The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1915-01-08
County Government.


Fireside, Herbert Quick makes some
pungent remarks on the question OF
county government. In beginning his
article Mr.. Quick puts the pertinent
questions Flows your county govern
ment?" He then proceeds to say:
Il have never yet seen an American
citizen who was proud of his county
government. If there is county gov
eminent in the United States of which
its citizens are proud should like to
hear from that county. | should like
a photograph of the county officers who
are responsible for such exceptional and
blessed conditions
II don't say that there is no such
thing, but | do say that l have never
found it, and | have been student OF
the question for many years
Mr.. Quick cites some investigations
of county fiscal affairs in which woetul
conditions of negligence and graft we're
discovered He is sure that similar con-
ditions exist in many other counties.
He quotes Bailey B. Burritt, general
AGENT for the New York Society for
) Improving the Condition of the Poor,
as saying: Il am more or less Opt
mistic about county government, but
= nv optimism grows out of the fact that
at the present time it is about as bad as
a it can be, and any change will be for
Y the better.
d The voters in the counties, Mr.. Quick
v saws. are not dishonest and the average
officials are not fools or grafters. They
u are merely trying to govern without the
d proper tools of government. Ii you
1t make the conditions favorable for bur
dock, burdock will spring up; if you
d make the conditions favorable for thlev
N ery and favoritism, these things vii
l. spring up" Mr.. Quick refers to goo'
or results that have been secured in cite
e. where the commission form of govern
III ment has been adopted. In closing hi
y, article he writes
IL ''In my opinion we shall never &c
the worth of our road funds, our poe
It. funds our bridge funds, our genera
its fundssEor any Of cur funds, nor sha
Isl we get the kind of government OF whic
we shall have reason to be proud, unit
OF we adopt something like the commissio
IDS form of government for counties.
to "And finally, how's your county go
he eminent? Are you proud of it? Is
efficient? Is it honest? And if no
10 what's the remedy, if | have not SUI
lie, gested the remedy"
red
oh Several counties in Kentucky ha
to voted to adopt the commission form
government. They have done this wi
tly the firm conviction that they cam
" possibly damage themselves IN the ira
no saction. In other words they feel, Iii
be the New York man quoted by Mr.. Quic
ur- that county government is about
lnE bad as it can be, and any change "
be for the BETTER
uld The people do not pay enough ate
tics ton to the question of county COVER
ment. Once in long while they
,oar come wrought up about something a
make their wishes known with emph
Oft sis. For the rest OF the time what
ars' everybody's business is nobody's bu
'0i0 ness" and the county governs its
chit with whatever assistance it receii
IN a from officials who, too often, are ind
Tres ferent, incompetent or more interest
anu in personal pickings than in the pub
lsiu
ono good.
,ple The people get the sort of cour
heir government they permit. They not
ave frequently make bad selections in cho
VI ing their officials; but they make
worse mistake iR not holding th
Mt officials to a stricter accountable
lree This is not easy to do under the ex
ana ing system. 1t ought to be more
,rod sible under the commission plan
ank Louisville Courier-Journal.