The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1916-01-24

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cipal governments in many cities and
towns in the United States has led
to a boom for the. city manager plan,
under which citiesar run like any
other business, with the brake hard
on expenditures-and the assurances of
full svalue@forf money spent, together.
with the highest efficiency of the,
city's employees. The new year.
brings several more cities, under the,
plan, and in 1917 tits expected that
a goodly1 group of municipalities will.
seek relief in the new order 1of city
government.
Two Cities Join,
This month the cities of New
burgh, N. Y, sandusky, Ohio, and
Niagara Falls, N" Y, have, been
placed under city, managers. and
this addition brings the number Of
cities trying. out this. method of gov
eminent up to twenty-four. Nearly
every newspaper reader has read Of
the remarkable results achieved at
Dayton, Ohio, which has had the
system in, efficient, operation: for two
years. Much has been written con-
corning the savings effected in that
instance, and Dayton is still the
largest city to try it. out. Pitts
burghr and Detroit are seriously dis
cussing the advisability of trying it
out in their city government, while
other large cities have active ,organi-
cations looking to the, same. end.
Based on Efficiency.
The commission manager plan is
a radical departure from our popular
FORM of city government. 1t is
based, on efficiency and responsibility
to the people. not on the political
| fortunes of leaders or cliques. Dead
| wood, waste, graft and temptation to
saddle debt onto the municipality are
all eliminated. In consequence, the
taxes are kept to the. lowest possible
level, and the public expenditures
purchase the best that money can
buy in the open market. Such is
the theory under which the new form
of city government was worked out,
and the reports from the cities which
have already adopted the plan testi-
|fy to the success of the city man
ager government, in cases where the
plan has been put into effect without
strings or bitches.
Help to Nation.
Practically all of our political
abuses, civic, state or national, have
their origin in the political misman-
agement of cities. 1t is contended
by the advocates of the city-manager
plan that the cleaning up of our
cities, the taking of their manage
ment out of politics, will do more to
purge the politics of state and ma
ton than any other one thing that
could possibly be attempted. The
experience of the big cities of the
country is story of extravagan &c,
waste, graft and manipulation of
contracts. The taxpayers have paid
the bills, or are, bonded to meet in
future years the burden of. debt that
has been piling up. Now and then
reformers have arisen to protest, and
all honest citizens have become dis
satisfied. Tax-dodging has become
popular in self-protection; for, no
man relishes the furnishing of money
for waste and loiling. Of political ma
chimes in city halls.
Adopted by "a Cities.
The commission manager plan has
been adopted by the following cities:
| City Population
Sumter, S. Co.,. 8,1O9
Hickory, N. .C............. 3,7O6
Morganton, N. G. ......... 2,712
Dayton, Ohio. ............ 1861
Springfield, Ohio. ......... 46,921
Phoenix, Ariz. 1874
La Grande, Ore. ........ 4,843