The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1927-08-10
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 1927.


~ YER in Redwood County, not so many
miles from this community, there reside
Mr.. and Mrs. C. w. Belville, homemakers
supreme and couple whose daily lives are at
once an inspiration and a benediction to all who
know them.
But they not home makers and splendid
citizens alone. They are unselfishly devoting
their time and their talent to making the rural
home better and more enjoyable place in which
to live. Besides being a talented woman in
BODYBUILDING and handspring, Mrs. Belville is
gifted writer and is using this talent to spread
the fame of Redwood county and this section of
the state that others may see, and seeing be-
leve that the farm home can be made as at
tractive, if not more so, that the city dwelling.
In Farmstead, Stock and Home, a semi
monthly publication, three pages were last week
devoted to an article written by Mrs. Belville on
the theme develop, Beautify, Preserve the Rur-
al Home" 1t is classic of it's kind. Every
word portrays the keen satisfaction that rural
life has brought into the lives of Mrs. Belville
and her husband. Every line breathes a fra
grant melody of love and kindness and hospital
ity under the Belville roof. Every paragraph
seems to sing of happiness and the noble desire
to bring into other lives the joy and happiness
that has made Sunny Crest Farm the joy of its
owners and the envied spot of many counties.
The Herald acknowledges the splendid work
the Belvilles are doing. Just at this time when
there to be feeling that farm life is
without its rewards, such articles as written by
Mrs. Belville, too few. The success of agri-
culture, we believe, depends not so much upon
fixing of prices by legislation, nor the diversfi-
cation of crops as it does upon the fixing of the
hearts of agricultural people, of new outlook
on farm life; upon living, breathing, undying
faith in ones community and the willingness to
serve it.-Murray County Herald.
t-t-f
THE CITY MANAGER PLAN
VVIHAT are some of the characteristics of
w a city manager plan of government in
a municipality such as Marshall? 1t is
pertinent to discuss this question now, along with
our discussion a home rule charter, be-
charter and some plan of government
are inseparably linked. We have taken up the
principles of home rule because it seems better
suited to Marshall's needs than the law of 1870
we operate under. Likewise, we have chos-
en- to discuss a city manager; for the various
plans of government that of the council manager
type is most desirable.
= Under the council-manager plan voters need
elect only a mayor and council. All powers
of the city government are vested in the council,
making it alone responsible while in turn the
council holds responsible for the administration
of affairs the city manager. Though the men,
bers of the council are elected politically, they
must select their administrator without regard
to political considerations. While the council can
take no part in the actual work of administra-
ton, it can remove the manager at any time
that he is not proving efficient. In other words,
the council determines the policies of government
and the manager carries out the work of admin
istration.
The advantages of the manager plan have
been summed up by William Anderson, profess
sor of political science at the University of Min
nesota as follows: The benefit of the "short
ballot, the unification of powers, the concentra-
ton of responsibility the separation of politics
from administration and the of non-par-
tisan experts in the administration"
Naturally there arguments against the
manager plan, but compared with the advantages
of the system they are weak. At first thought
some will say the plan gives too much power to
one man. The manager could not, however, be
an autocrat for he has no power to direct poll
tics, and even though council permitted such
acondition the situation could easily be rectified
by electing council. Another argument
advanced is that the manager will be usurpine
an office that should be held by local man. II
is doubtful if there is a local man qualified to
fill the position of manager, which entails long
study and experience, but the argument is never
theless falacious for the manager must have as
sistants, and these could be local men. That the
manager is not local man and therefore moi
familiar with local conditions would make nc
difference, because it is the council. q group OF
local men, who determine what is to be done
Furthermore, the manager, through his expert