The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1917, 1914-03-27
Commission Form a Success
In OUer Three Hundred Cities
Letter from Mayor of Spokane, Washington A. Sanders of
this City Tells of the Benefits Plan of City anageent

NC Ddlly luIelltSencer has Deen en-
deavoring to get information on the
subject of the commission form of
government w. A. Sanders, civil en-
gineer, a resident Of Anderson hut
formerly assistant to the city engineer
OF Spokane, WISH, has received very
Interesting letter from the mayor OF
that city. giving his reasons for fav-
oring ihe new plan OF government. The
following are extracts from that let
ter: -
Good business, and when say
good business, dc not necessarily
mean big business for not all big
business is good business ans more
than all small business is good bui-
ness but all good business, whether
big or small, Is demanding some read
iustment Gf the management OF the
modern city.
People have grown weary of the
mismanagement. the waste and extra
vagance and in some cases the irre8-
possibility and inefficiency, IL not the
graft and Doodle, which has been in
cident to many of our municipal af-
fairs.
"The public has come to feel the
truth of what the Hon. James Bryce,
author of The American Common
wealth. said a few decades ago that
the one conspicuous failure of the
American people Is seen in the gov
ernment Of the American city, and
stirred by the consciousness the peo-
pie of our american cities are exper-
fencing what am pleased to cal the
renaissance of civic responsibility, and
a new day is dawning for the Ameri-
can city.
"Amon the signs of the new awak-
osi.i5 a.s .:.o .-:.- 80 55:::SS:. 5:::S. a. tt.o IL
public demand for civic readiustment,
none has attracted more attention and
none in my judgment is more preg-
nant with the promise of civic bet
,terment than the idea of commission
form of government whose policies are
already in force in over 300 of our
American cities, and the striking fact
to be noted in this connection is that
while this list OF cites has been grow
ing for the past decade, and while re-
peted attempts have been made to
revert to the old councilmanic forms
of government, up-to-date not one city
in America has. SO far suffered a re-
lapse. Individual commissioners
have failed, here and there charters
have demonstrated their need OF re-
adjustment, but no reversion to type
has so far been recorded. 4
Reaffirmed by people.
Spokane called a special election
November. 1912, to vote on a possible
recall, not of the individual commits
sioners, but on the charter of commits
sion government itself, and the result
of that election was a reaffirming of
the charter byt.a vote Of practically
two to one, b 1t; carried in every. ware.
and was given much larger indorsel
ment than when It was adopted nears
ly two years before. ;
Several Coed Reasons.
Good business stands sponsor fol
commission government for several
reasons: - n
"First-It removes municipal affair
from the domain of party politics and
offers its candidates to the electorate
upon the sole basis of character an6
ability.
."sseeaaa-By gi@&t;ns the. commisS
sioners at large, the old ward polite
with their log rolling. trading AM
patronage abuses, are completel
eliminated. ~. II
vate citizens. not in contemplation
but In actual process OF constructions
'A I'm regard to tho moral condition d