Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-06-29
VOTING ON THE COMMISSION.

Grand Forks voters will have an OPP
~portunity tomorrow to vote on the adj
option in this city of the commission
form Of government in place Of the
system which we now have. If the
vote is adverse the city government
will proceed without interruption and
without change.
II = majority Of the votes cast on
this proposition are in favor OF the
change, after the new plan has offic-
tally been declared adopted, n the
legal formalities are compiled with,
the next step will be the holding Of an
election to name five city commission
ers who, Immediately after their cleo
ton, will lake charge of the affairs of
the city.
If there had been n real demand for
a change in the form OF u city gov
eminent at about his time, the natur-
al method Of procedure would have
beer to submit the question and OBJ
tain a decision q sufficient time prior
to the annual city election 70 permit
the election Of commissioners to take
place at the time appointed for the
regular election. There would then
nave been no trading of horses In the
middle Of the stream The demand
wa not made, however, until after
the city election, and this fact alone
warrants the belief hat it ri made
largely for political purposes rather
than because Of a conviction of the
superiority of Il proposed plan.
Although petitions for the submis-
sion of this question were filed week
ago, no effort has been made In any
public way to show in what way the
city would be benefited by making the
change. Those who propose such a
change may reasonably be expected to
justify it by convincing, or at least by
plausible arguments. This has not
been done.
The adoption Of the now plan in
wolves the immediate expense of an
other election. the confusion INSOFAR
able from the substitution Of any
form Of government for any other, and
entire uncertainty as to the type of
men who will be. chosen to handle the
affairs OF the city after a very ami
mated and possibly a bitter campaign.
Five men must be chosen out of the
entire number who will be proposed,
and the prospect is that there will be
a good many offerings.
The citizens who votes ON this ques-
ton, II he is a thoughtful man, will ask
himself what defects there are In the
present system which we are working,
and what defects there are in the
character of the men who are now in
charge Of the city's affairs which will
the commission form. That Is the
whole thing in . nutshell.
As . rule advocates Of the change
confine themselves to g~eneralities.
What the voter needs i specific facts.
L. the city now poorly governed? If
20, In what particulars. Are we spend
ing too much money? In what depart
ments? What assurance have we that
fine men. as yet unknown, will handle
the work n better than those now in
charge, or will be able to do better
work at = lower cost than is no,
done?
AZ h situation stands, We know
what we nave. The records show tina,
the city is efficiently managed, and AZ
cheaply, as any other in the state. II
change the stream we shall do we'll il
after a term of years, and with a con.
siderable cost rolled up In the mean.
time, We have our affairs as well
handled as they are handled nov,