The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-07-28
FOURTH TOPIC.
Suggestion fa Voters.

If | have convinced you that we
need a change and that we take abso-
litely no risk in making this change,
II you are now or become satisfied that
this plan would be an Improvement
and you wanted il put into effect. then
would come the question Of how to
obtain this change. Ny answer is.
through your Senator. Representatives
and commissioners Here is the place
for you to put our coupling pin down.
II you send men to the Legislature
who really and truly desire this eco
nomical efficient b~usiness-like gov
ernnfent established. they will find a
way 10 get it, If you send men there
who don't want it they will find OBJ
stacleS to defeat it. | have already
heard of some citizen raising eonstitu-
tlonal and machine politics possibili-
ties against it. This kind OF repre-
~sentativeS won't get it.
There is difference of opinion about
the constitutional election require
ments for two officers but even If
these have to b elected the Isegisla-
ture has full power to prescribe their
salaries and duties and these could be
put iii departments and under the
direction of the which would
bring the same results.
The recall Of the commissioners
and the manager would guarantee
that political machine days were over
in this county. besides the manager
IS not an elective, but an aDpointive
officer and usually for only one year,
therefore I repeat. if your represen-
tatives want it they can get it for you.
possibly not identical with the plan l
submit, but in effect the same thing.
Another question | have heard is that
it gave n man too much authority.
[ repeat. We take 10 risk. your re-
call and referendum gives you a safe
guard on this point. that our present
system has never furnished.
In further support Of this plan. u
National Government furnishes A
basis. The law-making bodies and
the President are elective. all other
officials appointive. No city hat has
| adopted this plan has ever gone back
. our antiQuated system There Is
a bill now pending in the Legislature
of Louisiana to put the State under
a similar form. The Governor of Kan
sas is advocating it for that State Our
own model city Of Charlotte is now
considering this specification A
writer for the July Worlds Work
says: In the first ten minutes he sat
in the renton N. j.. Council room
he saw business transacted that would
not have been concluded in less than
three months under the old system.
Since the commission form was es-
tabliShed at Trenton three years
Is other New Jersey cities have eS-
tablished it. He says though he tried
he did not find a single man in Tren-
ton who could give a single instance
where commission government had
failed. He says further that it has
been successful in towns OF 0 and
cities of 10000 and may solve New
York's municipal problems. He says
also that the success of Trenton gov
eminent places responsibility where II
can't be shirked, and every voter
knows h Is responsible. and its sue
cess lies more in the form than In the
men Do you want it II you do. it's
only a question of effort and time We
must have improvements from some
source and offer this as the best !
can find.
Continued on Thirteen.I