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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1911)
THE 3IORXTKG OEZGOMAX. THURSDAY. JUNE 1, 1911. Tlhe F a. s a. mni un unit in the present Mayoralty campaign, and the one issue in which every good citizen of Portland has a personal interest, is Cmmii5ini OoveFiniinnieinift All other issues sought to be injected into the campaign are of minor importance, or are being advanced by the opponents of the Commission Plan, in an ef fort to becloud and obscure the only really important question before the voters of Portland. Ma.yoir JopIhi EKM is the strong and earnest advocate of Commission Government, and has pledged himself to use every effort as Mayor for the adoption of that plan. .The effort in certain ouarters to defeat him is in reality an effort to head off and delay, if not defeat, a Commission Government for Portland, What It Has Done The Commission Plan of Government had its origin in Galveston, Texas, at the time of the disastrous flood which almost destroyed that City in 1900. It was the re sult of the efforts of the business men of that city to se cure an EFFECTIVE WORKING GOVERNMENT through which they could with despatch restore order out of the chaos which followed the flood. The conspicuous suc cess of the plan is a matter of history. The Commis sion Government of Galveston WAS ABLE TO MAKE DECISIONS AND GET WORK DONE IN HALF THE TIME AND AT HALF THE COST OF SIMILAR WORK UNDER THE QLD SYSTEM. . The Commission Government at Galveston, planned and built a sea-wall to protect the city from future floods. It raised the ground level of a large portion of the city, made many other important improvements, CONDUCTED THE CITY GOVERNMENT AT ONE-THIRD LESS COST, AND AT THE'SAME TIME REDUCED THE CITY DEBT AND TAX RATE. Dallas, Texas, adopted the Commission Plan in 1907 four years ago. When adopted, the city had a defi ciency of $200,000 in warrants outstanding without the funds to pay them. .The Commission Plan has wiped this out, reduced the tax rate, expended several million dollars in street improvements without adding to the 'general indebtedness of the city, and secured above all things a dollar's worth of worK for every dollar ex pended. Fully 150 other cities in the United States have fol lowed the lead of Galveston, and adopted the Commis sion Government. The "Des Moines Plan," adopted by Des Moines, Iowa, a city with 140,000 population, is the Commsision Form of Government with certain addi tions, and has been conspicuously successfuL Today the Commission form of Government, by which name it is best Known, is recognized throughout the land as the ideal form of city government, and the REMEDY FOR GRAFT, EXTRAVAGANCE AND ALL OTHER MU NICIPAL ILLS. What It Will Do The Commission form of Government, which MAYOR SIMON advocates for Portland, will SIMPLIFY THE CITY GOVERNMENT; INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY OF THE GOVERNING BODY; INCREASE THE PERSONAL . RESPONSIBILITY OF OFFICIALS; LESSEN THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRAFT; CURB EXTRAVAGANCE; ELIMINATE PETTY POLITICS FROM THE CITY'S AFFAIRS; DECREASE THE COST OF RUNNING THE CITY'S GOVERNMENT; CHEAPEN THE COST OF CITY IMPROVEMENTS; REDUCE THE TAX RATE; SHORTENS THE BALLOT AND SIMPLIFIES THE SELECTION OF OFFICIALS; SEPARATES CITY AFFAIRS FROM BOTH PARTY AND WARD POLITICS; GIVES, EVERY DEPARTMENT OF THE CITY A BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION WITH A FIXED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CONDUCT OF THAT DEPARTMENT'S AFFAIRS. GUARANTEES A DOLLAR'S WORTH OF WORK FOR EVERY DOLLAR EXPENDED MAYOR SIMON HAS TOLD YOU WHERE HE STANDS ON COMMISSION GOVERNMENT. NOT ONLY IS HE OUTSPOKEN IN FAVOR OF IT, BUT HE IS USING EVERY EFFORT TO BRING THIS IMPORTANT QUESTION BEFORE THE VOTERS OF PORTLAND. NO OTHER CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR HAS GIVEN ANY PLEDGE IN FAVOR OF COMMISSION GOVERNMENT. YOU CANNOT COUNT ON THIS RELIEF FROM THEM. The Citizens' Committee believes that this question is of the greatest importance to the taxpayers of Portland, and to the future growth and development of our City, and they urge you to go to the polls on MONDAY. JUNE STH and cast a vote for JOS EPH SUMQN FOR NUMBER 1SX OFFICIAL BALLOT 15 Paid Advertisement.