The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-03-01
DENIES
MORNING PAPER
MANAGER STORY
Continued from First Page.) =

NCOHllnueu from F1rSL Page,)
pany ] will, therefore, not undertake
to go into the details.
1.-THE great advantage of the new
charter is that the governing power
will be in the hands OF IL men, not be-
ing required to give much of their
time to the city and will be able 10
continue actively in their private bust
nesses; they, therefore. will be in less
danger than those holding office under
our present form of government of be-
coming politicians in the ordinary sense
of the Wcrd or of beginning to think
they might like to become politicians
j. e., men who make their living by
politics.
THE salary, $500 per year, is large
enough to make up to any workman or
man in receipt of a small salary for
any time which he may lose attending
to the city business and yet it is too
small to cause men to seek the position
for the money there is in it. The first
intention was that members Of the
council should receive no salary, but
it was felt that this might result in
men Of small means not being on the
council and In depriving our laboring
AiiNAl ilbll lo Wis uINSN lNDl CDtllNullNCG.
While it is hoped this will be a bust
ness government it is not intended
that 1t shall contain only business
men, as those words are usually I'M
derstood.
To say that the government of the
city of Memphis Is to be In the hands
of one man is to completely m%isrepre-
sent the essential facts. The govern
v.nnt e., In fha 1and. - 10 -, yyI,o
employ an agent to attend to the prac-
tical details. The more capable the
agent Is the less trouble these men are,
going to have with their job, the less
time they will have to devote to it and
the more credit they will receive.
1.-THE opponents Of this plan insist
that the form of government matters
little compared with the character of
the men who constitute the govern
ment. At the City club Mr.. Moses en-
FLASHED the fact that a bad charter
would work well II the positions were
filled by good men, and that a good
charter would work badly II the .po.
sitions were filled by bad men. This,
to me, is a splendid argument in ia
vor Of the new charter, for it will un-
doubtedly be easier to get good meh
under it than under the present form
Of government,
"In practice 1t will be found that no
man In the city of Memphis will re-
fuse to serve on the council, however
closely occupied he may be with his
private affairs. On such a council we
could, therefore, expect to find our
busiest and most level-headed bankers,
~workingmen, retailers, wholesalers,
lawyers and doctors, 1t is a libel on
the peonle OF Memphis to say that II
they had the chance to elect such men
they would decline to do 90. Tho peo-
pie seem to me usually to vote for
the batter candidate, and II the man
elected is not always ideal, it is be-
cause the best men have not been
willing to run. This Is almost axiom
attic. Before the discussion of this
charter | never heard 1t questioned.
Expresses Disappointment.
Hypothetical cases have been pre-
scented under which. II members of the
council wanted to build up n political
machine, they could do so, but this Is
merely to say that no form Of gov
eminent Is perfect and that no crook
proof system has yet been invented.
The people, however. have ample pro-
lection in the verv effective provision
regarding the recall. which forms part
NJ the proposed charter over 100 cities
have the commission form Of govern
ment now and | have not heard OF any
in witch there was an effort seriously
to misuse the powers granted.
II confess to 2 feeling Of c~eat dis
appointment at the course followed by
the members Of the present city gov
eminent, A. first they were so much
IN favor Of this plan that thev Endorsed
II of their own motion, and their
change Of position seems to me an
illustration Of what ha~~e~s - =
tNo hest Of men when they find them
| selves in such an off'"
that one of the greatest indictments
which gan be brought against our
present form Of government is that it
seems to have had lust this effect on
SO many Of the estimate men who.
from time TO time. have formed part
nf Il. We do not believe this defect
to be inherent In democracy, and viii
mover cease our efforts until Il Is re-
moved and our most honored citizens
are precisely these who are or have
served our municipality, Thus do we
hope to establish an aristocracy Of ser
vice In our community which will form
an example and an inspiration to our
' youth. There is more in this qucs-
tion than efficiency and finance