The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-21
CITY MANAGER
IDEA ON TRIAL
Campaign Against Fad in
Ohio Well Under
Momentum
TEST TO BE CRUCIAL
Cities Which Have Tried the
Scheme Are Called on
for Verdict

CLEVELAND. Sept 2O.-.W While
Cleveland, Ohl0's metropolis is pre-
pairing TO vote I'm November upon an
amendment TO IT. charter abolish
Ing tho present Federal plan" ~
city government and adopting In its
stead tho city manager form, two
other ohio cities. which have given
more or less extended trials 10 the
manager plan, are to vote Jpn re
placing 10 with something else.
In Dayton n petition. signed by
moro than 10000 voters, has been
presented asking for submission OF
an amendment TO the charter abol-
ishlng the city manager, under
which the city has been governed
for nearly eight ycarA Akron,
which adopted the city manager
form two years ego. " also To vote
upon n return to It's former plan of
government.
Opponents OF tho city manager
idea nilege that II is wastcful,
monarchical and oxtravaRant and
that the government under tho city
manager fails to respond to popular
sentiment. but that the manager,
ffke some creation OF a czar or ilo.
henaoilern, decides matters affect
ing all without measuring popular
Aentimcut or public desires
They denouncc the plan as an
experiment patterned after Dus-
seidorf, Germany, proclaimed as the
acme Of perfection by Dr. Garland,
who went to Europe at the expense
OF John II. Patterson. founder OF the
National cash register factories. TO
learn its workings, and who came
back to Dayton and told lts wonders
and thus fastened the shacklcs OF
despOtism 80 securely about US that
we have not been able to shake thom
Off"
N National In Scope.
The organized attack upon the
city manager idea has nation
wide significAnco Behind the plan
thore Is an organization known as
the National Municipal league.
which has headquarters in New
York, Secretary OF state Charles
. Evans Hughes is the president OF
tho orga nization; Harold w DoddH,
secretary, and Frank A. Nanderlip,
+ treasurer.
Dayton was tho largest munici-
. pallty In the United states to operate
& Under the system until Akron adopt
ed tho plan at an election some
: eighteen months ago. The first CITY
manager IN Dayton was Henry NJ
Waite, city engineer Of Cincinnati
AT the Time OF hts selection, VINO
served in that capacity until he re-
signed during the war TO go 70
France and help build railroads TO
transport troops to tho front.
He was succeeded by j, E. Bar
low, also a Cincinnati man, brought
10 Dayton by Waite. as director OF
public service. Barlow served from
March. 1918. until February !. 1871
when he was succeeded by w. q.
Barber Of Joliet, H., who was pald
a salary of $4,000 annually Bar
low received $1,000.
Barber had made n reputation at
Joliet as a professional "city mana
ger" under the commission form
of government ami was considered
, an experienced professionally city
manager. tits regime, however, was
(, extremely brief, as he resigned July
= IL aud returned to his Joliet home.
HuuiuH 20 gucn the Clamor fOr a
home man. the Dayton city COM
mission named Il. q, ElchclbcrBar,
Dayton man To- succeed him, hut
The volume of complaint has con
stantly grown, aud experienced poll
ttoians are predicting the defeat Of
the manager form AT the election I'M
November ana the substitution of
some other plan OF city goyernmcnt
Socialists Seek Control.
Tho fight over the city manager
idea. however, IL mixed up with Il
red-hot campaign for control Of m,
commission as II Is now constituted
Z The socialists who have grown II
strength tremondouB In Dayton o.
z In other urban centera, have three
Z candidates In the field The Nh
nicipal Voters league IL also back
ing n complete slate. whilo the tive
: old political organizations arc be
( hind the candidates. OF picked mon
Immense expenditures of public
funds. caused by the floods Of 1917
which resulted In heavy loss of M,
and great property damage, have