good politi-
clans and as soon as they went into of
flee they found that under the new
form they must make good, They did
some things which were open to
criticism and when the first regular
election came after the Inauguration Of
the new form of government one of
the original commissioners was defeat
ed and man better acquainted with
the demands OF business elected. The
mayor of Appleton died six weeks ago
and in the primaries there were three
candidates in the field, but one man
especially well qualified for the Office
of mayor received so high a vote in
the primaries that the man who ran
second to him withdrew leaving him
alone on the ticket.
Mr.. Harwood in commenting on the
commission form says: Gone thing that
is especially impressed on all who have
examined the commission form is the
fact that if things are moi done right
people can very readily locate the re.
spousible party or parties and are very
likely to remember it when election
time comes. In the old council system
it was rolled from one to another until
you had difficulty locating the guilty
party