, 1891-12-15
SOCIAL ATHEISM.
Problems of City Government ir
This Country.
Hot shot at City and state Officials
-TrickerY and Fraud in Cow
ermmemtaL Affairs.

Hot Shot at City and state Officials
-TrickerY and Fraud in Gov-
ernmentaI Affairs.
At the Unitarian services in Tacoma
hall, Sunday, the minister, Rev. Napoleon
Hoagland, spoke both morning and even
ing. In the morning his theme was so
cial Atheism" He said this stinging term
had been applied by an English journalist
to picture of municipal corruption on
American cities as presented in magazine
article in leading American review, by
Professor Andrew d. White, about a year
ago. In the opening sentence of the arti-
Gle Professor White declares that with
very few exceptions, the city governments
Of the United States are the worstin Chris
tendon. Mr.. White speaks from wide
experience with municipal affairs in Amer
lea and is familiar with nearly all the great
cities in Europe, as well as America. He
does not speak merely to criticise but to
cure. His structures are not born of malice
or spite, but of patriotism and beneyo-
lenee. Hear him. He says, zone has but
to walk along the streets to notice at once
that some evil principle is at work, that
everywhere are
WRETCHED WHARvEs,
foul docks, inadequate streets and insfi-
cient systems of sewerage, paving and
lighting. In wet weather many Of the
more Important thoroughfares are COW
cred With reeking mud, in dry weather
this mud reduced to an impalpabIe dust
containing the germs of disease, is blown
into the houses and nostrils Of the citi-
zens. !" You recognize the picture, do YOU
not? He goes on to say that not long ago
he was in Constantinople after having
just passed from one end of Europe
to the other, but no place reminded
him 50 much of home as the foul streets of
the Turkish capital, which represents the
most degraded despotism and most bar
bar1c government in all Europe. Aside
from the foul and unWholesome condition
of the streets and enYirons another char
acteristic of municipal government in
America is the moral corruption Of tie
officials. Mr.. White says that the city
halls of the larger towns are the acknowf-
edged centers Of the Yilest corruption. that
as a rule the men who sit in the councils
OF our larger cities are men who in no other
country would think Of aspiring to such
positions that elsewhere they would con-
slider themselves lucky in keeping out
OF prisons. AS sample of the intelligence
OF the guardians of public health not in
frequently appointed in large cities, one is
mentioned who defined hygienics as ''the
bad smell that rises from standing water. .
That reminds me of the laconic if not lucid
cause of death which the
HEALTH RECORDS
in town not a thousand miles from Olym-
pla specifies in several instances, namely
that the deceased was killed. Mr.. White
goes on to say that he saw franchise for
which a million dollars could easily have
been obtained, given away by the common
council OF an American city. In another
city he saw the streets which
were n ,ddeplorable condition
the main attention of the council having
been given to a struggle over the ap-
polntment OF cemetery keeper at sal
ary OF $40 week. Is the picture exag-
gcrated Many Of you know it is not.
Those of you who have read the local pa
pers during the past year know what
charges OF crookedness and Dossism have
been made against our councilmen. Some
OF you may know that the charges are not
all without foundation. Some of YOU
doubtless are in position to figure out
what an incompetent and unreliable city
engineer has cost you individually and the
town at large, Others could tell of state
Official whose voice is frequently heard in
prayer meetings, but of whom it is said by
those who know him better than I that his
honesty when the purse is concerned is not
above T6DTOnCh RI1t it, ia NOT worth Uybi1 i1ol
to dwell on what w haar What VII ~ = VIZ
+r,To,r = N4e'' -
wv Know Is BAD ENOUGH.
It is humiliating enough to face the
facts OF carelessness, inefficiency, trickery
and fraud that SO frequently come to the
surface IN the management Of state and
municipal affairs throughout the country.
In England and Europe buildings are
erected that are credit to the people,
both as to the honesty of their construction
~ 1T le ruiz y Ghag
against the honesty af tbe transectinn aSsylr1
But WHAT'S tbe usnai history of nIbIic
BUILDINGS in America ? Wbv " seems s'Glle AZ
ficuIt for a hoard Of aldermen tn cn,,tract
for the grading of street witbont thera hee
ING adoTgh'' in ii far some nna Tbera
seems to be something in The yerv atmno ro
sphere of the council chamber
II -.-,..as.'. s.'.-.r.
WE AZ 10 DEMO HAhlzlNs'
Without trying to Illustrate any further
what IS already too apparent, let us ask
our rulers some practical questions: Why.
Is It SO many sco.undrels are elected to Of
hceY Why is 1T SO many people turn
seoundrels SO soon after being elected 2
Why IS It that honesty in the administra-
tlon OF public affairs is SO much more ra re
IN democratic America than despotic Eu-
rOD6? WhV is 1T that n6OnIh in orr CONN