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Show EXPERIMENTS III MUNICIPAL G0VW1EFITS Many Unique Features Added Add-ed to Original Commission Commis-sion Plan. BIRMINGHAM PAYS WELL FOR GOOD MEN 9 Grand Junction Has Substitute Sub-stitute for Plurality Election Elec-tion System. - .; BY FB3DEBI0 J. HABKIKl ' By it destruction of precedent the commission form of eity government ha given tha publicist a free field in which to xercie hi geniu for deviling de-viling new method of .Murine honest administration, efficient execution of law and economical handling of the 'public finance.' A the hew ytem of ity government ha extended over the country it baa encouraged experimentation, experimenta-tion, with the reault. that many peculiar pecu-liar feature bava been added to the plan. Perhap the' moat radical departure from the ordinary eouraa of politic i the election method adopted by the city of Grand Junction Colo. H ' styled the "preferential system" and substitutes for tha u.ual plurality election, elec-tion, in which th candidate receiving receiv-ing the highest number of vote ' is elected, a aomewhat complicated method ;or recording the lint, aecond and third choice, of each voter among the 1' at of candidate offering. Grand Junction denie that the plan i complex, aaaert-ing aaaert-ing that it work eaaily and without eonfnaion. Trs for All Baca; No Primary. i Under thi "preferential system" ' there is no primary election at all. Th race ia a free for all, and any per son may' become a candidate for any office merely by fulfilling tha requirement require-ment as to getting hi name on the ballot. The voter takes the ballot on election day and expresses thereoa hi ' first, second and third choice for each office ta be filled. If, when the vote are eounted, it ia found the one" candidate can-didate is tb first choice of a msjority of all tha voters, he ia declared elected. If no ona ia ta first choice of a majority, ma-jority, then tha first' choice aad second sec-ond choice votes of each candidate are added together. If after thi addition a candidate baa a majority of teat aad aecond choice vote he is elected. But if. there ia .till no majority of alt th vote east, then th first, second and third choices for each candidate are added, and th ona receiving the highest high-est number of votes of all classes is ae-t ae-t elared the successful candidate. -. Don Koine Plain Preferred. This plan effeefaallv prevents th election by the plurality method of a candidate who might be objectionable to a majority of the votera. For instance, . under tha ordinary plurality method, there 'might ba three caadidetee for aa office, two representing "good government" govern-ment" and ona "tha gang.'' The "good government" vote taken to gether would be a majority, but the "gang" candidate might "be eleeted by the split in th opposing forces. Under tha preferential system th first and aecond choice votea for tha two "good government" candidate wonld outweigh the first choice votes of the "gangT eaadidat. , . Excellent aa it ia in theory, thi. plan haa appeared to ba too complex for practical prac-tical use, and, .although Qrand Junction Junc-tion ia highly pleaaed, th system haa not baea adopted in any other - eity. Most citiea seeking to obviate the name evil of plurality elections prefer the double election plan pf Pes . Moines, which is designed to eliminate th aa-desirable aa-desirable ia the first election, leaving "tha better candidate for the final race. Limited Baeall in Boston. Th Boston "probation plan" for tha mayoralty ia aa example of a modifi-eatioa modifi-eatioa of the principle of th recall. Under thia aystem the mayor ia elected for four year. At the end of two years tha eitiaens may obtain aa expression of opinion aa to tha ooeeess of his administration ad-ministration by placing oa tha ballot at tha regular November electioa the question. "Shall the mayor face another - election!" If a majority of tbe elector elect-or vote "yea," another election i held ia which th mayor ia a candidate. If he is defeated he retiree in favor of the successful candidate. If he ia again elected, ha serve th remainder of hia original term. Thi is a limited "recall '' designed to prevent th agitation agi-tation and unrest caused by too frequent fre-quent demands for recall election, under th unlimited system. Mas Pay Well tat Oat flood Mao. Birmingham, th Alabama industrial metropolis, take th lead of all commission com-mission governed cities ia tha matter mat-ter of high salaries for ita commission- ara. Birmingham holds to tha theory that ita municipal bo sines, is quit aa important aa that of a railroad or a bank, and that to get tbe right kiad of mea it must pay th right kiad of salaries. Tbe Birmingham eommiaaioa- era each receive 47SOO a year, tha watery wat-ery of a United State senator. The proposed Pittsburg charter provide salaries sal-aries of 7000 for ita eommieaioaer. Birmingham had aome difficulty in .obtaining .ob-taining tha high aaleriea, since a flight waa made-oa tha proposition; but, with "big pay for big mea" aa a .log. a. tha advanced advocate of municipal ef-Icieacy ef-Icieacy carried their point. ' Pmpataal Ccrmmlsslon. - A aot her departure from tb nanal form of th oommiasion government in Birmingham is tha provision that a recall electioa may be ordered npoa the KUtioe of S000 votera. Moat eitiea Or e Bomber of - petitioner, who may - order a recall apoa a percentage of the vote cart in the preceding election, but Birmingham believe that when tOOo - electors are discontented with the eon-daet eon-daet of municipal affairs they should nave the right tovrefer their eompleiata CoaUajted aa nag t-l . a has adopted a standard' ravin of the biahest nrired asphalt turf are. In order or-der to lirbtea tbe burden upon the propertv owners ani'to distrloute "ftf payment over a term of years without resort to special bond iuun, a scheme was devised of advancing to tbe psv-iinr psv-iinr companies, -eut of puWie funds. "the city discounting ths notes of tbe .property .prop-erty owners and holding them for collection. col-lection. The commercial rate of interest inter-est is per cent, and the paving notes hear this rate. The city sells its 5 per rent bosds at a considerable premium. o that, it is able to borrow money at lean than 5 per cent and practically to lend it at 8 per cent. Has Don a Lot of ttrinf. It has established a svstem resern-bling resern-bling thet of the United States reclamation service system, known ss the "reiolving Tund." The citv borrowed bor-rowed 2iio.ixh) for this fund. Tha paving pav-ing companies make their own contracts with the property owners, providing for the psvment of one-third or one, fourth of the contract price in ca.h. and the remainder ia notes of one. two 'snd three vears at per cent. When the citv discounts these notes the paving pav-ing company is reimbursed in full and the citv is secured bv regnlarjsj lien upon the property involved. With this svstem the city is getting its streets paved with dispatch, and at the same time is msking enough to wipe out the principal of the loan in a" rea snnshle time. In three years F.l Paso has done some $750,000 worth of.atreet paving, and more than hlf of- it was done through the "revolving fund" of s.iMW.O'irt. ' ' EXPERIMENTS IN MU- NICIPAL GOVERNMENTS (CoatiButi fTOw page ! - to h votfrs for detrmtnatioD and action. ac-tion. . Nfvr1 fi'uthfro rititi that har Intuit adnptd the romminiiioa govern m-Dt plan have provided for perpetual fommiMtonc That ia. in Mead of elett ing a fntl et of -ommiMionerfl for the name term of office, all expiring at once, the new plan is to elect the 6 rut set of eommiMionera for terms of varying vary-ing length. and then to elect at lea-it one enmmiftsioner each year for a full term. This makes the comminwion a continuing body, like the Tnited Btates senate, maintaining a permanent or fa nidation, honld City Hat Their Whole Time? .Manv advocate of muniripal reform regard thia a a backward' atep, aanert ing thai tt afford opportunity to build up a political ' machine and that, a con tinning body ia not to be trusted to make radical changes in- policy even when they are needed. The friends of the new plan reply that with the recall alwava available for the removal of any or all of the commissioners there ia no danger of machine rule or offi cial dry rot; while on the other hand, as fewer commissioners are elected at one election, the people have a better opportunity to scrutinize the record and tendencies of candidates. A difference of opinion exists as to whether commissioners ought to devote their whole time, or only a part of their time, to the municipal business. Thi question in, of course, more acute in the inns Her cities. Galveston maintain that it is able to command a part of the Uma -ttf a v try-mxxcii alio ngar .class ut men than it could hope to get if the commissioners were required to give ex elusive attention to eitv business. Pes Moines, Houston and other cities assert that municipal experts are needed to devote -entire attention to the eitv. Thev pofnt out that- benka do not ask I railroad men to run their, business, that railroads do not place bankers in charge of their operating1 departments. Therefore they feel that men ought to dedicate their entire time and energy to municipal work, that a profession may be created especially for that pur pose. The advocates of this plan point to the success of the German svstem of professional mayors and municipal ofh eers. 1 Paso's Paring Plan. It has been proposed in some cities to strange the ballot so that the voter might express his preference between Mr. Jones, a successful manufacturer, to be commissioner on part time for $3000, or Mr. Bmith, probably not so successful, hut a capable man, to be commissioner on whole time for $0000. But as yet no city has tried thil fantastic fan-tastic ballot. El Paso has devised an odd plan for financing certain kinds of eity improve ments. In that eity the cost of street paying1 is borne entirely br abutting property owners, except on the right of way of steam or eleetrie car lines, which are paved by the eitv. FA Paso |