The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-04-21

between liberty and RIGHTEOUSNESS, law
ana lawlessness, patriotism and anarchy,
Ch1suanity and agnostic inf1delity is
| upon us. The instinct of self-preserva-
.ioh, compassion for SHINING and suffer-
ing humanity, and love of God all COM
mand us to meet the issue instantly and
courageously.
be met in three ways: civilly, socially
and financially, and religiously.
l. Civilly. Municipal government
must be divorced from party politics.
Popular government has degenerated
into government byssa boss" Long ago,
ma visit to this country, Herbert Spencer
said; You retain the forms of freedom,
| but there has been considerable loss of
| the substance. The trainers of your
constitution manifestly never dreamed
that your citizens would go to the polls
| led by a boss.n The citizens of Europe
| in their order, economy, cleanliness, and
| good government put our supposed in
telligence and patriotism to shame.
Berlin is as large metrop-
| OILS as New York yet
the entire cost of her city government is
| less than the interest which New York
annually pays on her municipal debt.
| Political jebbery and dishonesty are not
|
| from one limit to the other beautiful
and we'll ordered city.
| With unaccountable stupidity the vir-
tuous and intelligent citizens of America
divide themselves into antagonistic par
| ties on matters which inherently have
nothing to do with politics, and then in
their petty sqnabbles for pelf and power,
| sell themselves to the saloon and surren-
| der the government to the slums.
| The call of the hour in all the cities of
| our land is that municipal government
shall be conducted on business princi-
| pies. A discerning official under the last
administration in our fair city declared
| that Portland could govern itself for one
| half the present expense, were its affairs
administered on business principles.
We spend 100000 on our streets and
| have little or nothing to show for 1t. We
run, under the name of Liquor Agency,
a public saloon and on the plea of me-
the public conscience and debauch the
people. Portland is one of the best gov
erned and most delightful cities of it's
sizeA in the world, yet the current
of events for several years has
indicated the proximity of the
political ''boss'' and that without speedy
REFORM we also must surrender to the
owls which menace fine other cities of
orr land. PARTY politics in municipal
affairs Are curse. They make eoono-
INV. civil service reform. and business
like mefhods impossible. We may well
take lesson from lands across the sea.
The Right Hon. Joseph Chamberlain. one
of the most eminent and scholarly mem
bers of the British Parliament, has re-
Gently made careful study of the COM
Itch and American cities His statistics
ara official. For fine sake of fair comnar-
;son he contrasts Birminoham with Rns-
ton whose populations Are nearly the
can,e ,,.nosne between 400 000 and 450 :
non
Tho oene,raI mnnicinaI oovernnent of
Rirmin0han costs annually 1925. 000. of
Roston sdds a0C. tba nolica danartn,ant
&c +ba ono $40 5ol. nf tha otber Il oo7 f00
nnhIic works snch as DRAINAGE and tbe
para of straats. IN tha fo,r,er s7o5 ono.
in the latter 81 il54 o0o In Rirmin@ham
tbe Total ' annpe,l cost nf government Is
e 6ss oan. in Roston $40 194 600 This
immense differe3ace is dine. to the differ
ence between husipess-like methods Of
| administration and boss politics. The
cost of Government in the one hundred
| LARGEST American cities is Sl6.77 to the
individual: in Birmingham $3.50
in Roston Soa u. in Portland s21 In
Enoland snch inunicinai servants as
town clerk civ snrvevor' citv treasurer
chief Of tba noi;ce etc are nermanent
officiaIs rs some If them have been in
service MOVE HAN thirty Years Lord
chamberlain saws that their personal
honor their tr,lstworthiness their fideIi-
tv TO their nnhlic enpagements are a
national nossassiolo and Source If nride
and satisfaction to ali interested in the
welfare Of orr ;nstitutions To snhsti.
tnte far sncb ciass-so distinonished
81 faithful and 60 absolutely honest and
incorrnntibleN nl1mher of casual occu-
nants If nosts FOR which thew have no
sufficient nnal;tication and in which thew
have M in Newest eTcent to till their own
nocl1ets wo1,ld he IA disastrous revolu-
Hon J, He Save fnrther that the idea that
Maid mnnicinal Office should he fine snort
IF successf,,i roI;t,c5ans is to an English
man utterly ahborres1t ssIt is an unwrit-
ten law that No na;d official shall take an
active nart in nal;t;SaI contests, - Those
who become aped ar infirm in GOVERN
ment emnloy .ra ,,,sovided for nv ada
onate nensions This svstem innarts