The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-05-20

Your invitation states the purpose
OF this meeting is to give the citi-
zens Of Indianapolis accurate infor-
nation on how the city manager plan
works in a sister municipality. OF
course, every crow thinks it's fled
glings are the blacklist, and per-
son, like myself, who has been in
terested in the city manager move
ment in our city from it's inception,
and is the first mayor under it, may
not be, entirely unbiased. However,
when 1 say that the city manager
government in Cincinnati has been,
thus far, an unqualified success,
think / am repeating what at least
three-fourths of our people, of all
classes, are saying Of our year and
a half experiment.
Forms Mean Little
1t Is a truism that forms of gov
eminent, of themselves, do not &C.
complish good government. Never
theless, q corollary which should
not be overlooked is that the form
Of government may make good gov
eminent easier or more difficult of
attainment. In the end, good gov
eminent is dependent on citizen in
terest, as opposed to professional
politician interest, and one great adj
vantage of city manager government
under our charter in Cincinnati has
been that Cincinnatians are tremen-
dously interested in their local gov
eminent and that municipal politics
has become leading activity of the
citizens.
Harm I'm Indifference
This, in itself, is of tremendous
advantage, because Indifference to
local politics in great many locali-
ties in this country is something
which must give the student of our
government system serious concern.
Professor Hatton Of the Western Re-
serve University, member of the
council Of Cleveland, Ohio, under
their city manager charter, has re-
Gently expressed the view that the
city manager Is a more important
officer, in many respects, than a
United States Senator, and certainly
the extent to which a city manager
can affect the health, safety, the
happiness and well-being of hun
dreds Of thousands Of persons, gives
much warrant for the statement.
The, effect Of good municipal govern
ment Is not limited to the city boun-
DIARIES, but affords inspiration and
encouragement to far distant locali-
ties. AS an evidence of this, both
city manager and have been asked
to speak on "City Manager Govern
ment in Cincinnati in numerous
cities in all sections Of the country.
Few Go to Polls
My most recent visit was to At
lanta, Ca, where l was appalled, to
learn that with about three hundred
thousand people, the largest vote
known on municipal matters was
Il city manager charter had failed
by vote of 1000 opposed and 5000
favoring. One reason for the small
vote is that conditions precedent to
exercising it are the payment Of a
poll lax and the making of property
tax return, the latter having a
z specially deterrent effect on the
women; in other words, penalty,
rather than premium, is placed
on voting. 1t is not strange, there
fore, that there should be inscribed
on the Henry w. Grady monument,
which stands in the city hall square,
the statement, ''IIe neither filed
not sought public office"
In Dayton, Ohio, the vote for re-
tention Of the city manager govern.
ment was $4,000 for as against $4,000
opposed, vote of about one-half
Of the possible vote.
Brought Heavier Vote
In twenty.nine States holding
senatorial primaries last fall, seven
teen cast a larger vote in the
primary than in the election. While
in perhaps half of these, the primary
vote is tantamount to election, still
the result is disturbing and so we
take pride in the fact that in Gin
cinnati our charter carried $4,000 in
favor as against al 900 opposed, and
at our last municipal election 1919, 100
ballots were cast.
So, too, 1t is a matter of con-
graduation that you in Indianapolis
petitioned for your city manager
government election by more than
thirty-three thousand signatures,
although less than twenty thou
sand would have been necessary
Overlapping us. who initiated our
charter amendment by the request
of some twenty-five thousand
petitioners): Unlike the Three Tail
ors of Tooley ST., who referred
to themselves as 1--WE, the people of
London" your committee Of 1000
has, I understand, more than seven
teen hunderd representative citizens
actively working for the city man
ager form of government. This
augurs well for the success of the
movement and it worth while in It,
self, irrespective of the outcome.
Radio Spreads Message
You are fortunate, too, in having
use of the radio Il will not say for
this speech), but as an adjunct of
tremendous value for the direct and
widespread dissemination of informa-
ton. We, too, have been fortunate
in this respect at home and I have
found numerous times that a radio
message is seed planted on fertile
ground. In New York, understand,
radio messages have to be written
out in advance and are censored, but
YOU and we are happy in having
liberty of speech and not requiring
any Indignant Milton to write mod.
ern "Arepagitica."