Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-01-17

DIES MONIES. I'lN n, january -
This city has recently been Witness
ing = demonstration Of some OF til" I'M
projections OF commission government.
I'h" coumi ssoucrS have been SQUAD
bling ana pickering among themselves,
"pposini; -acn others projects. getting
th,iy personal ambitions between the
spOkeS OF tn" wheels Of government.
The STORY ~ D-s Moin"s for the last
ciuh; Years Is the story % the rise.
and. to some extent. ~ the fan. OF
I civic righteousness. II shows most
clearly now commission government
will! work and how it may stop work
ing. Above an. Il proves that, uu-
less tho avcrae" citizen k"ers one cyc
ON his municipal interests. they arc
apt 10 get away from him
lndoubt"dlE. one ui the chief reasons
for the success 81 commission govern
/ ruent is tia, the campaign for the rc-
form attracts public attention TO pub
lie business How u Keep that pub-
lie attention awake is = problem tia,
many ~ the reform cities viii have %
face ia tho future. Dcs Moincs. which
| adopted commission government IN
| 1907, may be said I" have faced ii
I already, and therein lies the Importance
I of her story.
( Ecforc the change. Conditions IA This
I city were pictur.squclS bad. ward
/ politics. which arc til" pcttiost politics
/ on earth had the city bv the nccl;.
| The present commission oCca sionnllv
/ aualrcls. but ia those good old DAYS
I Council meetings used occasionally Ia
end in fist fights. Graft was openly.
| charged. aud its existence commonly
! believed \ Mayor. upon leaving
I Office. hoas,cd Of tho money he had
received from contractors. The quail
| itY Of TN" ci'E officials is Indicated by
/ the fac, that on" retiring Mayor went
/ 10 work - q harkocpcr. while another
/ one drove dart wagon shortly after
! his term expired.
! Commission .oNrrnmcnt Instituted.
/ Tn" citizens finally awoIic 10 the
( fact that thcy We're not getting any
iHing tor their taNcS. and Il commission
I government was instituted. Th.r" was
IN instantaneous change from black
! 7" white, The new commission was
/ on TIL. Jnb carly aud late. Eig city
! improvements were launched ami COM
/ pl"tcd Party and ward poliiicS wcr"
I eliminated hy the ronpnrtisan ballot
! Tho city administration III every re-
| Sncct was almost incredibly good
The people "f Dcs Moincs were as
/ pleased with their commission govern.
/ mcni MS boy with u ncw sled They
! liked 10 try il and sec i; work \ man
/ who had boon trying in vain to ..cl
/ IN abandoned telephone pole removed
! from his parking. called up the com
! mission and had the pleasure Of seeing
/
/ Little things such as this. and bitr
! things such as paving and pl,yrrounds
| gave inc people complete faith i'm their
| commission. They concluded tnatth
/ could forget all about tho town ana
! let the commission run it,
once YOU get the habit Of politics
| II is very hard 10 quit; When Tho 6rst
Dcs Moiues commissioners. who waro
| hard working business men. had don.
| their turn Of public service. some ~
| them were glad TO retire And every
| time = good man retired a h,,urrv
| politician was glad to take his placc
!, The people Of bes Moincs NOR. or 49,.
suddenly awakened to me Fac, ~,
they had the wolf Of politics in ,ho
Sleeps clothing Of commission .n,,-
| crnment.
SUN Playing Personal Politics
| i not meant To imply. however
| that commission government IN. 49,,
a failure in Des Moincs. No cboren
OF dishonesty or corruption aas hccn
made against any of the commission,
ers but all OF them are charged with
playing personal politics instead Of nt
.en"'ns 10 the city's business. Two Of
| the present commissioners are 10
scribcd as old politicians \ third IS
! laDor-hhion representative The
ionrih is contractor. and the only
candidate on the business mems ticker
VINO was successful ut the last cleo
ton The Mayor-cnmnissioner is
former college professor.
This commission is said To he AZ
! vidcd bE petty jcalousics and misun-
dcrstandings. IL has brought adverse
criticism upon itself ana commission
| government, whereas five years ago
llcS Moincs was back OF its commits
sion to u man.
Even under these circumstances
| however. commission government I'm
| DeS Moincs is undoubtedly an improve
mcnt over the old regime The record
Of achievement in municipal progress
! since the commission form was adopted
| much of ii tapping over into the
| present. turbulent timcs--has been
| equalcd by few cities The gas rate
| has been reduced from 81 to 90 cents
! and the gas company has just been
compelled to pay back to consumers
$4,000 improperly collected after the
! commission fixed the rate schedule
| The company fought the case with
| might and main. spending hundreds OF
| thousands Of dollars and going to the
United States Supreme Court Tho
city defended II and won it at total