The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1923-01-18
THE FIGHT FROM WITHOUT.

sha who have come to see the value of the new
form of government, but fight against igno-
rance and Wilful misrepresentation on the part
of people in other cities of the state. 1t is evil
dent that some of the hrger centers of Wiscon-
sin plan to make a determined fight to weaken
the laws which make possible the city manager
form in Wisconsin. The aim of this fight is to
render the city manager form powerless to
accomplish ends and by taking away it's power
making it unpopular and opening the way for
the retention of it in the state.
Possibly the men who are backing this move
ment are in no way interested in what kind of
government Kenosha has, but they are inter-
ested in retaining in their home communities
the old wasteful forms of politically controlled
city governments of which they have been the
benefciaries for many years.
"A half score of the largest cities in Wisconsin
are considering the adoption of the city man.
ager form. Earnest organizations have been
formed to bring the new form of government
to these cities, and in order to prevent the
spread of the new form of government the "old
guard," which has fed off of wasteful, careless
government of cities, plan to take the teeth
from the state law.
The first attack comes from Racine county
with demand that the state law be amended
so that Police and Fire Commissions will con-
tinue to have full control of police and fire de-
partments in cities where the manager form is
adopted. This is blow aimed at the very heart
of the new form of government. 1t is undoubt-
edly fostered by men wholly ignorant of the
workings of the form. A city manager form of
centralized government, with the power to con-
troll the enforcement of the laws, would lose it's
greatest asset. Misrepresentation is to be used
to bring the legislature to favor this sugges-
ton. 1t is declared that men in the police and
fire departments are no longer under civil SER
vice in the city manager form of government
Kenosha shows the fact that this is misrepre-
sentation. Examinations for firemen under the
civil service law axe called for tomorrow night
i'm Kenosha.
The civil service rights of every employee of
the city of Kenosha have been fully protected
under the city manager form of government
Not single time has this form Of government
invaded the rights of any competent workman
The grating police chief and the incompe-
tent fireman fears the coming of the city man
ager form because they know that under that
form of government they cannot continue in
office. They much prefer the politically con-
troled police and fire commission. Possibly.
Kenosha has had as good a police and fire COM
mission as could be found in any city in Wis
consin, but under it there were many COM
plants of incompetency and ignorance in the
service. Undoubtedly, these other cities have
the same complaints.
Kenosha should arrange to give intelligent
consideration to this battle from without which
threatens its form of government A strong
con1naittpa ShOuld ba SAINT RI Madison RI in+o11i
gently present to the members of the legisIa-
ture the real facts in regard to the city man.
ager form of government. misunderstanding
may lead many member of the legislature to
vote wrong on these bills.
Members of the legislature do not want to
cripple Kenosha's efforts to get better form of
government and pass that form of government
on to the rest of the state, but members of the
legislature are going to listen to the propay
ganda which gets to Madison Propaganda
against this form of government must be COM
batted by established facts
Kenosha just now is the one city of vital in
terest in this matter, but in a short time it is
going to be of interest to other cities in the
state, and Kenosha must do it's part as a pio-
neer and defend the rights of posterity against
the efforts of scheming politicians to continue
themselves in control of cities at the cost of bad
governmentfor the people,
Making cities of Wisconsin safe for Democ-
racy must be the fight of Kenosha during the
present session of the legislature and the fight
is going to be reflected in the safeguarding of
Kenosha's own institutions of government.
LET'S HOOK UP WITH THIS MOVEMENT.
Kenosha is to be congratulated on the man