Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-04-05
lamcaster E,,teIhgenrer.
TUESDAY EVENING. APRIL 8. 1881.
MuniciDal Reform.

Philadelphia is, for the first time in
many years, about to try the expert
ment of non-partisan municipal gov
ernment, in the executive branch and
with its influence and that of the ad-
vanced reform sentiment reaching eftec-
tiyely into the councils, there will be
fair chance in all the departments
for municipal reform to have a
trial. Mayors, elected outside of
the regular party organizations and
upon other issues than those which
concern national parties, Philadelphia
and other great cities of the country
have had before. But in no instance
which occurs to us was the issue SO dis
tinctly that of municipal reform as in
that campaign out Of which Mr.. Kings
election to the mayoralty was the tri-
umphant result. Mr.. King is Demo-
crat, without evasion or turning, and he
owes his election mainly to the Depo-
cratic voters of Philadelphia, but he has
no right under the circumstances of his
election and the Obligations of his
pledges to he whit of a Democratic
any more than Republican mayor
nor either for the matter of that. He
gives evidence that he proposes to meet
those obligations, by retaining all of
Mayor StOkley'S police who are worthy
of retention on grounds of official fitness,
making their tenure OF office, however,
dependent upon rigid abstention from
that prostitution of their Office in politi-
cal service, which has generally been
characteristic of partisan police forces
in large cities--notably 50 Of Mayor
Stokley's.
A non-partisan police force must nee
essarily be an initial step in municipal
reform, since not only will filter men be
selected for this service, but unfit men
will be dismissed without regard to po-
litical considerations, and the time and
ability of policemen can be exclusively
given 10 their duties, instead of being di-
verted from them to the manipulation
OF primaries and the black: :jacking of
those who differ from them in their
views of state and national politics.
Moreover. large police force, in the in
terest of an existing administration, is a
powerful factor to defeat the will of the
people after they had made up their
mind to change it.
MayOr-elect King in his inaugural has
good word for other needed reforms
in city government and throughout he
declares for a non-partisan administra-
ton OF it, by honest business men on
honest business principles. He has the
courage and the character to impress
these things upon the city government
of Philadelphia and if he succeeds he
can be mayor as long rs he wants the
office.
But Of much more account than to
him or to Philadelphia will be the results
of this experiment to the cause of good
municipal government over the country.
The awful growth Of corporate indebt-
edness, the decentralization of the various
departments, their waste of money and
neglect Of duty, and the disSoluteness of
the police system generally, have made
the people of the cities-taX-payers and
renters have common interest-earn-
est in their demands for reform, and the
example of Philadelphia for good Or evil
is sure to be wide reaching.
And if this plan is to succeed in cities
why not apply it to townships and coun-
ties :: The bane of our political system
is this remaniing of local issues to
national parties. Lines which run paral-
lei should cross at right angles. The
government of tie country from Wash
ington down, instead of from the ward
and township up, is fatal to political hon
esty and purity of civil administration.
What is needed is such independence
and fairness as will induce the people
OF every community to elect their local
officers and settle their local differences
on local issues alone. Questions Of ma
tional political Or financial policy should
have no more to do with the choice of
mayors, school directors, councilmen,
justices and supervisors than ques tions
of religion. Everytime any concession
is made to them in the choice of local
officials the citizen sacrifices some of his
self-respect, much of the common good
and deals a blow at the integrity of our
institutions.
IHE amusement season Of the ap-