The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-02-05
OUR BOSTON LETTER
Municipal Printing Office Is an
Assured Thing.

Municipal Printing Office Is an
Assured Thing.
Marks the Tendency Toward More ca
eral Municipal Control-Ct7il Service
Reform as 1t Really Is-Enormus
Expenses of Great City-Meat and
Fish For Public Institutions-Th Dog
and Horse Shows In the Amusement
World
Boston Is going into the printing bust
ness. The vote to do so has been record
ed and the mayor is duly authorized to
buy the material, presses, ETC., and to
start the ball in motion without delay.
Boston has a great deal of printing to
be done annually and the bills paid for
that class Of work have been large in the
past. Whether the new idea will result in
a saving is problematical. IF the bust
ness can be run on a business basis, kept
out of political strife and away from
the political pull it Will prove q great
money saving innovation, but that it can
be so conducted is doubted by everybody
who knows how our affairs are man
aged You cannot get ON to the street
cleaning force without influence, and
job in the municipal printing office will
be a plum politicians will not let escape
them.
+
The new idea is significant another
way. II makes a tendency CIR growth
toward the nunfcipal control idea ad-
vacated bv the SOCIALISTS. II Boston can
do her PRINTING why should she not do
her own li;,,.t.aero II her lighting why
nor control I..,. C,,,.p street eai lines build
her p1ib,;c b}Ii-di,,gs bv Gav labor, etc,
etcp TIC nrinciI,aI once established is
certain to fail bv its VIC ie.Elt or go forward
is good To1, Tostnn. ,,bv rot for other
cities and towns. and if GOOD for them
Uhv not for + ne u,r,,;.e SAGE and for the
general oovararnant? This NAV he look
inc forward iratea6 Of Looking Back
ward -, brt the surcass mr. failure of
tho ci+t, ,,rintin. ,,.ant NAV mean n7uch
In tho oear f,,4,,ra va viii al watch for
ros,,l+e r-.
II. ,--..
If will ba in+erasting to watch the
s+rIi,rtrIa that will occnr hienniaI1v If
not onnuou,, fo, ,,1aooe in tho nav, ci+v
denar+ment Favoritism is sure TO he
charged and a change in the political
complexion of the city government will
~. = - $50
elsewhere BOSTON is a great Mace TO
talk civil service reform. but. as in other
places in Massachusetts a friend at
court counts when it comes to getting a
lob. IT is almost Iaughable to hear men
preach civil service while they are strug-
Cling every day and night to secure fat
snap for some fellow worker who will do
them a good turn whenever occasion Of
fers. A civil service that removes some
other fellow to make a place for friend
is the kind that really has force here.
The genuine article in practice is that
which makes it possible at a dinner in
Boston in January to point out every
gentleman who will hold prominent
place in this state under the next ad- /
ministration, which does not come into
power till March next. EVERYBODY likes
Colonel Thomas, George A. Mafden ana
George Ii. Lyman ana the others' whose
names are firmly written on the political
slate, ana most VIII agree that they are
deserving anu capable, out the deserV-
ing point of 1t all comes from the fact
that they have been active in politics (
because they are politicians.
OF course the advocates and support
ers of a municipal printing office expect
that the idea when once in force will
save the city money, and they are JUS
titled in their action, for the city needs
to save The expenses are constantly
and it is very hard to put on
the brakes when once the movement is
that way 4 dollar spent in one locality
means an application for like amount
in numerous others, and there is a howl
if the demand is not granted. A city is a
great deal like a house in some respects. .
If YOU ever commenced to fix up a part
of your residence, you soon found that
the remaining portion had to be touched
up also, to correspond, and YOU got no
peace of mind till the whole building was