The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1914-01-28
WEDNESDAY,. JANUARY IS. 1917.
THE COMMISSION MEETING.

Perhaps no very now facts were
fought ont al tho meeting last night
the city hall to discuss the COM
ission form of but mat
= was introduced which merits care
1 consideration.
AS was stated some days ago, if VIC
lopt the commission form of gov
snmcnt in Grand Forks at this time
e Will not he adop,n. IL theory but
specific method of government pro-
sion for which is made i'll the stat
scs Of North Dakota. We will not hc
.'"Nidins for II commission with :;
sneral manager. for onr law pro-
fdes for nothing Of tho kind. We
Pill he adopting a system which dit
RS from that to which we are ac-
tlstoncd in just a few important par
s%culars. The governing body. will
bnsist of five members instead of
Eirtccn. The members, instead of
ping elected two from each ward,
gill hc elected at large. Instead of a
pryor To make appointments and ac:
WI u 'a'' 'iINt. WV u IIdN6 IIIg
Sccutivc duties performed by tho
ncmbers OF tho board directly. Dc-
strtmcntal work will be divided
lmons the five commissioners. instead
III among committees OF the council
y We have them now.
Un the theory that any port is a
God port in n storm, it can readily be
,,n.1ersto"d that men i'm a city whose
.ffairs, political and financial, are
.opelessly tangled. would turn to ,ihc
commission plan or any other plan
'llich offers a change as a way ont
u their difficulties. hui, if no such
emergency exists. and if the present
ystem is working fairly wcll. the
.hances are tina. most of our people
will desire to look With some care into
ny system which they are invited to
dept before jumping into it.
Various forms of commission gov
,rnment have been adopted in various
tiles. The Galveston commission was
successful body SO long as the spirit
which prompted the rebuilding OF the
Itity was dominant in the people.
Fhen scandals developed under it as
-eadily as under the old form. a
sew years ago Dcs Moincs was adNcr.
Used as a living witness Of the bcne-
its OF the commission plan. In the
meantime Dies Moines has been torn
with factionalisln and VIC do not hear
:" much of that city as a model. Eis-
j. ~, s-.l. 1,,,y I1..<1 tJ,- :- r-..
of government for some time. and
|lhr same man who dominated tho old
council il; now Il member of the COM
mission. and dominates it. The COM
mission plau. which has beer in OPP
~rration in Minot for five or six years
has rot prevented that city from be-
Ing ono of the scenes of a continuous
performance in the line of municipal
disturbances. Mandan has the COM
|mi~sion form. II quite recently n
|inan Who Was elected to the commits
sion had q recall petition. filed against
him by friends of tho defeated cam
didatc, and this petition was filed only
-four days after tho election. when
there had been no opportunity for the
official to demonstrate Illness or I'M
fitness. Yet il the thing is pushed
through there must he another cleo
tion almost immediately. and so on.
rs long as one side or the other wishes
to keep it mp.
II When there is an emergency s:
change in the form OF government is
sometimes wise Yer on Very short
~ satisfactory thoughtful people will
prefer 20 give proposed changes p
very .carefu, investigation before
making them
a.. ..s
WORK AND TEAY-.
The years which William VI. Taft