Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-06-10

THURSDAY EVENING, JUNE 10.
THE ESSENTIAL GOVERNMENT.
Government is not a matter OF
forms of systems. AS these are GOOD
or bad they aid Or obstruct. but no
system, however good, can itself ~
sure good government to a community.
and no system. however bad, can Of
itself prevent good government. That
community will be we'll governed
whose people ave an opportunity to
govern themselves, approach their
problems with intelligence, and are
determined 10 be we'll governed. There
are nations which lave very l'assable
constitutions, and yet which ave
abominably ~misgOverned. Their are
other countries with crude and CUM
sy constitutions or none at all. which
govern themselves very creditably.
Good government is not to be obtained
by writing lofty sentiments on a
piece of paper. 1t can be attained,
if at all. by the exercise, patiently
and continuously, on the part of the
people themselves of those qualities
which produce good government
naturally as their perfect fruit. There
are cities operating under the mayor
ment is VIGOROUSLY bad. There are
commission cities where the results
are excellent And there are other
cities under the council system which
are exceedingly we'll governed. and
commission cities who's management
is both corrupt and inefficient.
There is no ideal plan for the gov
eminent Of cities. Some systems
work better than others in some places
and under certain conditions. The
question for the people of Grand Forks
to decide at the approaching commits
sion election is O what the ideal
system, for there is none, but rather
whether the conditions which exist in
Grand Forks today are such as to
require a change in our form of gov
eminent, of whether, if so the
adoption of the commission plan is
likely to bring about the desired i'm
pBovement.
And in considering this subject i.
u the business of the Grand Forks
voters to pay attention to the facts
which exist in his own town and
which are under, his. own observation
rather than to be guided by what
somebody has said in a book or a
magazine article about systems of city
government in general.
The character of a city government
depends Immediately on the character
OF the. chosen to administer it.
Grand Forks is governed now by
fourteen aldermen and a mayor. These
Officials are chosen directly by the
people. Once each year the people
are at liberty to make such changes
as. they desire in their board of alder
men, and every other year they
choosefor mayor. the.person:.w who ap-
pea1ssto them. as best.fttted for that
piace. II the. commission plan is
adopted the same people wifi elsct
thes ftves commissioners. Have the
peopleschosen> their officials tunwisely
IN the past? And. IT, 10, will the
adoption . of Anew form confer on
Them greater wisdom and enable
them to make better. selections? Is
there g~oodsreason to believe that such
4 miracle will be- performed? Is it
not more,2likely that under a new
form the speople will proceed sub
stanha1ly=As they have done ain the
past wisely or unwisely, as the case
may be?
n voter who is ,.importuned to
vote n favor Of the i adoption of. a
new system OF government Z for his
crty hasa right to ask why. and to
demand1an answer. not in slitterine
g~enera1ities, but In the form OF sspeci-
nc statement relating to particular
Items IN the affairs Of the city. Will
the proposed new system lower taxes?
How? Will 1t give us better main
tanned streets? In what way? viii
1t increase the efficiency Of any of
our departments? Why? Will it do
anything for US that we cannot do un-
der the system that we have? Let
the particulars be presented.
The gentlemen who have forced
another election on the city have
twenty days In which to do a lot Of
explaining, and in which to produce
a lot Of information for he enls<ht-
eminent of the plain people.