The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-12-07

Endeavor Union, and the pastors of
the several churches, but it has since
broadened its scope, and admits to
membership all who are interested in
good city government, and it has un-
dertaken the formation of Ward
Councils. The Good Citizenship
League of Salt Lake City, Utah, and
the Good Citizenship Federation of
Racine, Wis, are working in the same
direction; but the Indiana and In
dianapolis Leagues represent, like
the Newark Union, an enlarged
Christian Endeavor activity in behalf
OF better government.
The City Club of New York has
been an influential factor in all New
York movements, but until the organ
ization of the City Club of Troy, N. Y,
had had no imitators. It is a social
club of the advocates of good city
government. 1t has served as rally
ing ground and a meeting place for
all interested in the overthrow of
Tammany. Under its fostering care
the Good Government clubs have
sprung into existence. It has held
frequent meetings to discuss the i'm
portant questions of the hour, and it's
committees have done effective work
through carefully prepared reports.
1t has been a social club, and as such
has achieved success; but it has
been something more 1t has been
fountain head from which have
sprung many of the most successful
moves in the campaign that defeated
the Tammany powers. The City Club
of Troy has been organized ito en-
courage and promote social inter-
course among persons interested in
good municipal government, and es-
pecially in the good government of
Troy" The Advance Club of Provi-
dence, r. l., belongs in the same class
with these two clubs.
Thus far we, hav, writte4 only of
the organization designed for perma-
nent work, but substantial gains have
been made by temporary organiza-
tions like the now justly famous New
York Committee of Seventy. We find
Committee of Ninety five organized
in Philadelphia during the recent
municipal campaign; a Committee of
Fifty in Albany, N. Y; Committee
of One Hundred in Camden, N. j.; in
Portland, Ore, and Pueblo, COL, and
Committees of Public Safety in Troy,
n. Y, and st. Louis. All of these
bodies have been brought into exis-
tence by exceptional and extraordi-
nary conditions, and to accomplish
coalition and "pull all together"
some one definite result, especially
demanded by the crises calling them
into being. Some, after the special
campaign or election for which they
were organized, have quietly dissolv-
ed, or adjourned to hold themselves
in readiness for the next public
emergency; others, like the Camden
Committee, propose to remain in the
field and attempt the formation of
permanent body.
Women are coming to the front,
both through associations of their
own, like the Women's Health Pro-
tective Associations, Women's clubs,
the Philadelphia Civic Club and the
New York Civic League; and through
co operation with the men in organi-
cations like the Chicago Civic FEEDER
alton, they are contributing much to-
ward the solution of our American
municipal problems; but as there are
few committees in which women have
the right of suffrage, their efforts
have thus far be9n directed to educa-
tional work and to careful scrutiny
of the details of municipal house
keeping, task for the accomplish
ment of which they have exceptional
capacity. In this field of endeavor,
wherever their activities have been
properly and persistently directed,
they have met with encouraging re-
suits.
This summary consideration of
American municipal reform bodies
and review of their distinguishing
features has developed that munich
pal reformers are quite generally
agreed that many of our evils of city
government are due, first, to the in
trusion of national and State partisan
ship into the consideration of munich
pal affairs; second, the lack of
appreciation on the part of the aver
age American citizen that his citizen
ship has duties, as we'll as privileges,
attached to it; third, the very general
prevalence of the spoils systems and
the utilization of municipal offices,