The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-03-30

all know their branch Of the work.
How is that they combine expert
ence. ability and the type Of man and
yet get self government They elect
q board of directors. The plan is not
efficient where judges are elected by
the people. 1t is not efficient where
the officers who direct affairs are
chosen by the people. The policy in
Germany is planned by the council or
board OF directors. and is execut ed
by the able officials chosen for that
work.
Commission Form Success.
THE reason for the progress Of the
commission form OF government is
that it takes one half of the form of
good gov eminent. 1t centers respon-
sibility and power in a small enough
body to be blamed or praised and
puts all responsibility into this body.
1t is the half way step to efficiency
in government The invention OF the
commission form was step towards
good government which is self gov
eminent"
The speaker then compared FIRE
losses, in the United States with those
of other countries, to the disparage-
ment of America. Police figures show
ed the same thing, and workingmen's
compen sation likewise. If police rec
ords can be taken as q basis, then
Washington Is the most criminal capt.
tol in the world, the speaker said.
In the relation Of governments and
corporations. the speaker pointed out
that where groups of men failed to
coordinate big business and society.
then when the government attempted
to step in. panic ensued. Ths DIS
solution of the Northern and Southern
Pacific combine and the attacks on
the steel trust were examples.
In the matter Of workingm ems
compensation, the speaker classed us
with Turkey for our failure to pass
laws to compensate workingmen, or
If any are passed, then the supreme
court counts them invalid.
Suggests Election Reforms.
In the matter of elections Mr.. Nc
Clure advocated the short ticket. In
G srmany for instance where officers
are given long terms, the voter Is
given absolute freedom in nomination.
1.-THE voter is not confined to his ward
for his candidate Mr.. Mcclure said.
"He can nominate a man who lives
within fifteen miles Of the ward.
Every man makes his own ticket. The
idea Of annual elections has brought
about complexity and length OF
tickets.
tine idea of short terms of Office
has made the Office unattractive to the
best candidates. Men Of ability will
not leave other work for the uncer-
tainty of the tenure OF office. This
attracts men incompetent and not
fitted. Ths greatest mistake in our
government is the system of divided
powers. The plan we pursue in gov
eminent would be unavailable for
business.
Primary nominations may be car
ried out only at a grNt expense OF
time and money. State and presiden-
tial primaries would keep men voting
from April to November. A ticket Of
four or five names Is long enough.
Divided Form Unsuitable.
HAS our divided form OF govern
ment proved suitable for our prob.
lens of the new civilization. It GER
tainly has not. If a corporation en-
deavored to organize as the state
does it would, go into bankruptcy.
Suppose in building the dam here,
every two years the people voted for
a head man, and voted to issue bonds.
Could you have achieved that same
result? There Is nothing myst srious
or miraculous about good govern
ment 1t must be in a workable form.
It must be fool proof and proof from
neglect. Our present form pre-suppos-
ed that all men would vote unselfish-
ly and for best interests. This would
suit an imaginary race OF beings"
The time is coming for a change,
however, Mr.. Mcclure intimates from
his talk. For he says that worse con-
ditions existed in Germany and In
in the early nineteenth cen
fury. Even some Of our worst condi-
tons could not touch the conditions
in the boroughs Of England. Germany
was reused by Stein in 1908, Eng.
lands change began in 1885, and in
our own country the Galveston plan
was 1nads in 1901. ALI Of these
changes in government were made
under compulsory situations.
End Came Too Soon.
Mr.. McClure's audience was loathi !