The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1896-08-02

which has favors and franchises to ask
or maintain. This is made up of active.
keen, dominating men, whose private
interests In certain part:s ulars al least
are directly opposed to those of the pub
lie. What they lose In their bartering
with the public the public gains; what
they gain the public loses. These men
may profit when the government is
weak; when 1t is honest and efficient,
they lose the tremendous advantage
which their personal force, their pro-
fessed standing as active promoters OF
the public good, and their ready liberal
ity give them over the weak and pliable
time-servers and self-seekers who fill
so many of the offices. 1t is hard to ex-
agEerate this phase of our weakness. 1t
has been said by those situated so as to
be able to judge. that nine-tenths of the
corruption of municipal government
arises from the cajolng, the threats and
brides in some form, at the hands of the
large corporate interests which exist in
every city. This class contains many
leading and influential men, whose
voices are heard and whose presence is
felt in every assemblage. When their
selfish and personal ambitions do not
yield to the claims of high and patriotic
citizenship, they naturally oppose any
movement for a betterment of city af-
fairs, though often insidiously, while af-
fecting sympathy and support.
Seventh-These difficulties are often
aggravated by vicious or mistaken leg
slation. which makes the exercise of
public duties by citizens embarrassing
or irksome. and therefore discouraging
and deterring. In our own city the
method of making nominations is so I'M
fortunate that the politicians. even
though comparatively few in number,
have every advantage over the ordinary
citizen.
We all have seen something similar
to the experience of George William
Curtis. Once upon a time, animated
with patriotic zeal, he went to the eau
Gus to do his duty as an American citi-
zen. He was cordially welcomed and
commended. He was listened to with
marked courtesy and interest, and his
fervid exhortation to those present to
cast aside selfish and personal ends for
the public veal, and aid in choosing
good men for the ticket was wildly APP
plauded. To show their entire sympathy
with the sentiments expressed, the meet
| ing made Mr.. Curtis chairman of the
| committee on nominations the other
| two members deferred to everything
| that Mr.. Curtis said; they asked his
| opinion of the various names under con-
sideration; he was not acquainted with
! the names. but he recognized the earn
| est effort of his colleagues to arrange a
| list of names which should accord with
| the ideas which he had expressed in the
| meeting; and he himself reported the
| names selected. The nominations were
unanimously adopted, Mr. Curtis
| friends voting for the names because he
| reported them, and presumably the
| others at the caucus, either knew the
| nominees or had confidence in the other
| members of the committee. The meet
| ing adjourned. everybody bein pleased,
and Mr.. Curtis rejoicing that personal
contact with his fellow citizens was a
| pleasure as well as duty since 1t tend
| ed tn 10 a tu IF al
| wranging. and to correct the prejudice
| against neighbors who chance to be en-
| gagged in politics and who are probably
| much vilifed and slandered by a vicious,
partisan press. With the coming of
| morning he discovered that the ticket
he had helped to nominate contained the
| names of some of the corruptest of the
| ringsters. and was altogether the worst
| ticket put up of years; and the papers
| emphasized the fact that he and his
friends had taken an active part in the
meeting and that the choice was I'M
| animous.
Eighth-Another common illustra ton
OF the embarrassment from existing
laws is seen where the duties of an office
are indefinite, and where there is a di-
| vided responsibility
RESULT OF REFORM MOVEMENTS.
While difficulties attend these efforts,
| they are not insIlrponl1ntah}esn Mith.the
1 ,f
qUr instance. Pittsburg, in 1895, investi-
gated 1890 complaints concerning side
walks, instructions and nuisances. and
| succeeded in correcting about three
fourths. Cambridge, Mass, endorsed
eleven aldermen. of whom nine were
| elected; they endorsed twenty members
| or council, of whom eighteen were elect
ed; five school committeeman. and all
were elected. Boston prevented the
| improper settlement of suits against
| boodlers and defeated objectional meas
| ures in the Legislature; reduced the
| price of the electric light service and
succeeded in having buried overhead
wires. Philadelphia fought the street
| car company to the supreme court.
| compelled them to use improved nave,
| ments and recovered from them several
| hundred thousand dollars Brighton. N.
D., convicted twenty offenders of the
| election law; Galesburg, ILL.,. convicted
eleVen Keepers of gambling houses,
stopped the sale of liquor on Sunday and
compelled the removal of screens from
the doors of saloons. Cincinnati sent TO
the penitentary eight or ten men, some
OF them prominent officials of the CITY.
Tor fraudulent administration or viola
tlon or the election laws Chicago. in
1884 indicted fifty men for violation of
election laws, and so far has convicted
twenty-one. They also secured the re-
HioVdl OF over lO00 OF the 400 Judges and
clerks of the election for incompetencv.
their greatest triumph was the procur
ing OF civil service laws for the CITY. And
New York overthrow the most vicious
and arrogant herd of political buccan-
GERS which any city has ever known
Ihese movements all emphasize the
truth That 1T is not so much the method
IN detail as 1T is the character and action
or the citizens behind the movement
their earnestness their intelligent an
probation of the work they are under
taking, their resolution, grit and per-
slstency in carrying 1t out.
ATTITUDE TO OFFICIALS
Ihese movements show that munich
pal reform is possible, and thew give
many hints of the method to be adopted
Whatever the plan, it should be concil-
latory as far as possible. At Pittsbure
a large part of the success was due to
the friendly attitude toward the officials
VINO usually corrected wrongs when
thelr attention was drawn to them. IT
should be assumed that the office hold
ers are, as they should be, in sympathy
with the effort for good government
Ihey should be made to know that
while they do their duty they have ap-
probation and support There should
be solicitous discrimination between
conscientious officials and those who are
negligent and corrupt; no official should
be attacked until he has had the fullest
chance to explain his acts and to correct
the abuse complained of. Human ma
ture is prone to complain; disappoint-