The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-01-15

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ycarnated the ideal oof what a / city
builder should be. When the news
% the invitation to shim became,
Known the country sud denly awoke
to the Bseriousness and the sign III,
cances Of this bloodless municipal
revolution. s:,. y;
After Colonel Goetliais declined
theiplaceithe commissioned system.
,atieally about filling IL They had.
indeed, set a,llofty standard Y On the
theory that home rule aid not sneces.
sarily mean home talent; obey
secured the country. d Thellist ;ofSelis;
sibles included chief engineers and
general superintendents OF railroads: 4
men with military training anlSexs
rerience;s managers OF great corpora-
tions; university presidents Che
White House was the cue here /; ex.
,perts in budget making and budget
saving; even ex:mayors of; proved
worth and wide teehnicals opportun.
ity Expert administration in Day
ton is to be a condition, not theory.
was present when one .of these
cligibles appeared by invitation AZ
the bar of the commission. TWAS an
event that might easily have Shap.i
lpened in the board room Of; q great
CORPORATION. The commission ers 'Isat,
as directors, and [to;alls intents,sth
were qutiEzzing 81 9, possibility for gem
iisf In manager When the commits
Isioners entered the assembly room
they left their politics, their bust
ness interests, their personal pyejur
.dices. and their religion: outside. The
amazing thing about the whole ses-
sion was that the word politics was,
never mentioned. Instead. the COM
lmissioners probed into their guests,
experience; grasp Of civic affairs.
method Of hnadling men, and, last:
but not least his vision OF the city,
manager domain So with all the
rest Of those who seemed to measure.
up to this epoch-makingi post. Fit
ness was the first consideration. z
After many such meetings and O.
d Il. - = - -
months careful scombingl Of the; field,
the commission selected Henry NJ.
Waite, Of Cincinnati, to- take up, tho,
duties which ,willsdoubtless set a, new
mark in the conduct Of tho American
city. .ss. 4 4 &. Z
Mr.. Waite. is a trained engineer
who has constructed and operated
railroads. developed coal fields, and
had big part in the: actual, operation
,ofaa metropolitan COMMUNICATIVE
most recent! activity fits him ! pecu!
liar1y for the Dayton work. for he has
been one; Of Mayor Hunts chief aids
in the Observation-Disclosures OF Gin
,cinnatiunder the reform era which
ended all too soon. He has built
streets and sewers, handled large
groups Of men, ahd built III, {, al or Of;
:sanization that Is a model. He
KNOWS building and he Knows bust
Icss. Big Of bone, deep Of chest, and
keen Of eye, he looks as Il the terrific
task of blazing a whole fresh city
path would be bread and meat, to him.
This stocky, specialized man. who
now sits as city manager in the gray.
and weather-b beaten city Hall down
on Main street In Dayton. is in real,
iity the general superintendent Of a
,llumming and far flung corporation
Of $4,000 stockholders. II Is up to
him to produce the dividends Of ser-
WIS., Vie; SsSm .5;s.e II !. a
: .,HoMlsarea thesedi dividends to ;jbe
teatped " By the most bilsinesslike
system of city igovernmentpyetp de-.
yised for an important icommunityiin
this country The keynote. is cen:
tralization 4of tadininistrativ author.
iit& One mantle city manager
is ! head head and front of sity operation.
and. what Is more. he Is responsible
for IT. He can appoint discharge,
and fix the. salaries Of all his :imme-
date spbordinates, including the
heads Of the. five principal depart.
1msents Of law, finance. public safety;
,e end public welfare: He lean choose,
them wherever he pleases. Their,
one qua qualification Phi must be training q