The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-05-30
Good Citizens Gathering
Third National Conference of NUM-
.. cipal Rcformcrs.
CONVENTION AT CLEVELAND
Many Distinguished Citizens Are Present.
President Carter's Speech - Officers
Arc Re. .Electcd-Secrctnry Wood.
Tuff's Report Received.

ference for good municipal govern
ment. it being also the first annual con-
ference of the National Municipal
league was held in the chamber of COM
merce rooms this afternoon. 1t was
perhaps the most notable gathering of
men ever held In this city for the sole
purpose of devising ways and means
tor the better government of munich
pal corporations. The motive drawing
these men together Is purely to pro-
mote honest and economical municipal
administration.
Cartcr's Speech.
| The annual address of James c. Carter,
of New York. president OF the league,
| opened with statement that the third OF
| the general conferences OF the Municipal
league of the United States began with
| the whole problem of municipal improve
| ment undergoing process OF develop
| ment. He dlsclaimed that the members of
| the league were theorists assembled TO
speculate concerning the abstract pr.nci-
| pies upon which municipal or otner gov
ernment is founded" That 1t is practi-
| cally impossible to have In any city n
municipal! government superior in char
| acter to the prevailing standards of NOR
! ulity and honesty. was admitted, but he
continued. I'VE aim 70 form Il sober and
reasonable estimate of what in the present
condition of'humar nature is possible, and
to employ the natural and proper means
| to carry that estimate into effect
Mr. Carter dwelt upon the municipal
| degradation" which has compelled the or
| ganiZation OF municipal leagues and urged
his co-workers to give their first attention
to study of the right line of action. Mr.
Carter diagnosed the disease of the body
polite for which the league seeks a cure,
as municipal maladministration. a pecu-
| liar political malady affecting municipal
| governments, and rot elsewhere found
| and affecting only some of them.'
The following tribute was paid to boss
| ism: THE alliances made between the
national parties and the municipal exploit
ers of votes are in their inception. motive
and operation necessarily corrupt and
| almost without limit. They cannot be
carried on in any manner which admits
of publicity, and they therefore require
the Intervention of that peculiar person
age known in machine politics as the
boss" All forms of lying. fraud and de-
ception are committed without shame in
prosecuting them, the practice of one vir-
tue only being requisite. that which is
known as honor among thieves A GER
tain measure of good faith must be kept
with each other. of course; otherwise the
game could not be played Under this
system the municipal machine must have
awarded to 1t the entire control Of the
municipal government with its revenues.
The trust upon which this vast power is
thus committed to them Is to make that
government and its revenues productive
of votes In the party, and the understood
reward is that after the party has been
served or while it Is being served, the ma
n!pulators Of the machine may employ the
power for their personal and private en-
richment and advantage. The conse-
quences are Inevitable and such as we
find anywhere, where the system Is fully
developed Every office is disposed of to
such person as will make himself most
efficient in getting out the vote at cleo
tons. The price paid for this fidelity Is
permission to betray duty, to receive
wages and salary for something not done.
Votes manufactured are as good as votes
actually cast, and to facilitate the manu-
facture, the machinery Of elections Is
placed under the control Of those who will
not hesitate to prostitute It, AT the same
time, the power thus gained Is exploited
for the private enrichment Of those who
hold 1t. In short, the qualifications of all
fitness for the performance of their public
duties, are the capacity and willingness
to betray them"
The Real Disease Located.
Continuing Mr.. Carter said: IT think
we have now reached the end of our search
for the real disease. 1t is the alliance be-
tween the national political parties and
the corrupt manipulators of the ignorant.
the unthinking and vicious mult!tudes
who crowd our cities
The speaker told of the recent cxpe-
Renee In New York" detailing the over
throw Of Tammany Hall, and the election
of Mayor Strong by municipal non-parti-
sans. The discussion Of remedies" was
briefly entered into and but little faith
was expressed In legislation as q remedy
because corrupt officials will not execute
the laws, however wise they may be. In
stead of legislation the control of the
electoral machinery was advocated, for by
this means honest and copable officials
may be secured. Four methods OF reform
aimed directly at the real malady, were
discussed: Excluding the purchasable
vote from the enjoyment Of suffrage; a
vice rules a suggestion that all good citi-
zens diligently labor inside their party
organizations for the nomination OF the
best candidates for municipal offices and
then give them their entire party strength,
so that the two great parties may thus
engage in rivalry to see which, by best
administration Of municipal affairs, shall
obtain popular favor: and the enforcement
of municipal from national politics. Mr.
Carter treated each OF the four subjects
exhaustively and concluded" look upon
the destruction OF the corrupt alliance be-
tween the national parties and the manip-
ulators of the voting power In the cities
rot only as necessary to the redemption
of municipal administration, but as the
first, most important and effective step In
q
tional parties beyond the reach Of the
worst corruptions. infuse into them new
spirit and enable them to better perform
their true functions"
Among the delegates who were in
their seats when President Carter
of New York, called the convention to
order were many of the most famous
men in the country In their line of re-
form work. President Carter was loud
ly applauded. He called for the report
of the secretary, Clinton Rogers Wood
ruff of Philadelphia.
The report was enthusiastically re-
ceived and filed. The nominating COM
mbttee reported unanimously in favor
Of the reelection OF the following off,
GERS:
President, j. c. Carter, New York;
vice-presidents. Charles Richardson,
Philadelphia, and Samuel B. Capon,
Boston; secretary, G. II. Woodruff,
Philadelphia; treasurer, George Burn
ham, jr.
In the evening a mass meeting was
held In the First Methodist Episcopal
church. Wilson M. Day. president Of
the chamber OF commerce, presided
President j. c. Carter read his annual
report. Addresses based upon the re-
form work in their respective cities
were made by Charles A. Bonaparte, of
Baltimore, and Herbert Welsh, Of Phila-