The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-02-05
SPEAKERS FAVOR new PLAN
Members of Audience Enter into Dis
cussion of Proposed Form of Govern
ment Showing They Are Anxious to
Get Facts as to Benefits of New Form

The interest of Kenosha people in
the commission form of government
was evidenced on Friday evening when
three hundred people gathered at Park
Avenue NJ. d. church to hear discus
sion of the proposed change in govern
ment by local speakers. Teh audience
was made up largely of voters, but
there were a score of women in the
audience and the women seemed to
take just as lively an interest in the
discussion as the men. The argument
of the question was top heavy one,
three Of the set speakers favoring the
adoption of the new form of govern
ment while the opposition was present
ed by Attorney Calvin Stewart.
Frank NJ. Karnes presided at the
meeting. The first speaker was w. 7.
Marlatt, president of the common coun-
ell. The speaker spoke in favor of the
adoption of the commission form. He
did not discuss the theory of commits
sion form or the success or failure of
it in other cities, but directed his talk
entirely to discussion of the success
OF commission government in Kenosha,
declaring that this showed that com
mission form brought efficiency. He
spoke of the water, health, police, fire
and park commissions in operation in
the city and showed that every one of
these commissions had brought efficient
to the department in
which they were in charge.
Judge Joseph R. Clarkson, in one of
his rarest veins, spoke on the commits
sion law. His exposition of the law
was so clear that when he had CON
Guided his brief remarks every per-
son in the large audience must have
had clear idea of just what commits
sion government was and just what
were its benefits and its dangers.
Judge Clarkson declared that the COM
form while in the nature of a
fad had spread with such rabidity
throughout the country that it appear
~ w w WI Ucil Gud1 Ii WOuId NC GuG
ultimate government for all the small
er cities of the nation. He spoke
of the main danger in the proposed
form as the possible failure of securing
the best possible men for members of
the commission. The well known wit
of Judge Clarkson was much in evil
dence and this with his logical inter-
probation Of the law made his address
the most notable Of the evening.
Prof. Otis L. Trenary, one Of the
real students Of the commission form in
Kenosha, gave a very interesting adj
dress touching especially on the theory
of the commission form. He spoke
from experience of the utter failure
of the common council system and with
the aid of charts showed that concen-
tration Of the municipal powers would
bring the government closer to the peo-
PIE than was possible in the present
system. He discussed the referendum
and the recall and showed that in the
hands Of the people these provisions
of the law became real weapons to
secure for the people a government
for the people, of the people, and
by the people.
Attorney Stewart declared that he
was taking the opposition to the com
mission form purely from an argumen-
tative standpoint and that he was not
ready to commit himself as for or
against the form of government. He
spoke of the danger which attended
any change in the form Of government
and urged strongly the point that there
might be a union Of undesirable citi-
zens to control elections. He held that
the commission form made it possible
for the politicians to secure Office and
continue themselves in Office by build
ing up about them strong political
machine. He compared the present
council system to the jury system and
declared that the people would fight