Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-26
MANAGING THE CITY.
X.-The Town That
Went Back.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

SALEM, Mass, January 1s.-This
city has the distinction of being the
only one. among the 400 which have
adopted commission government. to re-
vert to the old method. The reform
had a stormy life Of three years. end
ing in failure.
For it cannot be denied that COM
mission government has failed in
Salem. If 1t failed in no other way. at
least 1t failed to convince a majority
Of the people that it was an improve
ment over the old system. Inasmuch
as commission government has seemed
good to the people Of several hundred
other cities, it follows that there must
be something peculiar in the Salem sit
uation to account for its unfavorable
reception here.
Salem is now a thriving manufacture
ing town Of $4,000. 1t is proud of it's
prosperity. but also Of the fact that 1t
was founded in 1926. Fully alive to
the value of its industries. it is also
conscious that its story is almost an
epitome Of the nations history: that
it still contains the house where one
of the witch judges lived in 1892. and
the first Congregational church to be
established in America. In a word,
Salem is rich in tradition; its ways
are fixed by the habit and custom Of
centuries. In such a place anything
which has the sanction of long usage
is sure to die hard, and any reform is
sure to hit a rocky trail.
1t was tremendously encouraging to
commission government boosters when
method of city management three
years ago.
we've broken into a good-sized
town in New England" they said.
Those folks aren't so slow as we
thought they WERE"
OF course, they are not as slow as
the west thinks them, but neither are
they as quick
Accepts Change to accept a new
With Reservation. westerners
Salem adopted commission government,
but 1t did not forget it's hundred and
one traditions. 1t accepted the change
with a reservation. Maybe it's q good
thing; we'll try it and see. but we're
not sure. and If It isn't all that's claimed
for It we'll go back to the old form that
we know and understand" That was
about the attitude Of the average Salem
its.
Salem was never very enthusiastic
about commission government. and the
opponents of the change never for a
minute gave up the idea Of getting back
to the old plan. In most cities the
people have been so well satisfied that
the interests that fought for tho old
order had to give up for lack Of any fol-
lowing. They were more persistent IN
Salem. They kept a following by
criticism of the commission, and before
the new scheme had been long enough to
either make good or fail. along came a
calamity that gave tho opposition its
chance. This was the great Salem fire
Of two years ago.
A confiagration that wipes out a
huge chunk of the business and resi-
dence portion Of a town is calculated
to worry any set of city officials. Sup
pose you were mayor of town Of 50.-
600 and you should wake up some
morning and find that half your town
had burned up. What would you do?
You don't know. Nobody knows until
something like that happens to him.
The new Salem commission did its best.
1t cared for the homeless, fed the
starving. cleaned up the debris with
which the city was Uttered and in
other ways tried to turn chaos into
order.
Tho commission did a pretty good
Job. but everything it did cost money.
The municipality,
Ia