Show DES MOINES Bill BAD fOR SAt T LAKE DECLARE SPEAKERS I. I The municipal committees of the te senate sen ate and ad house hous listened to t arguments arget for forand forand and against tho the Des plan of city cit government for or nearly nealy three tree hours this morning mori As A soon as the tho to session son was Vas called ce to t order Frank Fra B. B Stephens was wa given the tho to floor door and md addressed the te I comite committee at length leng explaining the tho te merits of ot the bill bi and the plan pl of at government gov gov- erent as proposed in i it it itHe He lie was as followed b by Geor George o W. W who spoke for lor nearly a half Moyer oyer hour in opposition to the bill bi Mr rr Mover Moyer oyeT declared that the bill bi proposed ed to a form of ot government that is novel noyel the least and one that ho he did not say 5 believe beleve would be bo of f benefit to th the CI ct Bo believed that tha the the affairs of tho city 10 are bein being condu conducted ted properly at st the time and saw no reason for a present nt and law reon ehan change e. e Mr r. r Moyer oyer read a 0 number of extracts from Des Moines papers tending tend fag ing to show chow that the plan was not working work work- in ing i in that city as 05 some ome of its advocates o. ad CAVeS cates thought it would work work He Ho was plied with many many questions and finally admitted that he be had bad not given the bill careful bi Iven Senator te Bad Badr fer r denied that any of the Des Moines papers were against the plan of government but that they they opposed op Ope posed pod some Bomo of those who were holding holdin office City Councilman F F. S. S Fernstrom 1 C half bali an hour a against spoke for over oer the Ipke bill Ho was of the opinion that it I would bi increase tho the expenses s of tho the cit oud too much luch that it was as placing too muc much power in the hands of a few men hewa ho he was opposed to the plan of election as wa proposed in tho the bill bi and declared that ft t would not tako the aar affairs of the city out ont of politics as a some bad had said it would but that it would be the means of building up one of the worst political olt cal al machines that any an city had ever known Opposed Oppose to Bill BU I He declared dedred that he be was opposed 0 posed to the passage of the bill bi without first frt submitting it to a a vote ote of the people I of this city He declared that tho the plan of the bill was to take away any representation representation bi from the tho west side and give ivo all 1 of the offices of the city to the cast st I fide nde fide that there was no one from the tho west side who was howling for the bill bit Asked d what the west est side ide had bad at tho the present time the councilman from irom tho the third said The intercepting sewer seer and the stockade and that tha t latter was was push pushed d over Ter from the tho east cast sido side on us because they did not want it there I Ho Io e sn said d that some ome people mi bt think that be he was wa opposed to the plan n for f fear that he would not be elected but announced d that he be was WS willing to take nc anno his chances with anyone on an au election under the new form if it became a law 4 A. A I H. H l. l president of of the Salt Sal Lake Federation of at Labor said aid that tbt ho he was present to represent between and kud union union labor men of this city that the they v bad had given ivan the tho subject careful careful care care- ful consideration and naked naked that the tho hill bill hi be passed In cosin dosing closing Mr Ir ies in invited invited in- in the members of the committee to attend a meeting of the thc federation next Friday ni night meen ht if they wished more information in information in in- formation as to the position of the laboring la Ia boring horing brt men toward the bill bi Speech Former Forer State Senator E. E M. M Allison Alson was as opposed to two tO clauses of the bill bi otherwise he was Wl in favor of it City Attorney II 11 I. I J. J Dininny was op opposed opposed op- op posed to the b bill U. U Ater After stating that op ho no appeared before tho the committee committee- as 88 a cIll citizen eu and not as a representative of anyone else Mr Dininny said Bid Gentlemen Gentlemen At At At the outset I want wanti i I. I distinctly understood that I do o not appear here as the a agent ent or attorney of an any person firm fr or corporation or as ns the representative of or at the request of any any party paty or person or of the present pres pres- cut ent nt administration of this city but that J i appear appear solely on my ray o own ow account and for br or what hat I shall 5 11 ay say I alone shall be responsible If I any ox excuse use is necessary necessary sary ar for far fal my presence here it is that it to me that both sides ides of the matter mat mat- mat t ter tr r under consideration should be heard beard for like every other matter that a affects eds the people and their rights I there ther are ae two sides to t this proposed I legislation and it seems to mo me that the people pepe of this city ci havo not had their ide hide fully set forth Mv I first objection to this bill bi is t that hat it destroys minori minority t representation tion ton in city government This bill bi ap ap- ulies only to this cit city If I it passes an and becomes law it will revolutionize the government of this and that that- thatis plainly is-plainly lov what is intended and also take tak from the people the tho right of lt oal self government in that the different municipal wards of this city will wi cc cease ease se to have havo haTo representation ct in In tl the it o I Now Not o v ou you kno know each of the five fc municipal wards elects three members of the to city council which council is isHiE the HiE governing body of the ci city Under this bill bi these wards as political divisions divi ions will wj b have vo no Yards representation in the government but the city at large brae will wi elect lect five fire commissioners who will wl be beth beth beth th governing board of the city 4 Under tho the present system there h has always been ten a minority representation in In the city council Under the new system there never naver will wi be bo any minority representation I l do not riot believe e there thera can be found in In this city a man roan who will wi say ay that minority representation in a city tV- tV gov gov- is not desirable for every rca rea ton sOn After over three years cornice tion ton with the tho government of this thi city I i am firmly of tho the opinion that minority minority mi mt representations is absolutely no no- ces ary to good government One OnE Party Fat in i Control I As AsI As I have said sid under this proposed stem Kj-stem of government there will wi be beno beno beno no minority representation in the mana management of the tho business of this city et for tor as surely surel as s an election is hel held beM under it i one political par party will wi elect all al five commissioners en There is no way you can prevent parties paries being organized or or conventions convention bein being held bel and candidates named am and ot voted d for those things will wl always bo be doneIt done dono u It I will wi surely bo be done this fall fal bv by bytho bT tho American party That party wi will wi name Dame five commissioners who will wi bo be voted for by bY tb the members of that party par par- party I ty and that without reference to what what siny any other party or combination of parties parties par par- ties may do If I the American party wins the other party or parties par par- will wi ha have bare no tio re representation in th the city gov gov- ov If that thai party fai fails it ft iti will vill i have havo no representation Either way waya I I j a a. R great t minority of ot tho the people will wi not b be he represented in iii the te city government Under tInder tho the present system no party or combination of parties can carry can all al of I I I the tho live five e municipal wards of the tho city I 80 so that minority representation is as- as I The objection ton I this thi I bill MJ is that it places in the hands of the tho I live five commissioners the power to appoint Ithe Ithe I the recorder tr treasurer sur r and attorney all i of whom are arc now no elected b by the people at largo Jarga In m my opinion this provision of tho the bill hi is wrong I r do 10 not believe you Jou can Cn get t as wron effective service from these e officers by appointing them as b by electing them They should be independent inde pendent of the tho commissioners c If I appointed they will wi li bo ho Jl Under under un un- der cr obligations to the commissioner and be he subject to their bidding Man Many things thines have hare occurred within tho the last last 1st three years year which makes me positive that these offices should bo independent of the commiss commissioners Their duties should be prescribed by law and the they held heM responsible to the thE for for their I l' l performance and not to any appointive appoint 6 p power I The third ground round of objection I Ibare bare havo to tn ti this bill bi is that it abolishes the board of public works which in my opinion is a great mistake mistake That That hoard is tho the bulwark a against corruption in city government that board advertises for bids and makes contracts of all aU public work ork It I h has s alwaYS boon beau composed corn com on posed of the tho best class cas of bus business cf men and has haf always been a success in government gov gov- and I very ery much doubt that we 6 will wi ever er have havo fiyo o commissioners who will wl take tako rank with the tho men comprising com corn tho the present board of of public works or the men who bo have havo comprised that board in tho last ten years Bo- Bo B. B sides aides a a divided responsibility in in mat mat- mat mat- tors comin coming within the tho jurisdiction jurs of the board of public works work is is a good thing Now that board makes maks the contracts contracts con con- tracts and the council counci approves cs or rejects rejects re re- ro- ro them after full un knowledge of what has been done Under this bill bi one commissioner has the tho handling of the tho whole matter mater practically The matter mater of passing parsing on bids letting contracts and superintending the tho work ork is the most important in in conducting conducting conduct conduct- lug ing ing the thc business buness of the city and the tho place where where- dishonesty has the best chance to t operate I am positive that this part of government should not bein bo be boin boin in the hands of these five commissioners commission commission- ers and should shoud be attended to by a separate sop sep arate board its is work of course coure to bo ho passed on by tho the commissioners The fourth ground loud of objection is iso isto is isto to o the proposition proportion ton to create a a civil n serice ser ser- rice ice t commission sion This commission is to toa tobe tobe be a appointed bv by the five f e commissioners it i t is to have havo offices and a clerk cerk While the ho bill bi docs does not say sy how bow much these are to be paid or that they hoy are aro t to serve e cr without pay of course ourse couse they the will i and should be bo paid and this his this this' bill bi in in section seton provides pro that the be five commissioners may fix fx their salary We all al know that the result will willbe willo wi be o that the these e civil service erice comission- comission commissioners commission commission- ers era being responsible to the tho commissioners com corn missioners for their office and salary alar will wi name for appointment the persons the he commissioners want or their own friends Encourages Crookedness U For For my part I think thin it i would bo be I better r to do away with this civil i c service ser stir service vice vice commission and lot the five com corn p name their own ow men and in that bat wa way be responsible for them In Inthis Inthis this his case 1 I do not think there should be e a divided responsibility it opens the he doors to all al sorts of crookedness and favoritism and nd may lead to unjust criticism of both commissions and thereby thereby there there- by bring the city administration into disrepute c A A A further futher objection to this bill bi is that it i will i increase increase tho cost of the administration ad ad- ministration One of the great cat things s claimed for this proposed system is that hat it will wi save S e expense Of course cours this is is s not riot true On the contrary it will wi increase increase increase in in- crease the expense of administration at least a year It I is plain pan to every everyone everyone I Ione one that oven even with wih this remarkable law lawn lawin in in n force the city can cannot cot run rn itself and it it is is equally plain plain that that these those five fo commissioners corn com cm missioners cannot do all al the work alone alono and if an any one has looked into ito the matter mater he has his learned leared that it will wi require just as many employees to help run rn the tho city as wo we have haa now and in my opinion it will wl take tako from 3 per percent percent cent to 5 per cent more to do so under this new system but assuming that tat no now new help hep will wi be needed the city pays nays out a year for fifteen councilmen councilman and these councilmen councilman now do what these five commissioners will wi do Under this new plan it will pay pY out outI wl for five commissioners an ad ad- e expense penso of or about 0 I a a month Then the auditor is to got get 2400 a 0 year in place of 1800 an Jot increase increase in crease of a year or 50 a 0 month Again there thero is to be a n board of three civil chU service ice commissioners commissioners- the law does not say what they shall be paid or that the they shall bo ho paid nothing nothing noth noth- ing lg but but as we wo have ha e sid said section 14 1 provides that tho the five f c commissioners shall fix fx the thc compensation of f all al officers so 50 that these these three friends of the five lve commissioners will ivill wi come coins in for a salary sal eal ary Iry as aS thc they should should a Increases es Expenses Of course no one can toll what it will wi be he be but judging from the tol fact that the civil civi service commission is to have ana a clerk cerk tind nd nd to meet moet twice hice a year or oY oJ oftener under such rules an and regulations as may bo prescribed by the tho council counci n it is I fair fai to believe that they will wl bo paid n as much as the board of public works is now paid or about a n year yeu no ro tO that in the tho mere matter of managers and auditor the tho expense to the city will wl be a year more moro than it is is now tow less tho mayors mayors may ors or's salary of 2500 a n year yer or the sum of a year or r about GOO a month Further this bill bi provides for a Pd- Pd mar mary election electon as ns well wel as tho the regular pr election which p primary marJ election eJection will wil co cost t at least last 2001 tn to nn c H vi n I I j I every other election ti n that that i ib is b held t d t to torsti- torsti r rati t fy an ordinance a a franchise or to put a mau man out of office ollice And while hie we arc are furin figuring c expense we may as well wel put in for legal expenses in m having ha tho the constitutional constitutional- ity and the tho provisions of this bill con con- by the tho courts court for it will wi bi take every onry cent of ot it 3 as any lawyer will i tell you Jou who roads reads it through h. h and attempts tel to make it fit ft the constitution attempt and nd the laws Jaws aws of the state Without going into greater gretter ter detail detal you rou can cal see that t instead of saving money |