The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-21

and two-thirds of the total revenues)
in the council cities increased from
S14.73 per capita in 1913 to s16.36 in
1915; IN the commission cities. from
Sill TO S12.31: and in the cities
which changed from council to com
mission during the Uwo-year period,
from s10.0S to S11-24.
Indebtedness.
The per capita net Indebtedness
funded ana floating debt less sink
ing fund assets of the council gov
erned group of cities increased from
s29.04 TO S36.27 during the two years,
and the corresponding item for each
individual city increased.
The per capita net Indebtedness of
the commission governed group de-
creased during the same period from
S41-65 to s41.49. Three of the eight
cities. taken individually. showed an
increase in this respect. and the other
five il decrease.
History of the Commission.
Washington. D. c., which came
under the com mission plan on June II.
1878. by act of congress. was the first
city in the United States to adopt per-
manently this form Of governments
The application Of the mission plan
to the capital of the United States
grew out of the relation of the ma
tiOnal government to the federal CITY
and the capital was not at that time
considered an example to other NUM-
clpahtles in this particular respect
The government of Memphis Tenn
was conducted for a short time begin
ming in 1879, II manner analogous to
that in which the government OF COM
mission cities is now carried on. This
action was taken because Of she neces-
sity Of improving the sanitary condi-
ton OF the city after a severe epidemic
of yellow fever in 1878. and because
at that time it had incurred the max
imum Indebtedness allowed it by law
After Memphis had recovered from
these difficulties. it was reincorDorated
with its original form OF government
The commission plan was. however.
adopted later by vote of the people
and became operative January l. 1910.
The real beginning of the movement
toward commission government in
American cities took place in Calves
ton, Tex. in 1901. A destructive storm
having overwhelmed that city in Sep
TENDER. 1900. and having left it pros
trate financially, as Memphis had been
/ in 1878. its government was placed in
/ the hands of a commission in the fol-
lowing year The experience OF Gal
weston under the commission plan was
such that in 1905 it was adopted by
Houston, Tex. Three more cities of
/ over 10000 inhabitants (the census
I statistics relate only to cities of this
U
in the calendar year 1907, , in 1908, 8
4 in 1909, 7 in 1919. IA in 1911. IA in
/ 1912. 20 in 1913. in 1914. and 3 in the
| early part of 1915 In all, s. cities of
/ over 10000. out of a total of 204. were
/ operating under the commission form
| OF government during the period
/ covered by the bureaus Forthcoming
! report. According to the latest in
/ formation available, six more such
/ cities have recently adopted the plan
/ by popular vote. and in four of them
/ it has already gone INTO effect Thus
| there are SIS cities of over 10000
! which are governed by commissions
! at the present time. These cities vary
/ in size from $4,000 inhabitants in
I Boise, Idaho. to 465. 900 in Buffalo
/ N Y, and are scattered throughout
p states, in addition to the District of
Columbia. ranging from Massachusetts
! to Washington and from South Caro-
/ lima to California Five of them are
in New England, 80 in other northern
| states between the Mississippi River
| and the Pacific Coast states. in the
Pacific Coast states. and 25 in the
1 South.