Evening star., 1916-01-20
MANAGING The CITY.
V.-The Ups and Downs of
Des Momes.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

DES MONIES, Iowa, January 12.-
This city has recently been witnessing
demonstration of some of the imper-
fections of commission government.
The commissioners have been squab-
bling and pickering among themselves.
opposing one anothers projects. getting
then personal ambitions between the
spokes of the wheels of government.
The story of Des Moines for the last
and to some extent of the fall. of civic
Righteousness. 1t shows most clearly
how commission government will work
and how it may stop working. Above
all. 1t proves that unless the average
citizen keeps one eye on his municipal
interests they are apt to get away from
him.
Undoubtedly, one of the chief reasons
for the success of commission govern
ment is that the campaign for the re
form attracts public attention to pub
lie business. How TO keep that public
attention awake is a problem that many
of the reform cities will have to face
in the future. Des Moines, which
adopted commission government in
1907. may be said to have faced it al
ready, and therein lies the Importance
of her story.
Before the change conditions in this
city were picturesquely bad. Ward
politics, which are the pettiest politics
on earth, had the city by the neck. The
present commission occasionally quar-
rels, but in those good old days council
meetings used occasionally to end in
fist fights. Graft was openly charged
and its existence commonly believed. A
mayor upon leaving Office boasted of
the money he had received from con-
tractors. The quality of the city Off
clais is indicated by the fact that one
retiring mayor went to work as a bar
Keeper. while another one drove a dirt
wagon shortly after his term expired.
The citizens finally awoke TO the fact
that they were not getting anything
Tor their taxes. and d commission gov
ernment was instituted. There was an
instantaneous change from black to
White The new commission was on
the job early and late. Big city i'm
provements were launched and COM
pieted Party and ward politics were
eliminated by the non-partisau ballot
The city administration in every re-
spect was almost incredibly good
The people of Des Moines were as
pleased with their commission govern
Have Complete Faith boy with a
In Their Commission. Tbev liked to
try it and see it work. A man who had
been trying in vain to get an abandon
ed telephone pole removed from his
parking called up the commission and
Hdu tHS pleasure OF seeing the pore
hauled away the same day. Little
things such as this, and big things,
such as paving and Fairgrounds, gave
the people complete faith in their com
mission. They concluded that they
could forget all about the town and let
the commission run it,
Once you get the habit of politics it
is very hard to quit. When the first
Des Moines commissioners, who were
hard-working business men, had done
their turn of public service, some of
them were glad to retire. And every
time good man retired, hungry poll
tfcian was glad to take his place. The
people of Des Moines more or less sud-
denly awakened to the fact that they
had the wolf of politics in the sleeps
clothing of commission government
1t is not meant to imply. however
that commission government has been
a failure in Des Moines. No charge of
dishonesty or corruption has been
made against any of the commissions
ers, but all of them are charged with
playing personal politics instead of at
tending to the city's business. Two of
the present commissioners are describ-
ed as old politicians a third is labor
union representative. The fourth is a
contractor. and the on.y candidate on
the business mems ticket who was sue
cessful at the last election. The mayor
commissioner is former college pro-
feSsor.
This commission is said to be divided
by petty jealousies and misunderstood
ings. 1t has brought adverse criticism
upon itself and commission government
whereas five years ago Des Moines was
back Of its commission to man.
Even under these circumstances, how
ever, commission government in Des
Moines is
Record of Achievement und oubt-
ly i'm