The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-02-02
and mind their business--or words to
that effect.
Wary af pnliticiauS

and mind their business--or words tc
that effect.
Wary of Politicians.
Il speak of all this because too much
consideration cannot be given to the
matter of working with an eye single
to one end. lit Is impossible Ito do two
things at the same time and half dc
either of them. And there is nothing
that has come nearer to making us
profane Chat is, the clerical members
of our society than the attempt to
import into the crusade political and
partisan considerations. Whatever ad.
vances We have made In my own city
we have arrived at the point-at least
the rank and file of our citizens have
where we want THE administration kept
untouched by the taint Of politicians
There is no Republican and no Demo
crat dn the ten commandments; no Re-
publican and no Democrat in business
So that politics ds as much an imperti-
nence in the honorable conduct of a
municipality as in the honorable and
successful administration of bank
or mandatory. New York will never
be administered honestly, economically
and effectively until 1t is swept clean
of politics and politicians. And the
same Is true of Chicago and every other
city.
Our movement, then, has had nc
partisanship In 1t and no sectarianism
in 1t. An all round man Is bigger than
either party and the decalogue Is as
broadas Professionalism, Catholicism and
Judaism, all placed alongside of each
other. You will not eliminate munich
pal corruption till you decide that the
exclusive qualifications for official posi-
tions are intelligence, adaptedness and
honesty. Such condition of things
would be purgatory to the politician
and chronic crucifixion to the bosses.
But 1t is meat, drink and no end OF
dessert ITO the rest of us.
when it came time to make up the
states last summer, the party leaders
beat their drums till the ground shook
and the party organs worked theii
diapasons till the sea roared, but the
people called them down and ground
their heel into all political fooling
and our new mayor proposes to run
NEW IoIh dS lt 'Wouiu uii uhy '''NA
business-in the interests Of decency
and the stockholders
Probe Needed, Rather Than Plaster.
I'm the material from various
sources that has come into my hands
to be used as pointers in shaping my
address to you this evening, considera'
BILE has been said about 'elevating the
tone of your community. There Is
something in that way of phrasine
things that is liable to be misleading
The first thing you have to do is not tc
elevate but to tear down, and rip tt
pieces; you will have ITO bore into youi
city council, riddle your police force
put your police courts into the crimina
box and let daylight clear through youl
assessors office. 'Elevating the tone
does not quite touch it. So far as car
learn. you have no tone that Is worth
elevating. 1t is like our police force
that is to be reorganized. l tell oul
people that they cannot reorganiZe rot
When modification has begun to sci
I'm. the most considerate thing that car
be done is to hand the remains over tc
the offices of the undertaken.
II am not counselling on your par
any procedure different from the on'
we have been ourselves prosecuting
The first step toward putting up
building Is to dig down-to eXcavate
Architecture is of no account until yol
have touched solid bottom. Under ex
listing circumstances, therefore, l bet
Of you not to talk Of 'elevatng YOU
tone Drop it. OF course, all of thi'
performance will create a stencil. Well
we know out our way what stencil is
We have had the moral sewers of ou
municipality open now about three
years, and metaphorically speaking
during the past six months we have de
pended on surface drainage exclusive
ly; and l have sometimes feared tina
when we come to breathe pure ali
again the shock of the change will b'
so great as to asphyXiate us. But it Il
your only way out. Better make thor
ough work of it than to play the dilet
tante with 1t and do 1t in installments
Popular Heart Must DC Touched.
"While of course this enterprise will
best be prosecuted by a limited numbe
on the principle that the auger need
to be smallest at the point where it en-
ters, yet it is a matter wherein yo'
need the backing Of all classes SO fas
as you can get 1t. Let me caution yo'
to make your movement comprehen
siye enough to win the confidence ant
support of every stratum of society
,-tt ,l,,I ,lat. hos nc
pices l am privileged to speak tonight
is made up of men who are eminentl.
respectable-so l am told; and you have
l believe, other semi-political organiza
tions of similar character. We d.
not want to disparage 'respectability
Il am using the word now with quota
tion marks-but too much respectable
ity in lump is fatal in a communit.
as composite as yours. You will hav
to touch the popular heart or you will
fail.
"Our success in New York was du
to the fact that our movement wa
learned to be also in the interests of tn
poor, the distressed and of those VIII
were born, or whose parents We're born
on the other side of the sea-in Ger
many, Italy, Poland, Russia; and
was the votes of that class of peopl
that made victory possible last Novem
ber If you are going to win the heart
of these people you will have to go int
1t as a matter of heart and not merel.
as a matter of policy. You understan,
that it Is the poor as well as the ricl
that are suffering from the presen
situation and you will draw them from
bad alliances by demonstrating to then
the practical advantage that will ac
crue to them from contracting alliance
that are better. If you will persuad
them not only that what you are Il
pursuit of Is city that is more decent
but city that will be more comfort
able for all classes Of people to live in
a city whose more economical admins
tration will reduce taxes. and a cit
where the taxes will be so assessed tha
paying the tax commissioner or hi