Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-02-07
Denyers Trial
Of City Manager
Is Lesson Here
Noted Leader, Judge Ben B.
Lindsey, Declares for "Short-
Ballot" Charter

! During his talx last night on the city
charter before the Mems League of
Central Union church, Riley II. Allen
referred TO Denver and stated that the
charge is untrue that Denver has
! tried the commission form and then
gone pack to the old, long ballot or
, "blanket-ballot" form To substan-
tate this he referred to a letter he
had received from Judge Ben D. Lind
sey, the noted juvenile court leader
, and exponent Of municipal reform,
! telling what actually has happened in
Denver. The letter was the result
OF an inquiry made because the accu-
sation regarding Denver had been re-
peateI in Honolulu. II is as follows:
My Dear Mr. Allen: Your letter
came during my confinement from
surgical operation and this is the
first chance have had to answer it.
] am heartily in favor of the short
ballot government.
Commission form of government in
this city certainly did not have a fair
trial. The difficulty was that we were
rather unfortunate in the selection of
some OF our commissioners. There
was no question that during the four
years of commission government we
greatly reduced the expenses of ad-
ministration, and almost entirely elm
mated the old corrupt politics that so
long afflicted our city However, ow-
ing to some local matters that are
hard to describe or to understand by
those who haven't lived in Denver,
there seemed to be sort of psycholo-
gical moment last spring in this city
when II seemed favorable to return
to the mayor form. A group of our
people, taking advantage of this sit
uation, initiated a charter returning
to the mayor form, but retaining many
Of the principles of the commission
charter. Il was, in fact, making the
mayor sort of city manager with a
cabinet, so that the present form Of
government adopted last spring is
quite different from the old conven-
tional mayor fern and approaches
nearer commission form with city
manager.
Old, Corrupt Method, Gone
The election was perfectly fair and
there was no sign Of the old, corrupt
men and methcts that formerly dis
graeed our city. think IL we had
tried the city manager plan in the
first place there would have been no
occasion to reform the charter last
spring.
The fight for commission govern
ment here was coinciGent with the
fight against the domination by the
utility corporations of our local poll
tics. The winning Of commission gov.
eminent had the effect not only Of
getting rid Of the old partisan poll
tics and corporation control but also
reducing the expenses.
corporation Control Eliminated
"our present mayor, Mr.. Speer, is
perhaps one of the ablest city execu-
tiyes in this country. The objection
to him when he was mayor several
years ago was because of his siding
with the utility corporations and not
because his ability as mayor was ques-
toned. Now that we have eliminated
the old corporation control and Mr..
Speer Is free from any obligations to
them, his ability as a mayor and man
ager made strong appeal to our
people.
The charter under which he was
elected provides for four officers who
correspond to commissioners, but it
practically centers authority in the
mayor, and should say makes a sort
OF combination between commission |
government and the city manager
plan, 50 that il cannot be fairly said |
that we have returned to the mayor
form Of government as it formerly ex-
listed. and certainly not to the kind Of |
mayor form that we got rid OF when
we adopted commission government
four years ago.
Sincerely yours,
BEN B. LINDSEY"