Washington Night High School - Annual Yearbook (Cincinnati, OH)

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COMMISSION FORM OF GOVERNMENT N September 8, 1900, a hurricane, driving up from the southwest with unusual violence, swept the waters of the Gulf of lVIexiCU over the city of Galveston, Texas, causing one Of the most disasterous hoods in the history of our country.. The bridges which connect the Island City with the main land were swept away. Trees were uprooted; residences wrecked; schools and churches were blown down; the light plants and water works were de- stroyed. The very streets, which were paved with wood blocks. floated away. The once level thoroughfares. and blocks of stores became :1 Chaos of fallen brick, ruined houses, broken telegraph poles and drifted sand. Among this mags of wreckage lay the bodies of six thousand citizens. We Can realize to what degree order was preserved in Gal- veston. and the general condition of the people. by recalling the frightful devastation of our own flood of last year. Yet, this disaster was but a mild one. compared to that which overwhelmed the beautiful Island City on the Gulf Those who survived the flood of Galveston faced a desperate Hundreds were leaving the city. Property values The city had a The municipal situation. had decreased fifty to seventy-tive per cent. $200,000 hoating debt previously outstanding. defaults in the payment of interest on bonds had caused them to fall forty per cent below par. The Governor of the state, when appealed to for financial support, refused, stating that he would not allow state money to be advanced to a city which, under normal conditions, permitted its expenditures to exceed its income, a city whose ordinary operating expenses were habitually met by the sale Of bonds. 35 The people saw that it the city was to exist again order must he wrought out of chaos. the dead buried. buildings recon- structed, and business resumed. In their distress the citizens looked to the Mayor and Aldermen for ways to renew confidence and restore ereiliti int they looked in vain, for the city gov- ernment failed them utterly. The Board of Aldermen did nothing but pass resolutions. Here the importance of government in ordering the large aspect of city life was revealed at a flash. Affairs stood in this posture when it was proposed that the h'leiyign- resign, and an emergency board be appointed. On September 18, 1901, one year after the stormt a new plan for governing Galveston went into effect. The plan pm- videtl a Commission, similar to the board at directors Of a business corporation; it concentrated both power and responsie hility in 3 small number Of men. The hrst Commission cone sisted of five men, of whom three were appointed by the Governor, and two were elected at large by the people of Gale vestnn. This board took the place of the Mayor and Council. It was its duty; First. to make and enforce such rules as it might deem ht and proper for the organization, management and Voperation Of all the City departments. Second, to appoint all efheers 21ml subordinates in all departments of the City. Third, to make all laws ahgl ordinances nut ineonsistent with the laws and constitution of the state. One of the Commissioners was called the MayorAPresident; it was his duty to preside at all meetings: he had 110 veto, but had a vote as one of the Five. The majority vote settled every question. The law required the Mayor-President to give six hours a day to his municipal duties.

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W-E. MOESTA CLASS DRAM? : ,un MW??? H a R MA Wflm nrgisss ESMVUT A a COHTESTA HTJ I'IL'ARL E. FALLS, The Age of the Prepared Man U'I'TH M. IiIA'l'TIiNIDURFF. Efficiency of the Lnb-ring Claqkes ELMER C. PUTT. The Public School. the Hope of Amcrica ERNEST W. S'rucuMEIER, Restrictinn nf Immigration MARGL'uRl'rJ-z L. XYJC'ITISRICEL Row. Never Drii't

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COMMISSION FORM OF GOVERNMENTeContinued Of the other four Commissioners. one had charge of the police and Ere departments: one was superintendent of streets and public propertiex: one was water works and sewerage com- missioner, and the fourth was director of hnances and revenue. The hoard. by majority vote. determined of what department each member should have charge. Each one was directly re sponsible for the work of his particular department. Llnder this plan the old way of shifting blame for municipal mistakes, from Councilman t0 Mayorj and from the Mayor to some other department was avoided. for the authority was not divided as under the aldermanic form. The Commission Plan of government in Galveston is today the same .as originally adopted in 15301, with the exception of the clause which provides that the Governor appoint three of the tive members of the board. This was found unconstitutional and was amended March 30. 1903. Now the five members of the board are elected at large hy the voters of the city As a check upon the large powers granted to its Commission Galveston depends solely upon publicity and care in selecting its Connnissioners. All the meetings of the Commission are Open to the public. Newspaper men are present aml report all busi- ness transacted. Other cities, commission governed, supplement these safeguards by the initiative. referendum, and the recall. In estimating the achievements of Commission Form of Government in Galveston one must consider the double task which confronted the new administration. The city had first to be rebuilt. the entire City had to he raised as a protection against future Hoods, streets harl to he repavetl. water and light plants reconstructed. and the city credit restored. Not only should the degree of success attained in rebuilding G'tlveston 36 he considered, but also the extent to which the Commission Form has proven' capable of directing regular municipal business. The Commission secured ancl paid for the services of three eminent engineers, who devised plans for the great Sea lVallv and for raising the grade of the city. The county of Galveston expended $1.500,000 in the construction of the Sea ll'all. Of this sum eighty percent was contributed by the City of Galveston. The floating tleht of $200,000 has been paid without the issuance of a bond, and $1t125JJtttt of the handed debt itself has been paid. The Commission is diligent in collecting back taxes, The money of the eity'which was previously deposited where it drew no interest, now pays dividends. Between September 1S. 15ml. and December 31, 1910, the llmard 0f COmmissioners financed the following improvements: raising the grade of the city water works improvements, drainage, sewer extension, rock and shell streets, and an addition to electric light plant. at a total cost Of nearly $4.000,000. The Sea l-Yall is complete, grade raising is done. the bonds of the city are back at par. Galveston is 011 its feet again. and the great storm is only history. These achievement: leave no room for doubt as to the cfhciency 0f the Commission. Houston Texas. had no great storm; she faced no such crisis as that which confronted Galveston; there. the adoption of the Commiesinn Form was due, not so much to the need of the hem, as to the example set by her neighboring city and a desire for a better government. Three years Houston observed the working plan in Gal- veston. Her people saw the stricken city raised from ruin t0 prosperity with ihcreditable rapidity, Accordingly. july 5 1905, they adopted the same plan for Houston.