Author: American Academy Of Science

Publisher: Theclassics.Us

Published: 2013-09

Total Pages: 100

ISBN-13: 9781230199702

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1914 edition. Excerpt: ... commission government in iowa: the des moines plan By Benjamin F. Shambaugh, Ph.d., Professor of Political Science, State University of Iowa; Superintendent, State Historical Society of Iowa. Commission government1 in Iowa is a municipal experiment in an interesting field. Indeed, not a little surprise has been expressed that this state, which is still generally characterized as an agricultural and stock-raising commonwealth, should have given birth to a plan of municipal reform that within a brief period of three years promises to play an important role in the evolution of city government in the United States. The social and political conditions of Iowa have for the most part been sane and normal; and the people, although progressive, are as a whole neither extreme in their views nor radical in their reforms. In 1910 the population of the state numbered 2,224,771 persons, of whom 1,117,490 lived in the incorporated towns and cities, which for purposes of state legislation are classified as (a) cities of the first class, having a population of 15,000 or over, (b) cities of the second class, having a population between 2,000 and 15,000, and (c) towns, having a population under 2,000. There are also a few special charter cities--so-called from the fact that they operate under special charters granted by the legislature prior to the adoption of the Constitution of 1857. In 1910 there were, in addition to the 7 cities which had adopted commission government, 4 cities of the first class, 88 cities of the second class, 725 towns, and 5 special charter cities. Moreover, there are in Iowa no really large cities--the largest being Des Moines with a population which does not exceed 90, ooo.2 Nor has the government of the incorporated municipalities..