USA > Iowa > Polk County > Des Moines > Des Moines, the pioneer of municipal progress and reform of the middle West, together with the history of Polk County, Iowa, the largest, most populous and most prosperous county in the state of Iowa; Volume I > Part 84
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Thus, in a single section, does the Des Moines plan relegate to the history of municipal misgovernment that well-nigh insurmountable obstruction to munici- pal reform, that ancient foe of efficiency,-a public service made up of political hangers-on and time-servers whose innings are only so many opportunities for petty graft, alternately placated and feared by violators of the law, acknowledging no allegiance to any authority except "the boss" to whom they report and to whom they owe their appointment. The law affords to the honest and efficient a reasonable guaranty of a retention of their positions without further examina- tion, "unless removed for cause."
Every elective officer, within thirty days after qualifying, must publish in a daily newspaper a sworn statement of his campaign and election expenses, and by whom such funds are contributed.
,Publicity is written large in the Des Moines Plan. In addition to the provi- sion for open meetings of the council, that body must every month print in pamphlet form a detailed statement of all receipts and expenditures of the city and a summary of its proceedings during the preceding month. This monthly report is on file in the city and the state library, and is sent to the daily news- papers and to persons who apply for them.
At the close of the year, a thorough expert examination is made of all the books and accounts of the city and the results of such examination are published and sent out, as are the monthly statements.
But what guaranty have the citizens that the men they elect to the council will serve them faithfully and honestly? We are indebted to the Swiss republic for our answer to this important question. In the valleys and on the mountain- slopes of that birth-place of civil liberty originated the word "Recall," a word of wholesome dread to the unworthy office-holder. In the "good old times," the suspected, and even the known, grafter was tamely permitted to "serve out his term." Meantime he could so "fix things" that the sentiment which a few months before would have defeated his re-election was dissipated by his own shrewdness in procuring the nomination of some equally or still more objectionable candidate against him. Not so now. A councilman may be removed at any time by the electors, a majority of whom placed him in office. The mere mention of the word "Recall" has thus far been a sufficient corrective. A petition, signed by at least twenty-five per centum of the entire vote for mayor at the last preceding municipal election, demanding the election of a successor to the person whom the petitioners would remove from office may be filed with the city clerk, con- taining a general statement of the grounds for which the removal is sought. Within ten days, the city clerk, having satisfied himself as to the number and quality of the signatures, must submit the petition to the council. If the council is satisfied that the clerk's finding is correct, it must order and fix a date for a special election not less than thirty nor more than forty days thereafter, and shall arrange by publication and otherwise for the holding of such election. The
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offending councilman may announce himself a candidate to succeed himself and so seek a vindication at the hands of his fellow citizens, and the clerk must place his name on the official ballot. If he secures a majority of the votes cast at this "removal election," he may consider himself vindicated: if not, his seat is declared vacant and the candidate receiving the highest number of votes shall take his seat.
We have now come to the famous "Initiative" and "Referendum"-those twin servants of Democracy, also born in freedom-loving Switzerland. With the exception of urgency ordinances, for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health or safety,-ordinances requiring four votes in the council-no or- dinance passed by the council goes into effect before ten days from the date of its final passage; and if during that time a petition signed by at least twenty-five per cent of the electors last voting for mayor, protesting against the passage of such ordinance, shall be presented to the council, the ordinance in question is "help up," and nothing remains for that body but to reconsider, and if the ques- tioned ordinance be not entirely repealed, the council can submit the same at a special election, or, if a general election is impending, then at a general election, and it becomes effective only when it receives a majority vote at such election.
We now confront the last general question raised in connection with the plan : "How can the city rid itself of the system should its citizens become con- vinced that it is a failure, or that some other device for governing a city is better?" The answer lies in Section 21 of the law: "Any city which shall have operated for more than six years under the provisions of this act may abandon such organization," "and accept the provisions of the general law of the state then applicable to cities of its population." Is a council lacking in initiative? Or, as is more likely to be the case, does it desire to "be shown?" Would it know how fast, or far, the citizens and taxpayers would go in any direction ? Are the people clamorous for progress in certain directions? The recourse is easily comprehended and applied. "Any proposed ordinance may be submitted to the council by petition signed by electors of the city equal in number to twenty-five per centum of the votes cast for all candidates for mayor at the last preceding general election." It is then "up to" the council either to pass the or- dinance without alteration within twenty days after the certification of the peti- tion; or to call a special election,-unless a general municipal election is fixed within ninety days thereafter, and at such election, such ordinance shall be sub- mitted to popular vote. But, should the demand be less imperative,-should it be only ten to twenty-five per centum of the popular vote for mayor, then the alternative of the council is either to pass the ordinance within twenty days, or to submit the same at the next general city election occurring not more than thirty days after the clerk's certificate is attached. This last provision seems lame in that an emergency might arise soon after a general election, and a peti- tion signed by less than twenty-five per cent of the voters might come to nought.
Any number of proposed ordinances may be voted upon at the same election ; but not more than one special election can be held for such purpose in any six- months period. On the petition of not less than twenty-five per centum of the electors, a special election shall be called at which the citizens would vote on the proposition :
"Shall the city of Des Moines abandon its organization and become a city under the general law governing cities of like population ?"
It requires no prophetic vision to enable one to see that if the question of retaining or abandoning the plan should come up at this time, the vote would be overwhelming for its retention. The bill as originally drafted called for a sub- mission of the question of retention or abandonment every six years; but, as it now reads, the question of the life of the plan can come up only in response to a strong current of opposition, for it is not easy to procure the signatures of 25% of the voters for or against any proposition. Judging by expressions of popular opinion after nearly four years' experience, it may safely be predicted
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that there will not soon be even a test of the strength of the plan with the voters. This plan to which can be traced so much that fills a "long-felt want," so much that points the way toward the solution of America's most difficult problem, will not soon be abandoned: but, rather, will from time to time be strengthened as experience shall suggest.
A concluding word as to the present council upon whom the city has placed the responsibility of the plan's enforcement. Nobody will claim that it is an ideal board of directors. There is still too much mere "politics" in its delibera- tions. Its members have indulged occasionally in unseemly "scraps." Com- binations and counter-combinations have been reported to exist among its mem- bers. But no one will deny that the finances of the city are better handled and more easily comprehended than before. The same may be said of the streets and alleys, the parks and public buildings. Even the department of public safety, more amenable to criticism than any one other department, is far better managed than in the days of licensed vice and crime when the monthly "mulct" was in fact a license, and when the police department was a protection not to the public, but to the regu- lar payers of fines. The vigor evinced by the mayor and the councilmen in their attempts to solve the long-pending problems growing out of the city's relations to public utilities inspires hope that the solution of those problems, to the reasonable satisfaction of the general public, and without injustice to the public service corporations, is not far distant.
CHAPTER VIII.
FORMER METHODS OF FINANCING THE CITY COMPARED WITH PRESENT METHODS.
In another chapter1 the financial straits of the new Capital city were described and the necessity of issuing warrants in anticipation of future revenues was ex- plained. The practice of anticipating revenues was continued on through the years. The "hawking" of city warrants was frequently indulged in to the dis- credit of the city, and the "judgment fund" was too often used as a dumping ground for unpaid claims. The system of using funding bonds as a temporizing policy naturally followed. The discounting of city warrants became a profitable business. Laborers then earning from $1.00 to $1.25 a day were obliged to submit to a discount in order to get cash and the grocers were obliged to take warrants in payment for goods and submit to a discount in order to realize on them.
In 1871, the council authorized a "judgment bond" issue, the bonds to be paid, on or before twenty years "at the pleasure of the city of Des Moines," at the bank- ing house of Allen, Stephens & Company in the city of New York, the bonds to bear interest "at the rate of ten per cent payable semi-annually." Ordinance No. 154, passed September 4, 1871, provided for issuing bonds of the city of Des Moines, Iowa, to H. Blennerhassett, or his assigns, for the amount due on the judgment recovered by him in the U. S. Circuit court, vs. the City of Des Moines, Iowa. The judgment was for the sum of $170,680, and the bonds were to cover the balance of $119,983.44. These bonds were involved in the suits growing out of the B. F. Allen failure, the story of which failure is elsewhere related.2 On September 10, 1872, B. F. Allen, as "agent" for H. Blennerhassett, gave William Lowry, city treasurer, a receipt for nineteen one-thousand-dollar bonds in pay- ment of the judgment rendered.
On June 10, 1875, the council passed an ordinance authorizing the issuance of bonds in the sum of $290,000 to be known as the "Consolidated Loan," and on November 21, 1888, a "Warrant Bond Fund" issue was authorized for $100,000 at 5 per cent.
It would seem from the foregoing that councils were wont to issue warrants for various purposes when no funds were immediately available. Under the pres- ent wholesome restraints of the new law, such an attempted procedure would be checked at the outset as in plain violation of the law. The elimination of this so- called "high-finance" is a most effective safeguard erected by the law against reckless expenditure. Having anticipated a consideration of the "plan" under which finances of the city of Des Moines are now operated, let us now consider as a whole that important measure of reform in administrative methods.
The new administration in 1908-9 was confronted with matters of an extra- ordinary character in the litigation between the city and all but one of the public service corporations. The city railway, water company and gas litigation severely taxed the resources of the council to provide funds to carry on the suits. The welfare of the city demanded an understanding between these corporations claiming "perpetual" franchises.
While the tax levies have been reduced under the new administration, new
1 "The City Started on Borrowed Capital," Book III, Chapter II.
2 In a chapter on Pioneer Banks and Bankers and their Successors.
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THE HOMESTEAD BUILDING
STAR- ENG> CO
MARQUARDT BUILDING
LEXINGTON APARTMENTS
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levies have been created by legislative enactment which have been taken care of by the equalization process. Since 1908 the legislature has authorized new levies for a fireman's pension fund, a policeman's pension fund, and "park purchase." Then the new municipal building, the Locust and the Walnut street bridge bonds were issued, and the interest on these had to be met. The viaduct also necessi- tated a levy not theretofore made. But all these special levies are included in the reduced rate later referred to. Under the new administration all moneys have been receiving 2% interest on daily balances and 4% on certificates, thus giving the city several thousand dollars more every year to operate with. The interest for the years 1908-9 amounted to $8,031.85 ; for 1909-10, $15,974.74; for 1910-II, $16,681.17 ; to Oct. 1, 1911, $6,475.02 ; making a total of $47,162.78 for three and a half years' interest. The objection raised by those in opposition to the plan-that the increase in salaries and wages to a living basis would bankrupt the city is met by this one item of saving. Various permanent improvements demonstrate that the taxpayers have "something to show for their money." Prominent object les- sons in this direction are : the new municipal building, the Locust street bridge, the Walnut street bridge, the grade changes on Locust, Des Moines, Seventh, Eighth and Ninth streets ; the miles of new street improvements, including paving, sew- ering, curbing, sidewalks, permanent concrete crossings and minor bridges, along with betterment of construction and more rigid specifications for material tests ; also the attention paid to city adornment by removing the sharp angles of inter- sections and insisting on uniform construction of sidewalks. The city has paid off about $32,000 in land payments for parks, an indebtedness carried over from the old park board, and has condemned property for two blocks along the east bank of the Des Moines river between Court avenue and Locust street, for park and river improvement purposes. Children's play-grounds have been started and additional party property has been purchased.
While a general review shows without doubt that citizens are getting more for their money than previously, it is evident that as the city grows and becomes more ambitious, the cost of running the city must increase. But the growth of the city with the consequent increase in the value of its real and personal prop- erty should enable the council to prevent any considerable increase in the tax levy, and may ultimately result in a reduction.
The Des Moines plan has been in operation less than four years. What can it show in fulfillment of the promises made by its sponsors? Reduced expendi- ture? Nobody promised reduced expenditure. Lower taxes? No one promised lower taxes; but the present rate does prove to. be lower than that of 1907-8. Better general results ? Yes. More in evidence for the money expended? Yes. Better streets ; better bridges ; better public buildings ; better fire and police ser- vice; better accounting for money received and expended ; parks and public build- ings in better condition? Yes. Clearly defined responsibility? Yes. Does pub- licity have a corrective tendency? Yes. Have the members of the two councils thus far chosen been fairly representative of the voters of the city? Yes.
But what of the city's finances? Are the reports of municipal extravagance and waste of public money founded upon fact ? Let us see.
When the old régime went out of office April 1, 1908, it left an indebtedness of $194,992.04, and cash on hand $71,886.24. The new council issued bonds to take. care of most of this indebtedness, but left $16,373.86 not paid by bond issue. It left cash on hand $55,492.38 in the "working funds" clear of indebtedness. April I, 1909, the end of the first year under the new plan, the cash on hand in the .working funds exceeded the claims outstanding by $77,171.66, a net gain of $21,- 679.28, for the year ; or, in other words, it received $21,679.28 more than it spent in these funds.
The old council went in debt, 1907-8 .. .$138,436.60 The new council surplus the Ist year, 1908-9. 21,679.28
A first-year gain of the new council over the old, amounting to. . $160,115.88
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During the second and third years under the new law there was no such show- ing of gain; but there was a satisfactory showing of results. It should be noted that during the three years the city lived within its income. It also kept the tax levy down. Whereas the city's levy in 1907 was 37.9 mills, in 1909 and 1910 it was 37.1. At the close of the fiscal year April 1, 1909, there was an excess of cash over claims in the "working funds" amounting to $77,171.66. The working- fund receipts for the years 1909 and 1910 aggregated $1,786,779.02. The war- rant issue in the working funds aggregated $1,687,497.68 or $99,281.34. less than the receipts. But this, however, is offset by outstanding certificates to the amount of $49,362.06 and outstanding warrants amounting to $57,908.61. The certifi- cates referred to are issued only in liquidation of indebtedness for the city's per- manent improvements, and are taken care of by the current tax levy. Among the items rightfully classed as permanent improvements are such as these : $172,- 400.55 toward the erection of the Municipal Building ordered by the voters of the city ; $18,901.32, the sum thus far expended on the viaduct-no less a perma- nent asset of the city ; a bridge-fund item of $26,721.59 in 1909 and one of $29,- 191.50 in 1910; sewer fund item of $34,170.98 in 1909 and one of $23,425.23 in 1910; grading fund item of $58,617.36 in 1909, and of $24,616.58 in 1910. All this expenditure is clearly in the nature of a permanent investment, and means a better working and more attractive city.
The general judgment of those who have most closely watched the operations of the new law under the present and the preceding council is that the city's executive officers are not only keeping down the levy and living within their work- ing-fund income; but also are making substantial additions to the city's assets,- and that without suspicion of "graft."
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CHAPTER IX.
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY MOVEMENT FOR THE NAVIGATION OF THE DES MOINES.
The twentieth century movement for the development of the Des Moines river for navigation originated early in the season of 1907. A resolution was presented to each of the three commercial organizations of Des Moines by A. C. Miller, urging Captain Hull, member of Congress from this District, to in- troduce a bill asking for an appropriation for the survey of the Des Moines river for the purpose of determining whether or not it was practical and feasi- ble to improve the river for navigation, what the cost would be, and whether the cost would be justified in the results which would accrue to the state and to the city of Des Moines.
A joint committee was appointed, composed of a representative from each of the three organizations, to take the matter under consideration. A. C. Miller was made chairman of that committee. At the committee's request Congress- man Hull introduced a bill in the House, January 20, 1908, which was referred to the Rivers and Harbors Committee. Under the direction of the War Depart- ment following this action, a preliminary examination of the river was made by Major Meggs of Keokuk, who made a trip down the river from Des Moines to its mouth in a government launch, taking soundings, making notes and secur- ing all information possible pertaining to the stream. This preliminary report, which was favorable, was made to Major Riché, in charge of this department with headquarters at Rock Island.
Following this preliminary report of Major Meggs, notice was given to Chairman Miller of the Committee, that before proceeding with the work of making the survey, it would be necessary that a showing be made to the Depart- ment at Rock Island, covering various phases of the subject, that they might determine whether or not the results to be obtained would justify the expendi- ture. It therefore became incumbent upon this committee to secure information and data showing the extent of country tributary to the river, the number of square miles drained, the annual rainfall, the high and low water discharge of the stream, the amount of tonnage produced in the Des Moines river valley, including all agricultural products, live stock, the products of its clay and shales, the products of its mines. After several months' research, the committee's re- port was forwarded to Major Riché and was later embodied with his own re- port to the Reviewing Board of Engineers. The matter was taken up by the Board in February, 1910. They passed favorably on the report, granted the petition to Congress and ordered the survey to proceed under Major Riché. As soon as a corps of engineers could be organized by the Major, the work began under the immediate charge of Albert O. Rowse, Assistant United States Engi- neer, with headquarters in the old post-office building in Des Moines, Iowa, where they were maintained for several months. They were finally removed to Detroit.
In July, 1911, a corporation known as the Des Moines River Power Company was organized with headquarters in Chicago. Its object was to improve the Des Moines river for water power, and later it applied to the War Depart- ment for permission to develop practically all the water power sites between Des Moines and the Mississippi river.
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At this date the engineer's report has not been made public, but it will be filed with the War Department shortly and the results of this work will then become public. It is hoped by those interested in the development of Iowa and of the Des Moines river valley, rich as it is in clays and shales, as well as in agricultural products, that some harmonious plan will be reached by which both these projects can be brought to a successful conclusion. While the ·develop- ment of water power within the state would result in cheap power and that in turn means the building of factories and the employment of labor, yet it can hardly be expected that the government would consent to a perpetual surrender of its rights.
CHAPTER X.
RECENT EVENTS AND OCCURRENCES-1910.
The building record of 1910 showed great progress. Among the more notable new buildings of the year stands the Securities building, on Seventh between Grand and Locust, a fine representative of the office building of the period. It was erected by Richard R. Rollins. Its white-tile front, looming seven stories high, is attractive and pleasing. It is locally a pioneer in the employment of til- ing for building purposes.
Other buildings of prominence erected during the year are the following : On the northwest corner of Seventh and Grand stands the Cargill hotel, substan- tially built and elegantly finished and furnished. Large warehouses shot up like magic during the year. The Blue Line Transfer building on Second and Elm, and the Merchants' Transfer, at Ninth and Mulberry, are the most conspicuous of this class. The Iowa Portland Cement Company erected a $75,000 building in the southwestern part of the city. Several factory buildings were erected and others were enlarged. The Des Moines Life building, a large seven story struct- ure, doubled in its frontage on Grand avenue during the year. The Victoria hotel, a few years ago thought to be "too large for the town," was enlarged by an addition on Sixth avenue. The Equitable building, recently bought of the New York company by the Equitable of Iowa, received four additional stories, mak- ing it twelve stories high.
The Younker Brothers' extensive department store received two additional stories, which, with the recent addition on Seventh street, gives the house more than double the floor-space covered by its new building as originally occupied. The Bentley & Olmsted shoe factory, on Court and East Ninth, was one of the large building items of the year ; but, unfortunately, the new building on which so much thought and energy had been expended, was totally destroyed by fire be- fore it had yielded any return in service. The Lagerquist Automobile Company, on Second and Chestnut, the Cownie Glove Company's building on Third and Vine, the Des Moines Plumbing Company on Grand between Eighth and Ninth, the Rogg & Mennig building on Locust between Ninth and Tenth, the Charles Weitz building on Mulberry between Seventh and Eighth, the Pratt-Mendsen building on Eighth and Cherry, the Racine-Sattley building on Seventh and Vine, the new power house of the Des Moines Electric Company, First and Chestnut, and the company's substation on Tenth between Grand and High-these are some of the more prominent of the many evidences of Des Moines' growth and prom- ise as it entered upon the new decade of progress. The largest building in 1910 was the Municipal building-too large to be completed in a single year. Its foun- dation walls were laid deep and wide and its structure is a happy combination of the substantial and the beautiful. The Frederick M. Hubbell school building at 42d and Center, was a fine addition to the modern school buildings of the city. In interior arrangement it embodies the best thought in modern school architec- ture. The Bird school building at 2Ist and Woodland, and the Brooks school, 2Ist and Des Moines, are also examples of modern thought in the arrangement of interiors. The completion and occupancy of the new government postoffice, beautifying the river front at a point not far removed from the little old one- story postoffice over which P. M. Casady presided in 1847, was one of the events Vol. I-40
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