the heels of Houston, with rapid stride, came the revolution. Between January 1, 1906, and February 1, 1912, no less than 186 American cities scattered through 33 states, adopted the commission form of government. A glance at the table of Commission Cities will show that they vary in population from mere hamlets of one or two thousand to big towns of 150,000, like Oakland, California. In all there are about 4,000,000 city dwellers now living under the commission form of government. More than two hundred other municipalities are now seriously considering the adoption of the commission, and the "Galveston idea," while not adopted in its entirety, has materially affected the form of government in such great cities as Boston and Pittsburg. The essential features of the Galveston or commission form of city administration are these: 1. All power and responsibility must be centered in and confined to a small F. W. DONNELLY, MAYOR OF TRENTON, N. J. council or commission, usually of five members, who, by themselves or through their own appointees, pass all city ordinances, enforce them, and administer all city affairs. This commission is the city government. 2. The members of the commission must be elected from the city at large and not as representing any ward or district. 3. The members of the commission must be the only elective officers of the city (with the possible exception of an auditor or school board) and must have the power to appoint all the subordinate administrative officials. 4. The commission must have the power to remove at will any or all of the officials it has appointed. In this way only can the commission, itself, be held directly responsible for results by the people of the city. The initiative, referendum and recall, while they form part of the charter in most commission-governed cities, are not an essential part of the plan. Official List of Commission Plan Cities-Corrected to February 1, 1912 ALABAMA Birmingham ... Cities added since October are in italics Pop. .132,685 Abilene 1,747 Anthony 1,374 Caldwell .... 7,611 Chanute 51,521 Cherryvale 38,136 Coffeyville 5.854 Council Grove. 8,407 Dodge City Emporia 4,118 Faribault Pop. Pierre 19,001 Rapid City 3,656 3,854 ....... 10,365 Sioux Falls Vermillion 14,094 2,187 MONTANA 4,304 Missoula 3,214 Beatrice 9,356 Knoxville 36,346 9,058 Nebraska City Memphis ........ 131, 105 CALIFORNIA Eureka 2,333 Omaha .124,069 TEXAS Monterey 4,923 Independence 10,480 Ocean City Oakland .150,174 Iola 9,032 Passaic Kansas City 82,331 Ridgewood 5,416 Corpus Christi 8,222 San Diego 39,578 Kingman Trenton 96,815 Dallas 92,104 San Luis Obispo. 5,157 Leavenworth Santa Cruz... 11.146 NEW MEXICO Fort Worth 73,302 Stockton 23,256 Marion 1,841 Roswell 36,981 11,340 12,463 Greensboro 15,895 Pittsburg 14,755 High Point 9,529 Marble Falls 1,061 3.302 Wilmington Wellington Wichita 7,034 NORTH DAKOTA ..... 52,450 Bismarck Cartersville 34,099 6,043 Newport ........ 30,309 Bartlesville Shreveport ...... 28,015 Duncan El Reno Clinton 7,872 Ogden 25,580 Enid Decatur Dixon 7,216 Guthrie 13,799 Provo 11,654 Holdenville. WASHINGTON Lawton MacAlester 12,954 Chehalis Miami Muskogee 25,278 North Yakima. 14,082 Jacksonville 15,326 Kewanee Moline Ottawa Pekin 9,307 Haverhill 24,199 Lawrence 11,121 Lowell Gloucester 9,897 Lynn WEST VIRGINIA OREGON Springfield Bluefield Huntington ........ 11,188 Spring Valley 7,035 Fremont Waukegan 16,069 Harbor Beach Pontiac 13,374 Hattiesburg 47,828 Laurel ....... 26,311 Appleton 16,773 Eau Claire 13,894 33,811 86,368 MISSISSIPPI Oshkosh 33,062 Rice Lake 14,008 Gulfport 6,386 Dell Rapids 1,367 Superior 40,384 .... 5,791 8,392 Sheridan WYOMING 8,408 Commission government has not been yet on trial for a long enough time to justify a statement that it will solve all the problems of municipal government. Its merits, however, are many and very plain. Under the old system of electing a mayor and many other city officials, including one or two aldermen from each ward, the ballot includes so many names that it is practically impossible for the voter to get accurate information about all or any considerable number of them. There are only eight or ten names on the ballot in a commission election and the chance of a bad man slipping through is thus greatly lessened. Under the old form of city government there are so many officials and the power and responsibility is so divided among them that it is practically impossible to fix the blame for bad results. With a commission the responsibility is centered in one man, who cannot dodge or evade either blame or credit. In the old form so many men and de CHART OF BUFFALO CITY GOVERNMENT, 1910 FOURTH OF JULY ON RULES COMPILATION COMMITTEE ON STOR & CROSS WALKD COMPARE THIS COMPLICATED AND UNWIELDY SYSTEM OF ADMINISTRATION WITH THAT ON THE OPPOSITE PAGE. From this division and confusion of authority and responsibility many evils result. Houston, Tex. Commission plan in effect January 1, 1906. Credit of the city, which had been worth about eighty cents on the dollar, was restored to par. Tax rate has been reduced from $2.00 to $1.70, while assessments are said to be proportionately lower. The old debt of ASK THE STATE LEGISLATURE TO ENACT A CHARTER FOR BUFFALO ON THE COMMISSION PLAN UNDER THE COMMISSION PLAN. THERE IS EFFICIENT SIMPLICITY OF ORGANIZATION AND THE POWER REMAINS IN THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE. $400,000 was quickly wiped out. In five years, seventy miles of streets have been repaved, the cost being defrayed out of general revenue. A great auditorium and its site have been paid for from the same source. Schools have been redeemed from politics. Gambling and illicit liquor selling have been stopped. The price of gas has been forced down. from $1.50 to $1.15 per thousand. Dallas, Tex.-Commission plan in effect 1907. In first two years the commission wiped out a deficiency of $200,000 and established a credit balance. Des Moines, Ia.-Commission plan in effect in 1907. In its first year the commission saved $184,000 in running expenses, as compared with the previous year under the old government. It made better bargains for the city in electric light charges, obtained interest on city deposits for the first time, cleaned streets and alleys better (the alleys had formerly not been cleaned at all) and wiped out the "red light district," the effect of which has since been shown in reduced crime. Cedar Rapids, Ia.-Commission plan in effect January 1, 1908. The city has been put on a cash basis, pays its biils every Wednesday morning, taking a twoper cent. discount for cash. Bonded indebtedness reduced by $93,000 net. The city's net inventory has been increased from $453,168.43 January 1, 1908, to $878,806.24 January 1, 1911. Leavenworth, Kan.-Commission plan in effect in 1908. The commission has reduced the bonded indebtedness by $112,950, while the tax rate has remained stationary. Kansas is a prohibition state, but Leavenworth has always defied the law and allowed the saloons to exist, subject to periodical fines which brought in $80,000 a year. The commission closed the saloons and disposed of this illegal revenue without disturbing the tax rate. Over $200,000 was spent in special improvements the first year as against an average of $25,000 in previous years. In THE 185 COMMISSION GOVERNED CITIES IN THE UNITED STATES. Each dot marks a city weary of the old order of clumsy, inefficient administration. the first two years under the new system six miles of street were paved as against twelve miles in the preceding twenty-five years. Haverhill, Mass.-Commission plan in effect in 1909. The first year's report under the new plan showed a saving of $97,900 in running expenses. When the commission took hold the financial status of the city was very bad. It had reached. both its debt limit and tax rate limit and was steadily falling behind in its payments. Appeals were being made to the legislature for an extension of the tax rate limit, but this extension has now become unnecessary. In addition the city has voted no license, the revenue from the saloons being no longer needed. Party lines in Haverhill, which was formerly a Republican city, have been completely broken. The commission consists of two Democrats, two Republicans and a Socialist. Gloucester, Mass.-Commission plan in effect 1909. The first year's report showed all bills paid and a reduction in the city debt of $18,000. It is claimed that the roads and streets have been better kept at $6,000 less annual expense. Keokuk, Ia.-Commission plan in effect 1909. When the plan went into effect the city treasury was empty and there was a floating debt of 20 per cent. of the annual revenue of the city. After six months commission government, the city began operating on a cash basis and the bonded indebtedness decreased by $39,000. More than double the amount of street improvements made in the corresponding six months of the preceding year was made, while for less than onehalf of the results accomplished in the street department this year for $11,500 the city paid out last year the sum of $14,000. Kansas City, Kan.-Commission plan in effect 1910. When the new regime commenced it was found that a deficit of $40,000 in the annual expenses was imminent. By energy in collecting licenses, dog taxes, taxes on street cars and telephone poles $16,000 more was collected. in nine months than in the previous year. Cutting out superfluous city employees and economizing reduced the expenses sufficiently to enable the Commissioner of Finance to promise that the city within. a few months will be free of its indebtedness. |