Muncie Post-Democrat, Muncie, Delaware County, 6 May 1921 — Page 1

THE ONLY DEMOCRATIC NEWSPAPER IN DELAWARE COUNTY THE MUNCIE POST-DEMOCRAT

VOL. 1. NUMBER 17

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THE MUNCIE POST-DEMOCRAT,

FRIDAY, MAY 6, 1921

SUBSCRIPTION PRICE $2.00 A YEAR IN ADVANCE

Jonas Son-in-Law Gave The Old Ford Tractor At The Infirmary A Much Needed Rest Last Month

For the first time in quite a spell Commissioner Shoemaker’s son-in-law, W. H. Linsey, gave the old Ford tractor at the county infirmary a much needed rest during the month of April. For some reason or other the ding busted old contraption did not need any fixing up last month, for no claim was filed by Jonas’s son-in-law for repairs, for the first time in several months. Fixing the Ford tractor at the infirmary and filing monthly bills amounting to one hundred and fifty dollars or so, got to be quite a habit with Jonas’s son-in-law. Linsey’s little garage way out on Wheeling avenue is about seven miles from the county infirmary, and to get to it Billy Williams, the poor farm boss, had to pass all the garages in Muncie, but his unerring instinct seemed, some way, to lead him to a Wheeling avenue garage owned by Commissioner Shoemaker’s son-in-

law.

Of course it was entirety a coincidence. One would hate to think that the county commissioners would pay out $811.60 in repair bills on a worn out Ford tractor just because the fellow who presented the bill happened to be a son-in-law of one of the commissioners, but there are so many suspicious people who are always drawing conclusions and making nasty

deductions.

Now, all you have got to do is to ask Jonas about it himself. He will toll you, no doubt, that the Post- ; Democrat ought to be exterminated ' for mentioning things of that kind, j Jonas is a great and good “mail, filled ' with righteousness and sour owl stuffin, who doesn’t know whether he is asleep or awake unless his boss, Billy j

eighty dollars a month salary. His status during the three month period has not been exactly fixed. The records does not classify him as an inmate, if he was a boarder, there is nothing to show that he paid his board, and if he was an employe there is nothing of record to show it. How would you like to be a county councilman and have such good friends as Infirmary Superintendent Williams and Commissioners Shroyer and Shoemaker ?

NO: MR. EDITOR; WE’RE NOT FEELING BLUE. , By W. J. D. No: Mr. Editor; we’re not feeling blue, But then what else can a feller do; Who has spent the best part of his years, Trying to stop the flowing tears; That fal.1 from the eyes of those who toil, When there’s nothing in the pot to boil ? We still maintain it is wasted time, Trying to get the workers in line; To fight for their interest of their kind, And leave this system far behind; That has become so out of date, That only a few, have a well filled plate. God gave the earth to all mankind, It never entered His benevolent mind; That there would develope in this land, A race of men who had not the sand; To stand for freedom, and for right, But would loose both without a fight.

Williams tells him.

Monday the commissioners allowed the usual bunch of claims for the county infirmary, j Besides his own salary, the super- j intendent’s wife drew hers under the' title of matron; an uncle, H. H. Fielder, pulled down $89.40 for work of j

some nature, and the father of the They haye become a race who also ran.

But now. we are sorry to say, That unto us has come a day;

When there are millions on this earth, Who are but slave, from their very

birth;

Although they have the shape of man,

Like a worm

earfh»

they crawl upon

A human shape without the sand.

boss of the commissioners, W. Henry

Williams took $99 for his share for — 'SWpj.ue:: <>i name kYimi soju i ‘ . niS ; Tk*i< for tm- niaaier.i Iforii irit-u ocrvn; Selma store. IWith emjpty heads, and stomachs, too, Billy has a brother who carries the {They do what e’re they are bid to do; mail out Selma way, two sisters were ! Like clay they are, in the potters

paid salaries this month for working j hand,

in the office of the township assessor of Center township, Lee Baird, his j

brother-in-law, got his as superinten- } To fight for what is theirs by right, dent of the county schools and Baird’s Still they are a pityful sight; father was paid his monthly salary | As on their bellies they do crawl, as county truancy officer and there | When e’re they hear their master’s

are still several townships to hear ! call;

from. j For them to come and cast their vote, Mr. Williams’ son Henry became For more of the master’s load to tote,

disgusted and quit the infirmary a short/time ago and since his resignation a new name appears on the pay Toll—that of Curtis Greenwalt, who received $44 Monday, on a warrant issued by the commissioners. T ’ r ‘'

Editor, we’re not feeling

appears on the payroll as “assistant, and it is said that he was given young

Henry’s place.

And who is Curtis Greenwalt? Easily answered. He is the tenant on a farm owned by Billy Williams and is a brother of William Greenwalt, a member of the county council, whose wife drew $240 of the county’s money last winter for services of some kind at the poor farm. Incidentally, County Councilman Greenwalt made his home at the poor farm during the time his wife was there drawing I

No: Mr.

blue,

No doctors medicine for us will do; ! No sarsaparoller water do we want, His name ah we need is to say avaunt;

To all the worms in human shape, Who have less sense than an African

Ape.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

New York—On March 4 a ten-pound baby boy was born to Mrs. Florence Dougherty on board the United Fruit linfer Santa Maria. He was named Harding Dougherty. The physician in attendance was Dr. Wilson. The nurse was Mrs. Cox.

On June G the township trustees of Delaware county will meet at the auditor’s office for the purpose of electing a county superintendent of schools for the ensuing four years. The present incumbent, Lee Baird, who was elected a month ago to fill out the unexpired term of Ernest J. Black, and who has only a month more to serve, will be a candidate for reelection, it is said. Baird is a brother-in-law of Billy Williams, republican county chairman, and it was only by using old time, log rolling, political tactics, that the party boss was able to secure enough votes to get his brother-in-law the job. Indications are that another fight will be staged when Baird comes up for reelection on June 6th. The republicans of Delaware county are getting tired of the coarse work of Billy Williams and his machine. They regard it as indecent that the chairman of the party organization should devote all his time to getting political plums for members of his own family. Republicans declare that it is about time for a first class rebellion. They feel that the Williams family has been sufficiently taken care of out of the public funds of the county and are insisting that there are other republicans capable of holding some of the appointive jobs which Billy seems to be trying to keep in the family. Many are objecting to the selection of Baird as the head of the county schools because of utterance alleged to have been made by him during the war. It is freely charged by responsible citizens that after the sinking of the Lusitania, Baird made the public declaration, repeatedly, that Americans had no business on the Lusitania after Germany had served notice that ocean travel was dangerous; that Germany had a perfect right to blow up the Lusitania and that she ought to have been blown up. Of course if Baird really made this statement, he is not qualified to hold any kind of a public position. In fact the man who would give expression to a sentiment of that kind is not fit to live in an American community. Inasmuch as the charge is freely made that Baird gave frequent expression to unpatriotic views, the township trustees should make a thorough investigation of the matter. If he was guilty of making such statements he should be promptly tm-ned down. If he has been unjustly charged he should have an opportunity to face his accusers and prove his innocence.

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Getting What You Vote For The spring installment of city and county taxes is now safely reposing in the county strong boic. The collection amounted to something like one million dollars. Next fall the process of separation will be repeated. Every individual who was called upon to pay taxes this year found his or her assessment about fifty or sixty percent over last year’s assessment. Naturally there has been considerable kicking. Some of the kickers placed the blame where it belonged. Others tried to find some way to lay the crime onto the democratic party. As a matter of fact, the big increase was wholly due to the great scientific taxation law placed on the statute books bv ex- Governor James P. Goodrich and a republican legislature. Goodrich was elected on a platform of “efficiency and economy.” The efficient and economical reign of James the First, and thank God the last, has placed a burden on the tax payers of Delaware county which they will not forget for many a day to come. If that is efficiency and economy, they want no more of it. Efficiency and economy that compels the farmer to sell the last hog on the place to raise money to pay the increased taxes caused by the Goodrich tax law is not the kind that is popular in these parts. It would not be quite so bad if people were at work and if farm products commanded a price anything like normal, but the trouble is that under the Harding reign of normalcy, factories are down, the wage earner iV broke and farmers are getting six cents for their hogs and forty cents a bushel for corn. * There are some who are cruel enough to say, “Well, that’s what you voted for, * so take your medicine.” • !• ❖ The Post-Democrat does not find itself in that sort of a vindictive mood. It is % sincerely sorry for the people of Indiana and the nation at large who find themselves in % such dire extremity. • % They were victimized by a cold blooded, calculating political machine and led to | believe that the millenium would follow shortly after the inauguration of President $ Harding. 1 * Now, in “the cold gray dawn of the'morning after,” they find themselves groaning * with the proverbial headache and with their hearts burderned with remorse. In vain do they recall the past ei^ht years, when, under the administration of ❖ Woodrow Wilson wages were high, with everybody at work and with farm products ❖ bringing the highest price in the history of the nation. f X The Post-Democrat sincerely hopes that the people will take the lesson to heart. The jolt they have received in the sob r plexus would jar a stone cutter’s diaphragm. They do not care particularly for a repitition of the blow. * When David Harum declared that “the feller that gets bit twice by the same dog % hain’t good for nothin’ else,” he spoke ™nouthful. If the people do not take the earliest * ii»*wowfeo1 <' ' "'.'lEty government to the hands of the party X % that stands for the interests of the people, they deserve nothing better than the thirig % t they are getting now. . ■ ❖ % All in favor of putting a sudden end to Harding’s normalcy, please stand up. * % That will do. Unanimous! t *:* t * *}• * *1* «$• >4+«$* *$♦ ►J* ►+> »J* *X* *** * ♦v* ♦J* »£♦ ❖ ‘ t* *1* ♦’J* ►J | ^ ♦i* *** v O v *i* *1* *♦* *1' *£♦ *!♦ ij* v ! J* v

lEVANGELINE land adds summer school to vacation program

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Nova Scotians have prepared another attraction for Evangeline

Land, already so popular as a vacation center. This is for students. Historic Acadia College in Wolfyille is to keep its doors open during summer months and offer a curriculum of such latitude that it | E bound to appeal to students who desire to combine’ study and outing, particularly music and art. Acadia College was founded by the Baptists in 1838. Its education.!! ideals and methods are largely American and it has affiliations in the United States. The institution has grown in wealth and numbers and has grouped about it large schools for boys and girls. No more delightful setting for a peat of learning could be chosen

than Wolfville, a singularly pretty gulls.

town in the pleasant orchard country near Grand Pre, made classic by Longfellow’s “Evangeline.” Each succeeding summer brings greater numbers of artists, writers and suAimer tourists to this valley so rich in historical romance. A tour of picture exhibitions of eastern cities will reveal many charming canvases inspired by the quiet beauty of Nova Scotia; far-flung vistas of apple orchards veiled in pink and white blossoms or bending under the weight of ripened fruit; quaint fishing villages and quainter inhabitants; clumsy two-wheeled water carts drawn by dignified oxen; wide stretches of red mud flats on which sailing boats ride high and dry at low tide; and fleets of fishing boats floating on silver seas, their sails dipping like great

This is a land beloved of sportsmen for jnst a step back from the cultivated valleys lie almost unexploited fishing and hunting grounds. Kedgemakoogee Club is a name to conjure with among the initiated. Many a proud antlered moose has won immortality by falling at the hand of an American who displays the head upon his office wall. Cabin settlements and country hotels provide pleasant, reasonablypriced accommodation for hundreds who annually seek the healthful pleasures of this far eastern province. Acadia College’s new program opens a way for students who wish to pursue their studies during vacation months and yet have the benefit of a change of

scene.

SHOULD INDIANA CITIES SCRAP CHARTERS?

Example of Cities in Other States Not Applicable Here—Breakdown

of Governments

(By Augustus Lynch Mason) Friends of good government have a

new responsibility, under the low giving Indiana cities the right to adopt

Types of City Government

1. The oldest and most prevalent type of American city charter vested the whole power, both legislative and administrative, in a numerous council, over which the mayor presided. The mayor had no other duties except to hold police court. This system has

the commission or city manager plan, j L> een called, “government by council Such a change ought not to be made comm iHees.” v It prevailed in Indiana

and in Indianapolis prior to the pres-

without critical study of the subject The forms of city government are legal and therefore technical, the material for study widely dispersed and difficult £0 obtain. The object of

ent form of city government. The evils of “committee” government became intolerable with the growth of American cities. The vesting of

these articles is to contribute such | ecutive authority in a number of perinformation as the wri/er is able to ! ? on . s . having equal power resulted in

give, and particularly to exaqiine the principal arguments of those who ad-

vocate the change.

Example of Other Cities

In 1900 the city of Galveston, swept

feebleness amounting almost to paralysis. The exercise by the same body of both the legislative power of taxation and the administrative power of expenditure was everywhere marked by waste and extravagence or worse.

in 1900 tne city ot Galveston, swept p ub lic opinion was not brought to

by flood, found that her government bear effectively. Responsibility for

was incapable of handling the great 1 ’ • ’ ■

work of reconstruction and of flood prevention. Hence arose the Galves-

ton plan of government by five commissioners, of whom the first were appointed by the Governor. A considerable number of other cities adopted the Galveston plan and found it an improvement over their previous form

of government.

wrongdoing was hard to locate, and much important business was transacted without public knowledge. 2. As a result, about the middle of last century, a plan was adopted under which nearly all administraj/ve power was taken from the council, in many cities, and vested in a large number of elected officials. The plan was almost exactly like that of the

In 1913, after a great flood, Dayton j state government of Indiana today had a breakdown of government in the ! with a legislature, a Governor having

presence of the reconstruction preb-. lem. A new form of charter, known as the city manager plan, was adopted. Commissioners were chosen as in the Galveston plan, but were relieved of executive duties. They elected a city manager to perform these. Other cities followed the example of Dayton and found that city manager government was better than that which had

preceded it.

The foregoing facts are supposed to constitute a valid argument for the change of Indiana cities from their present charters to commission or city manager government. However, it is well to remember that in 1913 Indianapolis had a great flood. Yet ou^ city government was found to be entirely adequate, with its ordinary personnel, to execute a vast work of flood prevention, without delay or embarrassment. Why was it that the government of Galvaston and Dayton broke down, while that of Indianapolis

was found adequate?

The answer is tht Indiana city government since 1905 and Indianapolis government since 1891 have been of an altogether superior type to that existing in Galveston and Dayton previous to their floods. Before we scrap Indiana city government we ought to realize that our charter situation is utterly different from that of those cities in other states cited as examples to be ; followed. Unless We know what type i of charter preceded commission and | city manager government in cities 1 which have adopted them, their ex- j ample should have no weight with us. Advocates of the change overlook this j vital point and billow us to think that j all city government prior to commission and manager was substantially the same described as “government by checks and balances,” and, therefor^ that Indiana city government has the same weaknesses and defects as the old charters of Galveston and Dayton.

Jimited jurisdiction and a large number of elective state officials, charged with administrative duties. This kind, of city government spread very widely and through many states although not in Indiana. It was this type of government which Galveston and Dayton had at the time of the floods, as well as nearly every city which has. adopted commission or city manager government. It was if anything, worse than “council committee government.” The different administrative officers utterly failed to co-ordinate. Unity, so essential to administrative efficiency, was entirely wanting. The wonder is that such a bad form so long continued to be widely used. The ignorance of some charter reformers was shown when city managers from other states came to Indianapolis to advocate their plan and supposed thai we were still suffering from this archaic form ot misgovern-

ment.

The Federal Plan 3. The third plan of city government is know as the federal plan because it is copied from the government of the United States. Legislative power alone is placed in. the council and executive power is concentrated in the hands of an electt^l mayor, who appoints and discharges his subordinates and is responsible fc/ their performance of duty. This was first tried in Brooklyn about 1889, next in Indianapolis and other Indiana cities, and later by nearly all large cities adopting new charters, and in 1905 by arl Indiana cities. Let us not be decieved or misled, by the long lists of cities which have adopted commission or manager government, into thinking that these cities had previously had the federal system, like Indiana cities, and having found it wanting, discarded it. Such (Continued on Page 2)

THE CITY MANAGER JOKE. Those who were responsible for the bringing on of a city manager election are making elaborate preparations for the campaign. On the other hand, those opposing the manager plan have not yetr perfected an organization, but plans are under way, it is said, to put up a stiff fight against the proposed change in the form of our city government. The Post-Democrat opposes the city manager plan as contemplated by the Knapp act, because of the fact that it is an extremely undemocratic measure. It provides for the election of an autocratic body of city commissioners, responsible to no one but God Almighty, who are delegated with the power to hire a city manager whom they may fire at a minute’s notice. If the Knapp act provided for any sort a check against the actions of the city manager, or for the recall of unfit commissioners, or for civil service requirements for applicants for city jobs, it.might be worth trying, but it is not safeguarded by any of the restrictions found in the laws of other states providing for commission-manager plan of government. The good brothers and sisters who have waded blindly into the campaign in behalf of the manager plan have certainly not read the law. Somebody told them that it would “take things out of politics,’’ and bless their innocent hearts they swallowed the dope and are passing the silly propaganda down the line. The men who are most deeply in politics in the United States are individuals who never held a political job in their lives and wouldnt touch one with a pair of tongs. -Big men of finance buy their legislation. Thev control senators, cabinet members, and supreme court judges. They pay the bills and pull thd strings and the politicians do the rest. Just at this time it pleases these high and mighty lords of the universe, acting through their faworite channel, the United States Chamber of Commerce, to put on an intensive campaign all over the nation for the creation of a universal City manager plan. In Muncie the big interests, as represented by the commercial club, or, as it now chooses to be known, the “chamber of commerce,” are all out for the manager plan. Naturally these big .interests hope to put the plan over and then elect a set of commissioners who will take orders from the chamber of commerce. Notwithstanding the effect that the Muncie Star m votes much valuable space each day burning incense at the shrine of the chamber of commerce and its subsidiary organizations, the people of Muncie have a way of shying away and putting their hands on their pocketbooks when the commercial club steps out in behalf of any project. The people are against the manager plan because the commercial club is for it. «