New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-17
THE TROUBLE IN CITY REFORMS

Ia II 80 that the people do not want pure
government? BY no stretch OF 1ne imas'la-
tiou can Tammany government in tnis Guy %
considered pure or good for the people. But a
reform ticket is defeated by the people IN spite
Of earnest efforts. The "people who SIT IN
the news as the Tammany orator calls them,
divided about all sorts of other questions. while
the vcious and dangerous classes, those who
hste the Sabbath and the churches, those who
live upon the public and prey upon us weak
ness, the political plunderers and the saloons
were wise enough to concentrate their votes'
Is the pessimist right when he infers that the
people do not really care to have their govern
ment clean, decent or honest?
The defect in the reasoning is that no account
il taken of ignorance and prejudice. The
voters who vote against their own interests DO
not necessarily know what they are DONG
Men whose partisan prejudices are so strong
that they elected Colonel Fellows to have charge
of the prosecution of offenders cannot be ac-
counted reasonable beings in their voting
Thousands and tens of thousands arc too igno-
rant TO understand that the banded POLITICIANS
of Tammany are plundering the city, and living
on the sums taken by bad government from the
earnings of labor Other thousands and tens
of thousands are so prejudiced that they be-
lieye no proof of wrong doing against men OF
their own party. but eagerly seize upon and
credit every story, however unsupported
against their opponents. The votes OF these
two great classes probably constitute a ma
iority in city like this
The great multitude who err through lgno-
rance do not want bad government. inc
trouble is that they do not know what their
government actually is. Woodworking ana
many of them poor, they have little chance OF
irving to read, and when political contest
comes they put confidence in those whom they
are accustomed to trust. A few score reform
sneakers. holding meetings for few mghts,
make small impression on this great mass OF
misinformaton IL there were great ex-
posure sufficient to set everybody talking Tor
months in the shops and the saloons and through
the streets. as there was when the Tweed ring
was broken up, the votes of the great majority
would be found on the right side. But WIN
out some such educating earthquake, vast
multitude of voters will 60 on, year AFTER year.
listening to the plunderers and their lnstru-
ments, and sincerely believing that their gov
eminent is wise and pure. Neither 90 inc
passionate partisans want bad government.
Rut their minds have been rendered incapable
of absorbing facts except OH one SIDE. 10
them all the legiOns of evil are marshalied
against the spotless and patriotic leaders ana
candidates of Tammany. Nothing can be done
for these people. The densest ignorance can
be broken by startling event. But the men
who consider it a religious duty to vote the
Democratic ticket no matter who is on IT. arc
in no danger of casting single intelligent vote
as long as they live.
The tremendous task to be undertaken in a
| great city like this is to get knowledge OF
| facts into the minds of the voters. To DO this
| in few weeks of excitement is absolutely i'm
possible. Even though hundreds OF religious
teachers should suddenly employ their oppor-
tunities for few weeks to the utmost their IN
Auence would be scarcely felt. The work OF
education can be done only by long continued
pa:ient and we-Organized effort with ample
resources and men trained to the work. 20 II
comes 10 pass that wel-gOverned cities are
always governed by permanent political. or
panization. which takes care to educate the
voters year after year, and has hundreds ano
even thousands Of men constantly employed in
fat work. Spasmodic reform movements
usually fail. because they never reach the great
ar part of the voters who really desire honest
government.