Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-01-22
CITY COMMISSION GOVERNMENT
N.-EnE:DERIC j. mASkIN.

SALEM. MASS. January 2l-Ih:s
city has the diS;inI ton OF being tr.
only one. among tie 400 which have
adopted commission government. 10
revert 10 the old Eicthod. The reform
had u stormy life OF three years. end
ing IN failure.
For IL cannot he denied that com
mission government has failed in s;a-
lem. If IL failed ia no other way. 1T
least IL failed to convince a majority
OF the people that H. was an improve
mcnt ever the oil system. inasmucn
as commission government has seemed
good To the people Of several hun
dred othcr cities, il follows that there
must BE- something peculiar in IN.
Salem situation To account for it's IN.
favorable reception here.
Salem is now a thriving manufacture.
ing town OF fifty Thousand II ls proud
OF its prosperity. Tut also Of the fact
that ii WAS founded in 1926. Fully
alive to the value cf its industries. IL
is also conscious that it's story IS Al
most m cpitomc OF the nations his
tory: HAT II SIN contains the houic
where one OF the witch Judges lived
in l7oc. and the Erst Congregational
Church to he established in America.
In wcrd, Salem j, rich in tradition.
it's ways arc iixci by tho habit ani
custom OF centuries. In such "a place.
anything which las the sanction OF
long usage is sure Ia die hard. and
any reform is sure to hit rocky
trail.
accepted Chnngc D0ubtfuliy.
Il; was tremendously encouraging: 10
comm sSion government boosters wien
Salem woke up ami adopted tho nty
method OF city management three
years ago. We've broken Into i
good sized town in New England" tucy
said. Those FOLKS aren't SO slow ar
We thought they we're"
OF course. they arc not a 3 slow 80
the West thinks tnrm. but neither are
they quick TO accept !, new idea 10
the westcrncrs. Salem adopted coEi-
mission government, but II did not
forget its hundred and ono traditions
1t accepted the change with a rcscrva-
ton. Maybe it's u good thing: VIII
try II and see. bu; were not sure aaa
if il isn't all that's claimed for i.
we'll go back to the old form ;hat We
know and understand" That WIS
abou. the attitude OF tho average
Salcmitc.
Salem was never very enthusiastic
about commission government. and rho
opponents Of the change never for n
minute gave up tho idea Of getting
back TO tho old plan. In most cities
the people have been we'll satisfied
that the interests that fought for TIE
old order had to give up for lack Of
any Following. They were more pcrsis-
y
by criticism of the commission, and
before the new scheme had been ro-
ing long enough TO either make good or
fail. along came = calamity that save
tho opposition its chance. This was
the great Salem fire of two years ago
Commission Did Its Hest.
a conhagration that wipes out n
huge chunk OF the business and resi-
dcnce portion of a town is calcula led
TO worry any set of city officials. Sup
pose you were Mayor of a town of
$4,000 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 starv-
ing, cleaned mp the debris with which
the city WAS Uttered. and in other ways
tried 10 turn chaos into order
The commission did Il pretty good job
but everything it did cost money. The
municipality, as we'll as the merchants
manufacturers and home owners, had
to bear an enormous expense. Pavings
had TO be rclaid. Sewers had to be re-
constructed Great numbers of addi-
tonal laborers had 10 be employed
The force of every city department had
to be instantly cxpandcd--and the
money ran out. When the smoke had
cleared away = literally and ngura-
tively-the city commission sat down
and faced the future Thousands of
things had to he done. Many things
that had been done had not yet been
paid for Looking ahead only 4 year,
the commission realized il would have
to have about one-third more money
than it had spent in the preceding
year.
For reform administration that had
ridden into office on n pledge of econ
omy, this was unfortunate. One OF the
principal arguments when the rcformers
plead with the people to vote for com
mission government was that ii would
| be cheaper than tho old system One
| OF the principal criticisms Of tho COM
| mission by the old faction was that Tho
| new plan cost the city more. Re-
| trenchmcnt ard ref 1rm had been prom
| Used. but now the commission could not
| retrench. With q malicious grin and
| n vengeful eye. the enemy was watch
| Ing to see what would happen in this
| crisis In tho life OF the commissit n.
| ready at a minutes notice to take ad-
vantage Of the slightest slip.
Larger Taxes Demanded.
The city commission could get the
| money it needed in only ono way--by
taxation. SO IL proceeded TO tax No
body has yet invented any system OF
| government that will put smile on
tho face OF q man when lie walks into