The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-30
COMMISSION 1 TRIES ID STYLE VOICE OF PEOPLE

pOoSd 10 LII Ciy III "
 Commissioner Sided
 Affair
 Isadore Shapiro finds fault in the form Of the ballot 10 be submitted to the i,ople next month on the proposed change in the number of city commis- soners
 He holds that the people should he silowcd expression on the city manager rlpn. the aldermanic plan and other questions pertinent to municipal gov ernment.
 His Interview follows:
 "'rh decision of the commissioners 10 elicit an expression from the pee pie anent additional commissioners is not only extra legal, but extra funn.
 'The wording of the ballot, as eN- tressed in the resolution. Is purely three e-commissioner sided. and stiles public expression on some acute phases of the situation.
 ''1he commissioners will only perm's the voters to declare themselves Oh three or five commissioners. There are some extremely valuable provis- ions in the five-c commissioner bill. now on the house calendar. which have been screened and not disclosed to the pub lie
 Initiative Is Possible
 T. An amendment providing for the Initiative submitted by me ap- proved by the house committee on inunicipal organizat tion and is now in corporated part of the bill In my opinion. the potentiality of this amendmentis worth more to the peo- pie of Birmingham than any other fea- turc of the bill The initiative would be cheap even at the cost of two more commissioners tassuming that there are no needs for more commissioners) Under this initiative 20O0 oualificl voters Of Birmingham may submit any ] efoinance to the city commission. The ci'N commission must either -ta) pass slcn ordinance without alteration Withln 20 days, or (b) forthwith call Il special election, unless a general mr- H rlcipal election is fixed within 20 davs thereafter. and at such special or gen. efal election so fixed such ordinance shall be submitted without alteration to the vote of the electors of the city
 
 F ordinance vote in favor thereof such | ordinance thereupon becomes a valid ard binding ordinance of the city, and | any ordinance proposed by petition or which shall be adopted by vote of the people cannot be repealed or amendad d except by vote of the people The profound significance of thss initiative cannot be exaggerated. IT piaces the government directly in the E hanos or the people. No matter how E adverse the commissioners may be to . wards certain legislation, yet the pe,- pie. under my amendment. have tic right to Initiate and adopt such leg islation over the protest of the com nissloners. In a word, 1t exemplifies H the democratic doctrine that the gov trnment really belongs to the peopl. It lodges inceptive power in the people II makes the people bigger that the commissioners.
 "rhis power of direct Legislation reans so much to the people that I ani Willing to secure it at the expense of two more commissioners | do n,t @beiI.ve 1t practicable to. obtain the mi 'iatiVe m any other way. I submitted a. separate bill providing for the ini- tlative for Birmingham, but 1t is still! siunlbering in committee Bills Other Provisions "2 The five commissioner bill pro-
 
 ] shall be selected by the new commits sion when it assumes office This gives the people an opportunity to have i. 4 tiean-out Tn the engagement of our educational system An entire ney board of education would instill more 'eihocfat'c spirit in the management or the schools. l do not desire 10 inject politics into education. but I { do want to put some education int, our politics.
 $. The bill reduces the salaries of the commissioners to $5000 for the president of the board and $4OOO for his four associates
 If. The bill prohibits paying any em- ploye of the city more than $96O0 6 year
 City Manager Plan There is considerable sentiment in Birmingham for the manager plan. Uu- CUT this system council, nominally raid, or about three or five. are elected pN the people, and this council selects . manager to operate the city Fitness governs his selection, not vote getting qualities or hand shaking proclivitiec It IS analogous to the stockholders of a large corporation electing the direc- tors, and these directors in turn, se- iecting the executive officers. Person. ally, l strongly favor this system coupled with the initiative, referendum and recall
 commission government has advar~ tases over the aldermanic regime, but the manager system is an ncalculabie improvement over the commission plan commission government here has not been failure, although the commits sloners have not excelled in efficiency -hey have been too picayunish and political too vacillating and spineless
 iuermanic efficiency smells just. as sweet as commission efficiency and commission inefficioncy smells just as rotten as aldermanic inefficiency.
 The fallacy of the commission plan les in the distribution of official re- E fponsibility among several officers. scatterization of official responsibility- spells official irresponsibility.
 Every commercial and governmep- tai agency must have one executive < head. and this one held responsible for an honest efficient and economical ad ministration of affairs. Three president. of bank would result ruinously. Three E governors of a state would be chaotic Three President of the United Statrs would be intolerable. Likewise three or five commissioners with equal now f CTS and responsibilities, can never efff- cientize municipal government
 "The time must come when the peo- pie will exact that high degree of serv ice lovernment that is exacted in their Trieate affairs. The government is the peoples business The people are the government, and the exercise of gov