Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-08-13
FIGURING TT OUT.


who cannot ind any better argu-
ment against commission govern
ment the EVENING NEWS has re-
ceived but two letters on the sub
jet since the campaign began. One
OF these letters was from Fred
Christensen which has already been
Published, and the other Is publish
ed today over the signature OF
Thomas Martin. No other letters
have been published on the subject
because no other letters have been
received. although at the outset
we opened our columns for a free
discussion OF the matter whether in
favor or against the proposition.
In the letter we publish today the
writer says he has lived in New
Brunswick and Jersey City where
commission government, he states,
is a disappointment. Well, we are
ready to admit that the system of
government is not perfect and that
out OF the large number of cities
that have adopted It there are a few
where 1t has not worked as well as
it might. As we have often said
before. it rests largely with the peo-
ple themselves. Commission gov
eminent gives the people absolute
control over their city affairs, but If
they are so indifferent as to let the
commissioners get away with all
kinds Of corruption then there will
be bad government If the commits
sioners are inclined to be crooked.
We have had evidence, from Hud-
son county. however. that, on the
whole. commission government in
both Jersey City and Hoboken is
an improvement over the old sys-
tenn. But even at that it does not
axe-to be very good to be an i'm
movement over the kind of govern
ment they are used to in Hudson
county.
As for the big three and the
"czars." the people can easily take
care Of any GEARS" that try 10 i'm
pose their will upon the city. Up,
in East Orange a short time ago
the commissioners were going to
put something over that was not
altogether popular and the people
merely began to agitate the recall.
But it was not necessary to ven
circulate a petition. The commits
sioners dropped the matter at once
ard decided TO 'be good" In any
city where the people are alert there
can be no combine or Gears" be-
cause the people themselves always
hold the whip handle and they can
use it whenever they choose. As
for getting the petition signed, the
humber of signatures necessary Is
Made large on purpose to prevent
some crank calling elections all the
time. II conditions are bad enough
to sufficiently arouse the people il
viii be easy to get the necessary
signatures. The number required
to call the election that is to take
place next Tuesday were secured IN
about three days, once the matter
was taken up in earnest.
The writer of the letter harps
back to electirg of all the commits
sioners from the city at large and
says there are instances where all
the commissioners have been elect
ed from n ward. He does not
mention any such city; we have
never heard Of one in all our in
vestigation, and We challenge any
one to give US a single instance
where all the commissioners elect
ed in any city have come from one
ward But as this is q business ad-
ministration and not for the sake
OF dividing the spoils of politics, we
do not see as it makes any differ
ence where the commissioners come
from as long as they are for Perth
Amboy and ara giving the taxpayers
good service. The county is being
run more satisfactorily today with
seven freeholders elected from the
county at large than it was under
the old system of one freeholder
from each ward and township. We
are aiming to advance the interest
81 Perth Amboy and this can best
be accomplished when all the COM
missfoners are elected by all the
people and are responsible to all the
people.
As for n political club that the
commissioners may form. the peo-
pfe e take care Of that the same
81 they take care Of the "big three"
ar the ~czars.~ The writer also
says there must be opposition Cor
eompetltion)' for II there is none
The party in power fears no oppo-
sItion. the only fear that the party
&- 49, 4~4.~ r&Arfrnfow -~v