Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-05-26
From Other Viewpoints
Government without Red Tape.
ny CHESTER n. CROWEIL.

OH booms arc passing strange and most
conventional affairs. Let the thick, black
stream OF wealth appear near town and il
accomplishes overnight more in the way OF
city boosting than the ordinary commercial
organization could do in generation. But
this dazzling form OF city promotion can very
easily prove embarrassing.
When the oil boom came 20 Central West
Texas the machinery OF government simply
BROS. down under the strain Little towns
which had been wide places in the road For
decades suddenly became busting cities of
2.a0a lc.00n population-nearly all men.
railroads were inadequate to handle the
freight. dir, roads" became impossible boys
III the wet weather, and the counties had no
funds With which TO build new roads.
Towns sprane mp the bald prairies and
committees went ont to find enough legal
!esdents to incorporate them so that gov
eminent could be established; but In several
Instances II was impossible TO find even hfty
men who had lived there six months. AS Il
result no city government could be organized
under The state law. such was the early eN
perIence OF both New Town and Desdem0n1.
Il became Immediately necessary to bridge
streams that flowed between some newly de-
vcopng oil fields and the nearest point
the railroad where derrick timbcrs and steel
casing could he unoadcd. The county govern
:mcnts had no funds because taxes had been
lcvicd on the values Of the year preceding the
boom. Something had To he done unless the
whole vast development; program involving
Hundreds OF millions of dollars for some TWEEN
~ or more counties was to be abandoned That
was unihnkablc. The new citizens turned to
the organization OF Chambers of Commerce
government. 1t is interesting fact that
most Of these governments functioned eff
GENTLY. All OF them functioncd promptly--and
That was the main thing.
regular government might have had 10
follow presidents. give legal notice Of ten or
thirty. or sixty days. call elections. and adhe
to the sacred red tape The Chamber OF Com
ircrce could meet any night short notice and
so to bat VITA . new problem instantly.
Within few weeks the Chambers OF Com
ni-rc+ in the oil fields were administering al :
most everything except the criminal and civil
courts. OIL operators would report that a road
had TO be constructed. and their engineers
would estimate the cost. \ special COMMIT Il e
of the Chamber Of Commerce would apportion
this among the merchants users OF the road
md all who could properly be asked TO con :
tribute. The funds would he ascd within a
few days and made available in the hank
with cost OF collection exccpt tho very
moderate overhead represented by the main :
tcnancc OF the Chamber of Commerce In some
instances /, was possible begin work n, q
road or bridge the morning the collection Of
the funds began.
But roads and BRIDGE were merely tho arst
| problem. The influx swamped the school "a,
J cilitics. within few days the problem ~ :
reduced TO what Jones and Smith would hayc
tc put UP as their share OF the total, and tho
secretary would ~ out with the list, Eventu-
Ally subscription rits became so common tina,