The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-05-06
NATIONAL GOO COOS
Municipal Reform League
Begins It's Session Today
in Baltimore.
METHODS OF GOVERNMENT DESIRED


| BALTIMORE, May 6, 1896. Many WELL
known political reformers. engaged in an
effort to improve the present methods of
| governing municipalities, met in the AS
sembly room OF Music Hall this afternoon
and opened the annual conference of the
National Municipal League The sessions
will continue until Friday evening. Dele
| gates from all parts of the country were
4 present
| Mr.. James c. Garter of New York, one
OF the country's leading jurists, is Presi-
| dent of the League He presided over the
sessions today. He Is an enthusiastic be-
| lever in the organiza ton and predicts
many beneficial results in the near future
| Clinton Rogers Woodruff. secretary of
1 the League, seemed to confirm Mr.. Car
ter's sanguine view, as he called attention
! to the list of able and distinguished
| speakers who will for the next three days
discuss the municipal condition of the
leading cities with a view of correcting
the evils of their respective governments
Among the number who win make ad-
dresses or read papers are Mayor Pin
| gree, of Detroit, Mich: Mayor John Boyd
Thatcher,t of Albany, N. Y; Colonel
| George e. Waring, of New York; Merritt
Starr, of Chicago; Thomas L. johnson,
| of Cleveland, and many others equally as
| well known.
! The first address of the day was made
| by Secretary Woodruff He reviewed the
years work in municipal reform, saying,
| in part
"A year ago we took occasion to felici-
I tate ourselves upon the great advance
that had been made by the cause of
municipal reform during the preceding
decade; and especially since the organiz-
alton of the National Municipal League
at the Philadelphia conference for Good
City Government, where the leading
| workers of the various local bodies met
for an exchange of ideas and expert
ences. At the present meeting we may
be permitted to felicitate ourselves upon
the fact that this great cause in which
we, who are here gathered, are specially
interested, has not only held its own,
/ but has maintained the rate of progress
sion which year ago was regarded as
/ marvellous and unprecedented IN reform
work.
sIt seems to be settled definitely that
4 the movement for good government has
4 come to stay. For a time it appeared to
many to be Of spasmodic and temporary
| character. Now, however, that the first
/ stages have been successfully passed, and
| the numerous, organizations which sprang
1 up with mushroom rapidity settling
1 down to steady and conscientious en-
/ deayor, we must revive our judgment.
We cannot escape the conclusion that the
| necessity for municipal reform is SO gen.
eral, 80 urgent, so emphatic that these
| reform bodies, although in many in
stances hastily organized, cannot retire
| or the work they represent.
In comparing this years roll of mem-
/ bership with those of 1894 and 1895, Mr..
Woodruff stated that in the North Allan
4 tic group in 1894 there were n organiZa-
tions; in. 1896. 70, and in 1885, 121; an in
! this despite the fact that the good citi-
zens Of New York, because of a differ
/ ence of opinion as to minor details, per-
| mitted division of their forces in the
face of the, enemy, and thereby enabled
/ the latter to gain a victory, which, al
| though not very rich in offices, was of
considerable Importance in the way of
| prestige.
In the South Atlantic States there were
| two organizations in 1884, both to be
distributed among three States and il, in
4 1896, II in five States. The Northern Cen
ra statss f Il in 7lSs 1ss4 bad ID to their credit
In the Southern Central States in
1894, there was not a reform Organization.
In 1895, however, there were seven, and
1 strenuously, and with a. sngleness of
/ purpose toward securing betterment
| of civic affairs In the Western group
| the one OF two years ago grew into the
! OF 1896
New York State still maintains its
| lead. 1t has 40 municipal reform organi-
| cations within it's borders, New Jersey
| following with 2S and Pennsylvania with
| L. Ohio with Is, Illinois with 13 and
WIS Wisconsin ,,n a. and California with z each,
| ado have 10 each Massachusetts, Mary
land and Minnesota each.
Mr.. Charles Morris Howard Secretary
of the Baltimore Reform League, made a
| very interesting address on the recent
revolt in Baltimore, its results and its
4 lessons.
"Gorman-Rasin ring which he called a
cailouS and unscrupulous machine-the
1 most compact and best disciplined in the
country against which there had been
| position won in 1875 and 1885, it was
not permitted to enjoy their victory Last
| fall, however, the machines power was
weakened by the immense number of de-
fections from 1.-THE Democratic party
! "caused by Senator Germans treacher-
| GUS course in the United tSates Senate
and the practical politician and spokesman
was reiegated to the rear. "The leaders
/ in the losing cause relied apparently on
their latent ability to have counted the
requisite number of votes, and showed
| little anxiety as to any other aspect of
| the campaign IF the surprising result of
vincing the politicians that fraud and
/ brute force alone will not determine
elections, it will be worth what it cost"
"The work of the Ohio State Board of
| Commerce., was the subject of paper
| by Thomas l.. johnson, Secretary of the
| Civic Federation of Cleveland, Ohio Mr..
Johnson criticized the custom which had
grown up of enacting laws to fit certain
| conditions contrary to the Constitution of
| the State.
Following this Mr. Merritt Starr read
! a paper on "Chicago Since the Adoption
! Of Municipal Reform"
|