Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-01-20
CITY COMMISSION GOVERNMENT
Days Best Cartoons
vII.-I.REDERiC J. uasI<IS.

SUMTER. & G J,ru,rv M ,.ou
INV. o,.o, h -,
-" p'ooao'S
'"ihh 81 'ii'S as a s!"eply little South
crn town, whore they still hang 10 Tho
good ola ,ra,i,iop. >, 80
49,, - va
80 Di"'ter OF tact, nix"
many another Southern town sumter
is avcrcssivelv up-;o.do,. !,
a., 49,, j., =, -
S"''c" H'"tcs 10 Try
'ic manager plan OF government. and
after n varied experience /, has ,ro,vod
for Itself an entirely original ci,, al
ministratiou. which Is \ couhina,tn,
Of the manager and cymtnissin, ,,,.,s'
The city manage u!uu al .,,i,,'irI,,.i
government. which originated 4, mi.
town. has subsequently, been adopted
'H went N-hNc american cities II
'ohSiS's IN running a city lust like
any o'h"f corporations Evorr Amcri-
'"t' SHOWS mat ~" only way - run
h"hN o: railroad or pickl" fac
'o'; on cn"'h store system = 10 elect
"o"'" o' directors and lot them
.n'oSc MANAGER iol IN" corporation.
re hhp"S 'hh' 'ilr manager must Be
n,"i man, 81 tos","te integrity "nd great
a"'h'N 'hht IA" fortunes OF IN" con
.efh h"p"ad iarE"i, upon him. ana that
~ nus pc l'"iH q alG" salaii.
W" "rth"d Fundamentally Wrong.
"a. people WI" may" adopted IL"
Si'N manager pi"n 81 government have
SiihPiN aW"K"h'" y" thc TACT thht
'i,y Is aiS" a corporation ~ which each
~" = Interested ana 'h"t " re-.
= ~ N"''!t NJ. "'t"'li"h ~ ~
",h"t cof""iat'on>- ih"E reaiz"d thnt
~" 81" thht't"" Vas 'uhhaih"n'ailE
"r"nS. ~ you own Stor" ~ rai'-
'"Ru' ~ ""n'" cause YOU SON" aia#m
\" 81" 'hthts pta'en ~ we hah'S 81
'pt'"''''' - ''H 't"'''" from AMONG
ne Slot"""htfS on 'h' strength 81
N'lciI pt plttlNf ~ 'INli'fVN. .hllW siPr'-
!h'e!F "i'Anu' regard 70 iht's Nh"WI-
c"tc 81 rai'"'o'h3, - t"'' r ~
VIZ 'i"S' ''hi'' i'til t''t'S W. ". -
commission h'aH ~ government hHhcS
orc ihpf"N"'H"h' ny 'i'eIhS 'Nf"" "I
~, men instead OF nihe 90 ten "na
nS'hS sAyi" o. ~" rcsp"h~ibi!itN
alioil 90 " ~ iA"W. II" CITY manager
b!an 'aiii"s the analogy between the
h"h'e'r"i corporation and the business
,'"fp"ia'iou to iis logical conclusion
~ '!"ttlhS = commission which ,,.,g
merely az Il hoard ~ directors ANA
chooses single hiEli- saIuutcd mania
S"r 10 run 'hc city, iusr as i bank
president runs 4 bank
Ry thts plan the commission nl,cts
perhaps once week 10 discuss inc
ciiNs business "iih tho !mauaurr
Thus the commissioners 40 no detail
work and their positions do not inter
fore with their private business This
makes II possible for HE highest tyne
Of business man 10 he q director in tho
city government without ncrl.c,trl.. his
own affairs Likewise. the purely nom
iual salary paid makes tn. one. ~
commissioner ,naitrartiyc ia ,i,n rro
feSsion.l politician
"piayinE Politics" No, iilc,,
or course. il is clear that notifies
could creep into even this form, nr
government Supposc. for example ono
Of the commissioners who hclncd tn
select the city nanapcr dcmonds tb,t
the latter aDnoipt 1, r.rtnin MAJ, ,,,
poration counsel I, is evident NM
tho integrity OF the civ ,onnane, GIN
at once be p,it TO the ;es, IInwevar
q commissioner who Is dircc,l, rosonp.
siblc for certain parts Of No n,hIje
business who has :, recall b,nrino
over his head. and who serves fnr onlI
IA nominal salary. is FAR lcss ,il;nlv Ia
play this sor, Of roli,ics ,bon ~.
Councilman who is n profcssion,l noli-
tician and Responsible 10 no ono
Nothing more clearly roycols ,bc
changing. contention Of civ movcru-
inent In America than the way most
city managers are chosen. l.. The ,ypi
cal American city under the old STYLE
Of i;ovcrnme:S nothing would outrage
public sentiment more than tho an
pointment OF a man from some other
town ms chief of police or surerintcnd-
cnt Of street cleaning Yet most Of the
commissions that have had to choose
city managers have sought all over