Galveston Form
of Government
Commission Flan Gives Very
General Satisfaction.
The problem of municipal govern
Xient is H'rhaps the most important
single question before the American
cople today.
Jt affects us in every phase of our
daily life. 1
Through the health, water, fire, po
lice, newer and other departments,
every city government directly affects
the health, life and property of every
roan, woman and child residing within
its limits.
1'ractical experience, extending over
n jicriod of six and a half years, has
conclusively proved thnt the Galveston
plan of city government is a complete
success.
There is nothing at all remarkable
ubout the Galveston plan, nor about
the men that are directly its municipal
government. The city commission is
simply a board of directors, elected at
large by the qualified voters of the en
tire city every two years. This board
is composed of five practical business
men, each fully recognizing that econ
omy and business methods, not politics,
should be employed in transacting the
business affairs of the city.
The business that is being directed
by these live men, as agents for the
citizens of Galveston, can be briefly
summarized as follows: Furnishing
iwople with pure wholesome water,
adequate sewerage, efficient police aiid
lire protection, well lighted, clean and
veil paved streets, drainage, sanitation,
public hospital for the eick and a care
ful management of the city finances.
FOUR CITY DEPARTMENTS.
The business of the city is divided in
to four departments, each department
Uing under the charge and direction of
a commissioner. These four commis
sioners and the mayor, collectively, con
stitute what is termed the "Board of
Commissioners of the city of Galves
ton." The mayor is the president of
the board, and the executive head of
the city government. He has all of
the rights, powers and duties conferred
ujwn the office of mayor by the con
stitution and laws of this state, has
the right to vote upon all questions, but
has no veto power. Majority rule al
ways prevails.
The commissioners at the first meet
ing after election, or as soon thereafter
as jHtssible, by a majority vote, desig
nate from among their members one
commissioner who shall be known as
"Commissioner of Finance and Rev
enue," and under whose direction is
placed the officers of the assessor and i
collector, the city treasurer and city j
auditor. He is also charged with the
duty of examining into and keeping in-!
formed as to the finances of the city,
and with the advice and assistance of i
the other members of the beard, he '
prepares the annual budget of the city. !
Great care is exercised in preparing the '
city budget and it is never exceeded in !
expenditures. i
j
MEETINGS OK I10AKI).
The city charter
at six o'clock. These meetings are con
ducted in a dignified, businesslike man
ner, and are free from wrangling, dis
putes and confusion. The commission
ers sit around a directors' table, the
mayor presiding. The city attorney
and the heads of the various depart
ments are required by the city charter
to attend all meetings of the board.
But little Rin'cch-making is indulged in.
and the presence of idle spectators is
an exception rather than the rule
Business is transacted promptly, but
without undue haste. All important
matters are discussed and differences
adjusted in conference. The city at
torney has great influence with the
commissioners, and his advice, is freely
sought
"Too many cooks spoil the broth" is
an old saying, which can well be applied
to a board of twelve or sixteen alder
men. In Galveston it has been clearly
proved that four commissioners and a
mayor, or a president, can transact the
business of sixteen aldermen and a
mayor, and do it better, more exnedi
tiously and with greater harmony.
SIMPLICITY OK FEATI RK.
The strongest feature of the com
mission plan of city government is its
perfect simplicity, its directness, and
in limiting the number of those directly
charged with the management of the
city's affairs and in fixing or in the
centralization of rcponsibility.
Under this plan the mismanagement
of a department is promptly laid at the
door of the neglectful commissioner,
not only by the general public but by
the mayor-president and the other
members of the board. The knowledge
of personal responsibility and watch
fulness causes each commissioner to
take a personal interest and to feel a
special pride in the proper management
of his department, realizing as he must
that the merit as well as the defects
are easily recognized by his associates,
as well as by the public generally.
Pollard De
fines Position
When Congressman Pollard was
shown the Washington dispatches pub
lished in the State Journal under date
of March 1st, commenting upon his
voting for the adoption of the rule of
the House creating a calendar Wednes
day, he made the following comment:
"It seems strange, but it so often oc
curs, that the advocates of reform are
so likely to fall into the habit of calling
every man a traitor or dishonest who
does not agree with all their views. I
have attended every meeting, save one,
of the so-called insurgents in both the
1st and 2nd sessions of the C0th con
gress and have taken an active part in
the discussions of contemplated changes
in the rules of the House. There was
at the beginning a wide difference of
opinion among the insurgents as to just
what changes should be made in the
rules. There were almost as many
opinions as there were members at
tending these meetings. At one time
I feared our differences were so great
that we could not get together and
that the movement would fail. We
i finally agreed, however, that we would
i submit the various plans to a vote.
rOnllire.q Hint tlm ' iwrrnitinfv in nHiranto tViot tKn nMii.ktlfir
" 1 VllitllVV II 11 (111 I Hill V IIIHI VI 1W IllUJWI.feJI
bjard shall meet in regular session at of those participating in the conference
least once every week. These meetings should determine just what changes
take place every Thursday afternoon we would stand for. The result was
fSold only in j&fWsV YM
Moisture Proof vO W W
z In
i6 a
1
The National prestige of Uneeda Biscuit is
baked in. The moment you take a biscuit
from the package, as soon as you taste it, the
reason becomes apparent why so many hun
dred millions of packages of Uneeda Biscuit
have been bought, by the American people.
f"
NATIONAL BISCUIT COMPANY
; ; - - -- si5ra
I from the committees and to tret them I mv collonmiP u-om ..-.) cation as mav hn i.
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from the committees and to get them
before the House for consideration
even after they reach the calendar.
Until this change was made in the
rules the only way bills could be brought
For Hot Fires Get Egenber-
ger's Coal!
Sure satisfaction every time you light a fire if on
top of the kindling is ebony fuel from our yards.
It's heat and light giving and slate-free when it
leaves the mines, screened and cleaned again here
and served to you full weight and with celerity of
delivery. Order any way that suits you. Both
telephones.
J. V. ECEMBERCER
we decided to fight for two rules only;
First, the removal from the speaker of
his power to appoint the standintr com
mittees of the House; Second, that one
day each week should be set aside
When all bills Of the Hoil.Il nnrl TTninn
calendars would iintomHtimllv mmn I bills, was by unanimous consent or bv
before the House for consideration. I a 6uspension of the rules which required
have no hesitancy in stating that from a two-thirds vote. Under the power of
the beginning of these meetings I was recognition lodged in the Speaker he
in doubt as to the good results that cou'(1 uni'er either procedure prevent
would follow taking from the speaker any bi" vom cf"'ng before the House
the lower to appoint the standing fven though the IWO members favored
committees. I gave expression to this simply refusing to recognize a
view both in and out of the conferences. membt,r to call up the bill. Under the
There could have been no uncertainty new ru,e adopted providing for a cal
in the mind of anyone as to where I cn(Jar Wednesday all bills on the House
stood upon this question. I feared that and union calendars will be automat ie
the appointment of standing commit-1 a"y thrown into the House where they
tees would result in log-rolling between j must voted UP" w'th or without
individual members on the one hand I the Sj)eakers consent. Under the p-
and the larger states on the other and j eration f this rule the Speaker will be
mat smaller states like Nebraska
would receive little or no recognition.
Knowing that in the Senate the stand-
my colleagues were votinir "No" rand
they had all voted when my name was
called) it would have been much easier
for me to have joined them. I knew I
would be criticised but I muU .mi
up for consideration,1 except privileged ! stultify my conscience and vote against
a bill I knew to be right simply be
cause it would be popular to do so.
Extra Session
Is
Called
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Furniture That Pleases
Old Winter with his reign of ice tnd snow will
soon be gone. Those chilly blasts will be a thing of the
past Spring with its new demands will soon be here,
and you will need some new furniture. Our line is re
plete with up-to-date, designs and patterns, which r.re
sure to please, and at prices, which are sure to appeal
to the prudent buyer. See our display, we are piaJ to
show the goods and quote you prices.
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A
ing committees are all appointed by a
ommittee and that there is just as
much dissatisfaction as to their opera
tion of the House rules, I was naturally
doubtful whether the appointment of
the standing committers in the House
by a committee would work any better
I than it has in the Senate. I am free
j to admit, however, that the plan pre
: sented by thejHouse insurgents would
tbe an improvement over the Senate
; rul-'s. However, I gave up my opj oii
i tion to t,his plan when I found that a
majority was against me. I partici
pated in the discussions in good faith
and helped to perfect the rules. When
the bill was submitted to the House 1
signed it along with the other 28 insur
gents and would have voted for it had
it come before the House.
The other rule the insurgents agreed
upon, providing for a calendar Tuesday,
met with hearty approval. The rule
submitted to the House for which I
voted and for which I am criticised,
provided not for a calendar Tuesday
powerless to prevent the consideration
of bills that have been reported by the
committees of the House. When this!
rule was brought in providing for sub-1
stantially the same thing that myself
: ami the rest of the insurgents had i
j agreed to, I did not think I could honor- j
i ably vote against it simply because it j
! was reported by the committee on i
rules and not by one of the insurgents.
I The fact that it did not appeal to me
1 as an argument why the one should not
be adopted. I have done nothing more
nor less than to vole for one of the
reforms demanded by the insur
gents. The adoption of this rule will
in my opinion interfere in no way with
' the adoption of the other rule later.
I was elected to Congress as a re
publican and did not propose to bolt my
' party and vote with the democrats to
prevent the adoption of a rule I had
, solemnly pledged myself to support
! which would liberate the House and
j permit it to discharge the public busi
ness in an orderly way.
The Washington correspondent of the
Journal charges me with being insin
cere and attemptine to deceive the
President William Howard Taft has
called the congress of the United States
into special session for the purpose,
among other things, of revising the
taritr. Following is a text of the call:
"P.y the President of the United
States of America, a Proclamation:
"Whereas, Public interests renuire
that the congress of the United States
should be convened in extra session at
12 o'clock, noon, on the 1.1th day of
March, l!MKt, to received such communi
cation as may be made bv
live; now.
"Therefore, I, William Howard Taft,
; president of the United States of
America, do hereby proclaim and de
clare that an extraordinary occasion re
quires the congress of the United
, States to convene in extra session at
i the capitol in the city of Washington
on the fifteenth day of March, l!t(o at
iiuun, ui wnicn all persons
who shall, at that time, be entitled to
act as members thereof are hereby re
quired to take notice.
"Given under my hand and the seal
of the United States of America, the
sixth day of March, in the year of our
Lord, one thousand, nine hundred and
nine, and of the indepedence of the Un
ited States, the one hundredth and thirty-third.
"WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT."
"I!y the president. P. r.
j Secretary of State." '
Send her a post card of your favorite
float. At Nemetzfi Co.s
JL "V
Pianos for Particular People
STREICHT & STREIGHT
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but for a calendar Wednesday and em-' public. My action in this matter alone
bodid the same nrincinlos thnt u-nm ! r-nfntau th t -
V i agree ! by the House insurgents. In that if I have made n r.-mitntinn fnr
j my opinion, us auopuon u carried out any one thing since I entered public
j in good faith, and I have no reason to ! life it is for having the courage of my
I think otherwise, will accomplish much i convictions. I am going out of con
( in the way of reform although it does ; gress. The so-called Cannon machine
not go as far as I should like. My ex- is powerless to help me in anv wav. I
l perience in the House has convinced can secure no possible benefit from my
I me that the criticisms of the inaction action. Had 1 desired simply to do the
; of Corgress in matters of legislation popular thing I would have voted with j
I domande.l by the people has not been the rest of the Nebraska delegation.
due to the manner in which the com- Hud 1 do-ie so I would have received")
j mitlees are appointed but to the in- no criticism and would not have been!
j ability of members to get bills reported called upo.i to explain. When I found 1
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clude that that person owns one of our
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Plalismoutli Music Company
J. A. BECKER, MANAGER
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