The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-07-18
THE CITY GOVERNMENT PLAN.

Will go before that BODY again tn1S AFTER
noon for consideration, and from all indi-
cations, it will either be rejected or will be
returned to the committee for radical
amendment
The Journal has already pointed out the
defects and dangers of the proposed plan,
which is not only repulsive to the people
at large, but which, it now transpires, is
far from satisfying the members of the
charter board themselves.
For The Journal to propose a plan of
city government at this time would be emil
nently gratuitous The people of Pensa-
cola have, in regular election, delegated
that trust to a committee of upright and
thoroughly capable gentlemen, whom it is
not our intention to enbarrass in any way
whatever. But the mere fact that the
committee was chosen by the people does
not throw the aegis Of infallibility over
their findings The charter boards delib-
erations are merely advisory; the people
| are not bound to accept any plan it chooses
to evolve The charter board was elected
to evolve philosophy of city government
that is better than the present, mot merely
different If no improvement can be de-
vised on our commission form, then why
not retain the commission form? Anything
rather than reversion to the chaos of
aldermanic government, of which the pro-
posed plan is an ofshoot
!, Had the city manager form of govern
ment been proposed, The Journal would
probably endorse the issue, for as the COM
mission government is an Improvement
over the aldermanic, so is the manager
form an Improvement on the commission
form; in fact, tits simply the perfection of
the commission form. It is commission
government simplifed. No special argu-
ment is needed to advocate the administra-
ton of municipal affairs on the non
partisan, scientific and economical basis
ot-say, big department store.
The following outline of manager gov
eminent is merely in illustration of our
point and is in no sense to be taken as
propaganda:
A board of councilmen chosen by pre-
cincts, said board to have the usual legis4
lative functions and to appoint city mana
ger, not combining their choice to Pensacola,
but to secure qualified man from any
where in the United States at business
like salary, the councilmen to act just as
a board of directors in making the choice,
and later in advising with the manager
The city affairs to be administered by the
manager, by and with the advice of the
councllmen, but his position not to depend
on political pull or influence The manager
to choose, under civil service rules, admin
istrative officers under. his control All
civil employees to be under civil service re-
quirements. The city to be administered,
in word, just like big company
Taking politics out of the business affairs
| a eft &c IL
of the city manager government The idea
is to put men in office, not because of
friendship, or pull but because they are
qualified to hold down the job; efficiency
to be the test.
That the charter board does not think
Pensacola ripe enough for the experiment
{ we may regret, but certainly cannot resent.
Certainly the charter board is representa-
tive enough to be thoroughly conversant
with conditions on this point If the people
are afraid of the manager form, they would
5 reject it at the polls, and all the talk in the
: world could not prevent it. But education
: and deeper understanding will eventually
overcome this prejudice, as it has overcome
: religious persecution. There was time
when reading the Bible was considered
: dangerous.
The city manager form has been adopted
by number of cities already, and its sue
t cess has been immediate and startling.
The manager form will, some day, be
: adopted by Pensacola, as, indeed, by the
E entire United States But until that time
: arrives, let us continue Our commission