Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-10-21

various legislatures and applying only TO
Wayne County. Many of the laws are con-
fusing and silly-drafted by legislatures
with no idea of the problems of the most
populous county of the state Only the
Home Rule Amendment can give the
county power to wipe out these strangng
laws.
Wayne County should have non
partisan government. Now, it has not.
Instead it has Republicans, Democrats,
and lesser parties, competing for offices,
with all the evils of petty politics-forced
campaign contributions from county en-
ployes "kckbacks" from those seeking
county business, back room graft and
downright dishonesty. Detroit once had
the same evils under the old partisan
aldermanic system. But it cleaned house
and set up non-partisan rule, admittedly
the most efficient form for local govern
ment units.
THE advantages of Home Rule are over
whelming. But there are arguments
advanced against it.
The loudest objections come from GER
ain outcounty members of the board of
supervisors, anxious to keep their petty
political jobs and the SIS they receive for
each board meeting. They fear Home Rule
will destroy their present unwarranted
power on the board-with it's control over
county purse strings.
The outcounty districts contain only
20 per cent of the population of the
county. They are not entitled to so per
cent of the representation. They are now
very small tail wagging very big dog.
It's about time for the dog to decide when
it wants to wag its tall
HOWEVER, under Home Rule ALL
i outcounty districts will be guaran-
teed adequate representation.
At present, because of the antiquated
method of choosing supervisors, Marking
Township has one supervisor for every
$4,000 persons, while Gratiot Township
has one supervisor for ONLY 900 per-
sons. These gross inequalities in out
county representation will be eliminated.
The new county governing board visioned
in the amendment will be chosen SOLELY
on population basis. Thus the residents
of Marking and Gratiot-and all other
townships where present inequalities pre-
vail-will be guaranteed representation
commensurate with their populations.
Another argument-widely circulated
among county employees is that large
numbers Of them will lose their jobs under
Home Rule. That is not true
On November 3, county voters also will
ballot on civil service for all county en-
ployes. 1t is expected to pass. So before
any Home Rule Amendment can be put
into effect county employees will be PRO-
TECTED IN THEIR JOBS by civil service
But if the civil service amendment
should not pass, county employees will still
be protected in their jobs under Home
Rule. They also will be protected FROM
the evils of the present system-With its
forced contributions to get jobs, forced
contributions to keep them, and forced
labor on off time for petty county poll
ticians.
ITO THE whispered rumors that the
interests" are somehow behind the
Home Rule Amendment, there is only one
answer. The only interests behind the
amendment are the more than 100000
persons who demanded that il be placed
on the ballot
You may hear that the grand jury has
cleaned up Wayne County, that the rascals
have all been swept from office, that there
is now a new group of thrifty, efficient
county officials in charge, that there is no
need for further reform.
ACTUALLY, THERE HAS BEEN NO