Arizona republican., 1916-01-19
Plan c

The city of Mount Vernon New York is trying to
install the commission manager form of government
Whether there is any serious opposition to it does
not appear, but the citizens Mr. j. NJ. Switzer
sales manager for the National Cash Register
pany, to tell them how the system works at Dayton
Ohio Mr.. Switzer described at length in an address,
the history of that system in force at Dayton,
the peculiar type which was first agtated by
President John H. Patterson of the register
pany which is the best model of a working concern
IN this country. Dayton is large and important
city, but the National Register company is bigger
than Dayton. 1t the idea of Mr.. Patterson that
it would be well for the city conducted on as
systematic plan his big factory. 1t took the
great flood six months later, to cnch the arguments
Of Mr.. Patterson, to whom the citizens had paid no
more attention than the antediluvians did to Noah
But Mr. Patterson lifted the city out of heplessness
and found it in a mood submit to the introduction
of a business system.
Mr.. Switzer presented two diagrams which had
been prepared by Mr.. Patterson and they printed
by the Mount Vernon Daily Argus They are more
clearly illustrative than columns words could be-
one is the diagram of the operation of his factory
and the other of a properly managed city. They were
printed side by side. The lines of both exactly
the same. Each diagram is of the shape of a longi-
tudinal sectional view of hour glass For the
factory diagram there is space the top which
are the words, Stockholders elect the CORE
spending space in the other diagram the words
People with initiative, referendum recall and pro-
test elect In the space below in the factory da-
gram Directors all officials subject to recall"
In the corresponding space in the city diagram are
Five commissioners civil service all officials sub
jec to recall
Below in both diagrams is the world "Centralize"
In square in the neck of the factory diagram is
nd In
of the city diagram is, City manager" Here CEN
trazaton ends in both diagrams and decentraliza-
ton begins. For the factory president and man
appoints and discharges all department heads"
similar function is exercised by the city manager
The departments factory are engineering max
ing, recording, selling welfare. The departments of
the city are public service, finance, public safety
law public welfare.
The only difference in the forms Of the diagram
consists of two appendages the city diagram There
is attached the upper space on one side of Peopa
eject small triangle containing Municipal Court"
for which there be nothing corresponding in a
factory organization. On the other side there is a
suspended triangle containing School board" Both
the school board and the are elected by the
people The latter of course, should be. But while
we believe that the former could better be chosen
and controlled by city manager schools of Ohio
are controlled by state laws
This diagram of city management is known as
ran {. 1t is in force, far we know only in
Dayton 1t is the commission manager system in its
simplest and most compact form 1t is an absolute
CONTAMINATION and decentralization of power
places upon every official a definite responsibility
which he cannot evade without disaster to himself
The very compactness of the system makes it more
nearly impregnable against politics