THE DES MOINES PLAN. An examination of the city charter of Dos Moines reveals some curious facts. One of these is that every one aspiring to bo mayor or city Councilman Council-man must declare himself an office-sookor; office-sookor; the charter requiring that "any pcrsou desiring to become a candidate for mayor or a councilman shall at least ten days prior to said primary election filo with the said clerk a statement of such cundidac3V and the charter prescribes pre-scribes the form of this filing. And tho filing must bo accompanied by a petition peti-tion of at loast twenty-fivo qualified voters. The charter then proceeds to provido for the making up of tho ticket by a primary election. This primary election is to be held as provided in the charter, and is to take the place of tho nominating nominat-ing conventions. No party lines arc lo be drawn in this matter, but candidates for mayor and for four conncilmen from tho city at. large aro to bo selected by this primary. After tho primary thero is to bo tho municipal election, and the two persons receiving the highest number num-ber of votes shall bo "tho candidates and tho only candidates whoso names shall bo placed upon tho ballot for mayor at the next succeeding general municipal election, and tho eight candidates candi-dates receiving the highest number of votes for councilman, or all such candidates candi-dates if less than eight, shall be tho candidates and tho only candidates whoso names shall bo placed upon tho ballot for councilman at such municipal election." That is to say, voters aro to bo allowed al-lowed only the choice between two candidates can-didates for mayor, and if four council-men council-men are to be olectcd thero arc to bo bur eight candidates; thus tho Dcs 1 Moines charter provides for but two -.'indidates to select between, and only wo. This undoubtedly would suit the purpose of tho clulrch politicians hero vor.y well. Tt is to that, end that they have been working right along to consolidate con-solidate the church' interests against the American pert. At the samo tim, wo do not see that the American party has anything in particular to fear from this sort, bf tactics. Uudoubtedlj- tho American party is strong enough in this city to beat, tho combined church political polit-ical interests, and will surely be able to do so. Under the proposed scheme the American party would undoubtedly elect its mayor easily and all of tho four councilmen. The Des Moines cit3' charter further provides that, the mayor and council "shall exercise all executive, legislative, and judicial powers and duties now-had, now-had, possessed and exercised by tho mayor, city council, board of public works, park commissioners, board of police po-lice and tiro commissioners, board of water-works trustees, board of librae trustees, solicitor, assessor, treasurer, auditor, city engineer, and other executive ex-ecutive and administrative officers in cities of the Orst class." Pursuant lo this there is created (1) a Department of Public Affairs, (2) Department of Accounts -and Finances, (3) Department of Public Safety, (4) Department of Streets aud Public Improvements, (5) Department of Parks and Public property. prop-erty. The council as a whole is to determine de-termine "tho powers and duties to be performed by, and assign them to the appropriate department; shall prescribo the powers and duties of officers and employes: may assign particular officers and employes to one or more of the departments; de-partments; mn' require an officer or employe to perform duties in two or more departments;" etc. Each member mem-ber of the city council is made superintendent superin-tendent of a department, the maj'or taking tak-ing tho first named and the councilman coun-cilman assigned to be superintendent of mayor of the city in the absence of the mayor. The council shall elect by majority ma-jority vole "a city clerk, solicitor, assessor, as-sessor, treasurer, auditor, civil engineer, city physician, marshal, chief of fire department, market master, street commissioner, com-missioner, three library trustees, and such other officers and assistautsas shall be provided for by ordinance and necessary neces-sary to the proper and efficient conduct of the affairs of tho city; and shall appoint ap-point a police judge in those cities not having a superior court." The annual salary of, the mayor is $3300, and of each councilman $3000. Aud the. council shall add offices or reduce offices nt. its pleasure and shall pay the incumbents such salary or compensation as it sues fit. ' All franchises to public service corporations cor-porations must be submitted to a vote, of the people before- they go into effect. It provides a fine of three hundred dnl-lurs dnl-lurs or a term in the county jail for any official or employe who may attempt to influence any other city official politically. polit-ically. It provides for a civil service commission to examine applicants and certify those who pass the examinations for municipal employment. Tt provides for complete publicity in city affairs, requiring a monthly statement of all re ceipts and expenditures to bo given to the newspapers. It also provides for an' annual examination of the' books' of the citj Ft provides the right of "recall," whereby a maj-or or councilman can be removed from office; tho process being that a petition of at least twenty-live per cent of tho vote for the office of mayor at tho last preceding municipal election shall be filed "with, the city clerk, whereupon tho council shall give uotice for an election to fill the otticc held by the person complained against. This person may be a candidate for reelection. re-election. There does not seem to be any l primar provided for in this case, or any limitation upon the uumber of candidates. can-didates. But in this "recall" election there may be other candidates, and if one of t,he other candidates is elected tho incumbent is ousted. Of courso if he is rechoson by tho people ho continues con-tinues in office. Tho initiative is also provided for, so that; in. case tho council refuses to pass an' ordinanco which seems to be fa-vorod fa-vorod by the people, the submission of such ordinanco to popular vote can bo forced. The process of this enforcement enforce-ment is to havo a petition signed by. twent3'-fivo per cent of tho votes cast for mayor at tho last municipal election filed with tho clerk- This potition requires re-quires that tho ordinance shall be passed without amendment. Forthwith tho clerk shall certify to tho council the sufficiency of the petition, then tho council shall call a special election, unless un-less the general municipal election is fixed within ninety days thereafter, whereat tho pooplo can pass upon tho ordinanco which ia alleged to bo desired. de-sired. And airy ordinanco proposed by petition or which shall be adopted by a vote of tho peoplo cannot be repealed or amended, except by a vote of tho people. Any number of proposed ordinances ordi-nances can be voted upon at tho same election, "but thero shall noi: bo mora than ono special election in any period of six. months" upon ordinanco propositions, proposi-tions, y 2so ordinanco is to go into effect, except ex-cept in caso of urgency, beforo ten days from tho timo of its final passage; "and if during said ton days a petition signed by doctors of tho city equal in number num-ber to at loast twent3T-fivo porcontum of the entiro voto cast for all candidates for mayor at tho last; preceding gen-oral gen-oral municipal eloction at which a mayor was elected, protesting against tho pas-sago pas-sago of such ordinance, be presented to tho council, the ordinanco shall thereupon there-upon bo suspended from going into operation, aud it shall be tho duty of tho council to reconsider such ordinance: and if tho samo is not entirety repealed the council shall submit tho ordinanco" to the voto of the people as proviously provided. The charter provides that it shall not go into effect until the people shall havo so voted. Tt provides, first of all, that tho people must act by petition equal to twenty-five per cent of the voles cast for candidates for ma3or at tho last preceding cil3' election for the adoption of this form of government. Thereupon tho question of adopting this charter is submitted to the people. If they adopt ' it then it is in effect; if not, no chango is made from tho old form. Tho charter further provides that after this plan of government has been in force in the citj-for citj-for six years, tho city ma3', on like petition aud at an election called for tho i purpose, abolish this form of government govern-ment and return to tho old. Tho presumption pre-sumption is that at an timo after that six years the peoplo may so return to tho old form if they desire. The section providing for this says that after six years the peoplo may return to their old form of government. It does not sa3 that at any timo after six years this may "bo done, but tho presumption is that that would bo tho interpretation of the law. Otherwise if the people sometime beyond the six-year period wished to return lo tho old form of government, they would be forbidden to do so becauso tlie had not availed themselves of the privilege of doing so at tho expiration of the six-year period. Tho peoplo might not be especially desirous de-sirous or changing tho form of government govern-ment after six yenrs, but after oiglt years they might bo importunate to do so, and if so the opportunity to make the change desired should not be denied them. Tho especially obnoxious feature that will strike tho reader iu view of the changes contemplated frtim tho present, system is, first, the requirement of every candidate to declare himself an oflioe-scekcr. oflioe-scekcr. Next will bo tho multiplied of elections that are quito possible and perhaps probable under this plun; for it is evident that there might be a special spe-cial election on ordinancos everv six months, besides referendum elections, "recall" elections, and the general municipal elections. Another objectionable objection-able feature is the limitation of the candidates can-didates to but two for mayor and to but a choice as between two for councilmen. Wo ma3 have a largo number of candidates candi-dates for almost any office, but we are limited to but two tickets on mayor and couucilmcu. Wo do not think that this is conserving the popular interests in the least. We believe that the people's rights to have numerous candidates for the different offices ought not to bo abridged bv law. Wo think that tho only possible opportune for freedom in its true sense is for the people to have an unlimited right of expressing their preferences and opinions. As applied ap-plied to this city there are four regular parties that deserve recognition the American parti, the church Republican partv. the church Democratic partv, and thi; Socialist part3. There is frequent. njfo a labor ticket here, which should not bo suppressed. We see no reason whr tho labor peoplp should not havo a right under the law to make nomination.' nomina-tion.' for mayor or for councilmen if thev see fit. aud vote for those nominees. We" don't sec why the Socialists should be Khut out, nor WI13- the contest should be limited to the church political candidates candi-dates and those who believe that the church should confine itself to religion and relieious work. This limitation in t.ho candidncies is certainly, a limitation upon the people that they will be.apt to feel deeph, and we do not believe 1 that, anything of that kind is, fit to be adopted in this region.