Omaha daily bee., 1916-01-26
5e oBees6a
s&MSRoaT

OMAHA. Jan. E-To the Editor Of The
Bee: Some time ago a certain writer
wrote that the city council IL better than
a commission form Of government. He
stated that 10000 citizens OF the South
Side do not receive their share. But OF
we consider the question we shall see
why commission form OF government IL
the better.
First Of all, the members Of the city
council are chosen by districts or wards
and usually one member from each ward;
these, of course. wish 20 get all they
can for their respective districts. The
commission form does away with these
evils Of the ward system BY electing men
from the city at large. In Chicago the
ward system led to inequality Of repre-
sentation.
A small body Of men II better fitted
to govern a city than a large council.
composed OF members who consider them
selves the special representatives Of the
petty districts from which they were
chosen. The affairs of a city are neces-
sarily complex and often technical in ma
ture, and require for their special man
agement skill and efficiency. City gov
eminent is often and Is. In fact, compared
TO the management OF a business enter
prise like q bank OF a manufacturing
concern, which. as experience has shown,
can be better conducted by a small board
OF directors than by the whole body of
stockholders. Finally the concentration
OF the powers of the city in a small
body of men tends to secure a more eff
fective responsibility than can be secured
under a system in which the RESPONSE
bility IL divided between the mayor and
council. ED CHAPMAN.
state Debts and Prohibition.
LINCOLN, Jan. 2i.-To the Editor of
The Bee: have had my attention called
70 circular that is being sent out to BUSH
ness men. especially bankers. in Nebraska.
on Cost of Prohibition in the South"
IL purports TO give some official facts
and figures" from Finance. Com
mercial Journal" published at Cleveland
o. These so-called facts are a reprint
from the Banking World. This matter
was furnished these papers by an adver-
Using agency of New York City and has
lately appeared In a number of alleged
| financial publications The article is ad-
vertislng matter. pure and simple. Yet.
our wet friends are sending 1t to business
men to influence them. Finance" is
owned by the Britton Publishing company,
which is controlled by c. A. Otis. a
broker who deals largely in brewery
stock and bonds, and who was an active
member of the wet campaign committee
OF Cuyahoga county during the recent
prohibition campaign in Ohio.
As to the reliability OF the facts we
wish to merely give one OF two illustra-
tions. Finance says, for lack OF funds
Georgia has been compelled to hold up
the salaries OF school teachers. and re-
Gently has had to place an additional
100000 bond issue on the market" In
| reply to this statement. the governor of
Georgia has written, The salaries Of
school teachers in Georgia have been paid
as promptly since the prohibition laws
| went into effect as they have been paid
| In the last twenty years. The $S,5OO.0OO
| bond issue was to retire s3.5O0.000 bonds
| issued thirty years ago.
Finance" says. there were 179 Illicit
distilleries seized and destroyed in 1906; IN
1914 the number had risen to S0S' in Ala
bama- That IL true. and in both of these
years Alabama was a wet state and not
! under prohibition. Alabama's large debt
IL also twenty years old, as is also the
debt Of Tennessee. of which Finance
seems to make 30 much. II is also true
| that Maine. Kansas and North Dakota
are all dry states. and not a single Illicit
still was reported in the last four years
nor was. an Illicit gallon Of whisky seized
in any Of them.
Its complaint with relation to Virgins
Is certainly wide OF the mark. for Vir
ginia's prohibitory law has not yet gone
into effect. The deficit in West Virgins
was $4,000 In June. and yet It was wei
at that time.
While It was discussing the deficits o.
these so-called dry states, Finance
might we'll have called attention to thu
fact that Maryland is just now expert
enclng the Greatest difficulty with III
finances il has ever had, and tina
Louisiana. which IL certainly wet enough
is the worst debt-ridden state OF tn
south.
II the liquor interests hope to win tn
Nebraska campaign with such slush a
this. they are certainly doomed to disap
pointment. II. +. CARSON,
Publicity Department Dry Federation.
Voting on an Amended Motion.
| TITfMpTIRnY Nah Ian q To tn