USA > Ohio > Montgomery County > Dayton > The story of Dayton > Part 14
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This subject of good city government has been for some years under discussion in many of our great universities as well as among leaders in all political parties, teachers, preachers, social workers, and good men and women every-
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where. One of the foremost students and authorities* on municipal progress has pointed out the fact of the wide- spread dissatisfaction with the management of our cities and the reason for it. The fathers, he tells us, made no provision for city government ; their plans were designed for the Nation. They did not perceive that the Federal System, with its State representation, its two bodies of Con-
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Union Station.
gress, and the checking power of the President's veto, while an efficient working basis for the control of national affairs, was quite unsuitable for a city.
Under such management, it came about that the city business was carried on, not on a basis of efficiency, but as a matter of political reward. The adage, "To the victors belong the spoils" was the rule of public life. The dom- inant party held the offices and when an election brought the
*Charles Zueblin, "American Municipal Progress," p. 376.
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opposing party into power, the former officials, no matter how efficient, were removed to make place for members of the victorious party. These things were done by both Democrats and Republicans, in all cities, and have be- come matters of common knowledge. Bryce wrote in 1888, "There is no use denying that the government of cities is the one conspicuous failure in the United States."*
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Stivers High School.
Now no one employs a doctor because he is of the same political faith as his patient, but because he understands medicine; no one takes milk of a milkman because he is a Republican or a Democrat, but because he sells pure milk ; no manufacturer puts a general manager at the head of his works according to party principles, but because he pos- sesses the ability to get results. At the primaries, in the old days, it was never asked of a candidate, "Does he know
*"American Commonwealth," p. 642.
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how to be a good mayor?" or, "Has he made a study of street paving or cleaning?" or "Will he give us the worth of the taxes we pay?" but only, "Has he always been a good party man ?"
The defects of city government in the past were not only those of spirit, but of organization. A City Council, under the former plan, offered only too much opportunity for the manifestation of inefficiency and self-interest. Each ward elected its own Councilman and in turn that Councilman was expected to look after the good of his own district, if even at the expense of the rest of the city. An official with the best intentions of serving the community as a whole, found himself caught in a maze of red-tapery where busi-
Government Building. Postoffice and Custom House.
ness was buried in committees, where votes were traded, and where, worst of all, there was no recognition on the part of the public for work well done. Such a Councilman early recognized that his only resource was to accept and become a part of the system, as he found it, cumbersome, inefficient, and extravagant as it was.
Another vital defect of the old system was that the sal- aries paid never commanded expert service. The head of a great corporation knows that if he wants returns on his investment he must employ only men who are thoroughly
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trained in his particular business, and such men cannot be had for nothing. But the city offered its servants so little that it could command only three kinds of men: (1) Those who were clever and public-spirited and rich enough to work for the love of it (and such men are rare in any com- munity) ; (2) those who would accept the small salary, sure that they could increase it by accepting gifts from those interested in getting bills passed for private gain; or, (3) men who were honest and meant well, but whose capacities were as low as the salary.
Under these circumstances there was constant tempta- tion before public officials to use their offices for selfish instead of public ends ; to allow contractors to make more money out of public works than they were entitled to; to vote for measures not because they were necessary, but to please some friend who had done them a good turn; in short, to serve themselves or their party first, and the city last. The Federal plan, as a city institution, was a failure. It remained to fall back upon the principle which governs a family, namely, the affection and loyalty of its members to the home and to each other.
The conditions above described were not peculiar to Dayton, but prevailed everywhere in the United States, and in some cities have not yet disappeared. When public opin- ion, however, was really aroused, the cry for relief was uni- versal. Attempts for betterment from many different angles of the question have arisen, starting movements such as the nation-wide civil service propaganda, the municipal re- search bureaus, the various forms of commission govern- ment, and the civic improvement societies.
This wave of aroused public sentiment at last, as a mat- ter of course, reached Dayton. Our local patriotism, pricked into activity, voiced a cry for a change, backed by a very sincere purpose to get it.
The first imperative step was to change the law control- ling the government of cities, and on September 3, 1912, an amendment to the State Constitution was adopted, providing
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Steele High School and Main Street Bridge. (From a photograph by Charlotte Mary Conover.)
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for what is known as "Home Rule for Cities." This amend- ment allowed any city, upon demand of its citizens, a special election to provide itself with a charter.
Upon the adoption of this amendment, the Dayton Bu- reau of Municipal Research and the Dayton Chamber of Commerce took the first step toward establishing the pro- visions of the new law, the last-named organization appoint- ing a committee of five leading business men to investigate the various forms of city rule operating in the United States, especially that called "Government by Commission." After months of careful investigation sufficient information had been gathered to make a report in which it was recom- mended that the City Council be asked to set a date for a special election to choose a Charter Commission.
This election was therefore held on May 20, 1913, and fifteen representative business men selected as candidates by the Citizens' Committee. Moreover, the committee stood for, not the Commission Plan, as practiced in several hun- dred progressive cities of the United States, but for an im- provement upon it, known as the "Commission-Manager Plan," or, as it has since been called, "The Dayton Plan." Because of its novel features and its advantage over the commission plan as well as over the old political régime, the election which was to decide it was awaited with interest all over the country.
Of course, there was opposition right here at home. Those called "conservatives" who never want to see changes in anything, were active with all sorts of objections. Ac- customed to the old way, they were doubtful of such a radical departure. Especially were the professional poli- ticians against a form of government which would forever put an end to their particular kind of activities. Opposing candidates were nominated and we found ourselves with two issues on our hands, one for the Commission-Manager plan and the other for the old order of things.
Then something happened which neither side foresaw, and which, suddenly and effectually, changed the situation.
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When, on March 23, 1913, that raging, yellow torrent swept over our streets, reducing life to its primitive necessities, and especially after it was over, and Dayton, under martial law, was weakly lifting her head to the future, her citizens saw clearly that the one thing which counted, whether in routine or in emergencies, was business efficiency, the "know how."
A Comparison
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"Organization goes far to pre -ent trouble in business. It makes the task casy, hinders confusion, and saves abundance of time."
Never was better proof offered of the superiority of the trained and organized worker than the way in which our
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city was helped on to its feet after that appalling catas- trophe. Moreover, the experience gave men and women new visions of civic needs and their own personal responsi- bilities. Possibilities opened up, prejudices were forgotten, and the people as a whole began to talk and plan for what seemed best for Dayton. During the strenuous days under martial law the people saw things done promptly, effectively, and efficiently; those who had never thought about it be- fore, saw in a flash that the way in which things were man- aged right after the flood was the way it ought to be man- aged all the time.
Is it any wonder that the question was repeatedly asked, "Why not turn this new experience into a lasting blessing to Dayton?"
As a result of this crystallized public opinion, the orig- inal committee of five called to their assistance other public- spirited men until the number reached three hundred and fifty, all pledged to promote the new plan. Election day ar- rived, and with it a victory for the citizens' ticket. The Charter Commissioners proceeded at once to prepare the best charter ever proposed for a city. Weeks of careful study were spent upon its features, and when August twelfth saw it placed before the people, it was approved by a vote of nearly two to one.
The charter provided for the election of five commis- sioners at large on a non-partisan ticket, these men to serve in the same capacity as the directors of a large industrial concern. They were to be selected solely on the grounds of fitness for the office, regardless of the party to which they belonged. These provisions were carried out at an elec- tion held November 4, 1913, and that commissioner having the largest number of votes became, according to the terms of the charter, the mayor.
On January 1, 1914, the new charter went into operation and the first act of the commissioners was to appoint Henry M. Waite as the first city manager. The plan of the charter provides that while all administrative duties shall be
The Public Library and Cooper Park.
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carried out by officers responsible to the manager, the man- ager himself is responsible to the commissioners.
Thus the citizens of Dayton correspond to the sharehold- ers of a corporation, the commissioners to the Board of Directors, and the city manager to the general manager.
Under the city manager are four administrative depart- ments : LAW, PUBLIC SERVICE, FINANCE, and PUB- LIC WELFARE, with a director at the head of each, ap- pointed by the city manager and confirmed by the commis- sioners. No account is taken of politics and no one knows how any man votes. If the appointee is not competent he is discharged the same as if he was in the employ of a big business, as indeed he is.
The Department of Law advises on all matters of law, draws up ordinances, prosecutes all suits brought by the city, defends the city in all suits brought against it, and in every way acts as a counsel does for a corporation or an individual. It settles many questions without taking them into court, such as family troubles, neighborhood quarrels, and disputes about rent. It conducts a campaign against loan sharks, fraudulent advertising, and mail-order frauds.
The Department of Public Service has supervision over all lands and buildings belonging to the city, of its streets, bridges, sewers, levees, street lighting, water supply, garbage removal, ash and rubbish removal, the dog pound, city motor vehicles, and the city garage. All the engineering work of the city is under the control of this department.
The Department of Safety embraces the Police and Fire departments, inspects buildings, polices the rivers, and man- ages the life-saving apparatus. It enforces the building code, supervises construction, and insures general protection of life and health in the city of Dayton. The City Sealer is attached to this department.
The Department of Finance is the bookkeeping part of our city government, and is as important as the same de- partment in any large business. It is responsible for the city's money. It keeps account of all the property owned by
Five Highways into Dayton-the old and the new-River, Steam Railroad, Traction Road. Turnpike, and Canal. Taken near Franklin.
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the city, makes out the yearly budget, receives the taxes, enforces the ordinances by which peddlers, junk dealers, bill posters, and others must pay a license, maintains a bal- ance in the bank from which to purchase city supplies, and keeps the city expenditures down to as low a figure as pos- sible consistent with good results. With the help of the Research Bureau, a fine accounting system has been in- stalled, which insures the utmost order and efficiency in the handling of funds with an open balance sheet, revealing the city's assets and liabilities at any given time.
The Department of Public Welfare looks after the health recreation, and general welfare of the city. It enforces or- dinances against unsanitary dwellings, requires owners to clean up back yards, alleys and vacant lots, to cut weeds, trim trees, and keep sanitary premises. It maintains a sys- tem of public recreation centers equipped with swings, pools, baseball diamonds and tennis courts, where children and young people may play, exercise, bathe, wade, dance, and swim. Municipal neighborhood centers have been estab- lished where properly guided social gatherings may be held. The use of vacant city lots for gardening is encouraged. Twenty-eight playgrounds are in operation, in which thou- sands of children enjoy themselves each week.
It furnishes through a free legal aid bureau, advice to those who cannot afford to employ an attorney.
It includes the Department of Health, with a director in charge, who maintains a service of food inspection for dairies, bakeries, markets, and slaughter-houses.
It provides for the first time in Dayton's history, for a full-time health officer, conducts three baby clinics and one general clinic each week, and a baby-saving campaign dur- ing the summer months. It maintains a pure milk service. A corps of fifteen district nurses is kept to attend families of limited means where there is illness, instructing them how to care for their sick, and how to keep well. It has established a municipal lodging-house to give a night's shelter to those without a roof. In these and other ways,
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the Department of Health looks after the comfort and wel- fare of the people of Dayton.
This, in brief, is the system under which Dayton is governed at the present time.
How and why is it better than the old?
There are two fundamental differences which make the new form of city management better than the old, and also better than the plain commission form, which has lately
Swimming Pool at Bomberger Park.
been adopted by about three hundred cities in the United States.
Under the old city government, each Councilman looked after the good of his own ward, even if at the expense of the rest of the city. Under the present form, all the voters at an election vote for all the commissioners, therefore each is expected to have at heart the interests of all the people. The same fault is to be found with the "Commission Form" in that each commissioner having charge of a department of
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the city works, may be tempted to fight for the interests of his own department, and forget the importance of the others. But in Dayton we have, not the "Commission Plan," but the "Commission-Manager Plan," which places the adminis- tration of all the departments in the hands of one man- the City Manager. He is solely and entirely responsible, and complainants no longer find necessary measures buried in committees or abuses referred to one man after another until lost in a maze of divided responsibility.
Boys' Gardens on Hunter Avenue.
Another advantage in the new form of government is that the makers of the laws do not administer them. The law-making department and the administrative department are separate and distinct; one tends to hold in check the other.
As to the improvement in detail of the present govern- ment over the past, a few instances will impress the truth of the claim.
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Much has been done for the public health. A mother may bring her sick baby to the public clinic, where it will have scientific attention and she herself advised about the care of it. From time to time it may be weighed and ex- amined, not at all as a matter of charity, but because the baby belongs to Dayton and the authorities hope to see it grow up strong and well. One of the highest duties of a city government is the care of human life, and it will be interesting to note the advance in the public health rate in Dayton in the last three years. One disease which is the despair of mothers is called gastro-enteritis, or summer complaint. In 1913, 103 babies less than a year old died of this complaint ; in 1914, 68, and in 1915, only 30. That is what care in food inspection by the authorities and obey- ing the doctors' orders by the mothers, will do.
In 1913, 124 out of every 1,000 babies born, died under one year. In 1914, only 95, and in 1915, only 87.6. These figures constitute what the health authorities call the "infant mortality rate." The highest baby death rate in the United States is in a New Jersey town, where 193 babies out of every thousand die before they are a year old. The lowest is in a Wisconsin town, where the rate is only 30.6. Day- ton is, as may be seen, very much better than some cities, but not yet as good as she might be. And the difference between the present infant mortality rate of 87 and a pos- sible one of 30.6 troubles nobody so acutely as it does the authorities in the Health Department.
By such methods as these, the whole death rate in Day- ton has been lowered nearly four per cent. in one year- in other words, there are two hundred and seventy-five peo- ple now living that might have died.
The fight against contagious diseases goes on all the time. The Health Department prepares maps where each case of typhoid fever, diphtheria, or scarlet fever is marked with a pin. When a number of these pins appear in one part of the map, the doctors and nurses descend upon it like a lot of soldiers. They look into the condition of cel-
The old Third Street Presbyterian Church.
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lars and drains, put up a sign to keep other people away, disinfect the premises, and teach the people how to keep the disease from spreading. The proper remedies are then ap- plied, and every means taken to help the patient recover. Much good is done in cases of incipient tuberculosis. It used to be believed that a patient suffering from that malady could not possibly recover. Now it is known that fresh air, good food, and scientific care will cure all but the most ad- vanced cases.
Under the old system of city government, no consider- ation was given to the conditions under which children play. Now it is very much the city's business, and that it is both needed and appreciated is proved by the thousands of chil- dren enjoying the playgrounds every week during the sum- mer.
Under the old system, there were none but men police- men. Now women officers deal with women offenders in a sympathetic and kindly way.
In no greater way is the success of our city proved than in its economy. Every year the city manager issues a budget compiled from information obtained from the dif- ferent departments, and this budget is published, that all tax-payers may know just how much money is required to conduct each department. The manager then makes out his appropriations on this basis and each department is required to keep inside its estimate or state the reason why. No supplies can be purchased except by the signature of the head of the department, the head of the division, and the head of the bureau, with final authority from the city manager.
By reason of these careful provisions, Dayton is now, for the first time in eight years, living within its income. More, it has paid off fifty thousand dollars of a debt of one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars left by the past system of government. The city finances are open to con- stant inspection. Every tax-payer may know exactly where his money goes. The city's business is his business. If he
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is not satisfied he may apply to the complaint department, where he will be courteously received, and his inquiries answered.
This, in brief, is the story of Dayton's City Government, a plan which is being widely discussed throughout the coun- try, carefully watched in its progress, and in some cases, imitated in other cities. No government, city or national, will stand unless there is a degree of loyal support for it in the ranks of the people. This support, in the old days, was given to the government by the political party which elected it. There being no political party back of the pres- ent government of Dayton, this necessity was met in an- other way which will be told in the next chapter.
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CHAPTER XXI. The Greater Dayton Association.
"There is no influence in any community more potent and powerful for the accomplishment of good than that of the busi- ness and professional men unselfishly banded together for the purpose of promoting the general welfare of the entire citizen- ship."-James Bryce, in "The American Commonwealth."
The above quotation calls our attention to the fact that the new system of government will not work any better than the old unless there is a proud and watchful public spirit behind it. The poet Holland wrote :
"A time like this demands
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith, and ready hands,
Men whom the lust of office does not kill,
Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy;
Men who possess opinions and a will,
Men who have honor, men who will not lie."
With this thought in their hearts, a group of men called together all who believed in unselfishly promoting the wel- fare of Dayton by supporting the new government, and by encouraging the best development of the commercial and civic interests of the city, and organized what is known as "The Greater Dayton Association." It is an exemplifica- tion of what Mr. Bryce meant by "business and professional men unselfishly banded together to promote the welfare of the entire citizenry." It is not political; the members are not elected ; all are welcome who have the interests of Day- ton at heart and pay the annual dues. No one gets any profit, for its president and committees work without pay. It has nothing to do with the city government except to form a background of public loyalty and support. Every city needs such an organization separate and apart from its government. That this is true is indicated by the number of questions that come in daily from other cities in regard
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The Greater Dayton Association
to The Greater Dayton Association. While Dayton has had its Commercial Club, its Chamber of Commerce, and other bodies of a similar nature, it was not until after the flood had shown us the weakness of the old way, and after the new government was established, that this new spirit of organized citizenship took form.
In the "G. D. A.," as it is known, nearly ten thousand men and women have pledged themselves to the support of the present city government in every way in their power. Its value is evident. If voters grow careless and allow un- worthy or unprincipled men to be placed in position of pub- lic trust, no manner of government will save us from the disasters of the past. The duty of the average voter does not end at the polls ; it should keep him vigilant and appre- ciative of the work of public servants. If they do well, he should tell them so; if ill, remove them. Dayton can become an example of high-minded and efficient public service if there is a community spirit which declares : "This is my city and my home. I shall see to it that none but men who have been tested shall take part in its government. It shall be my conscientious concern to keep myself in- formed upon all public matters that I may vote intelligently, and I will do my constant best to make it the cleanest, wisest, happiest city in the world."
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