The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-19
MUNICIPAL REFORM MO-
MENTS.
MOVE

Some one who favors the non-par-
tisan movement writes the News as fell
lows:
Salt Lake City, Utah, Sept. IS, 1897.
To the Editor:
Judging from the vaporings of the
enemies of the municipal reform move
ment one would think that the gentle
men engaged in the move were plot
ting against the liberties of the people
and trying some unheard-of and dis
reputable plan to change the ordinary
political government of cities. Instead
of this being the case, we are quite
behind the times in moving for reform
in municipal management. This is
question that has been agftated in
many of the leading cities for many
years. and numerous efforts have been
made to emancipate municipal affairs
from the grasp of the politician,
In Europe this has been accom-
plished with very gratifying results in
several of the larger cities In this
country rapid progress is being made
in this direction, and the public con-
science is being awakened to the ne
cesSity Of a change, so that in a num-
Der of cafes there are organizations at
work on lines similar to those followed
by the citizens committee here.
herewith hand you a partial list Of
cities so engaged, with the names of
the organizations participating in the
work. In some cities there is but lit
tie opposition to the movement, and
in all the opposition comes from the
politicians. Your readers can judge
whether this opposition arises out of
a concern for the welfare of the city
or CT the political parties.
Boston, Municipal League.
Providence Municipal League.
Not
pal association.
Cambridge, Mass, Library Hall as
ISOLATION.
Semerville, Mass, Municipal League.
Greater New York, Citizens Union,
Good Government club, Vigilance
League.
Buffalo. Good Government club.
Rochester Good Government club.
Philadelphia, Municipal League.
Wilmington, Del, Charter Commits
sion.
Baltimore
Richfeld, Va. Democratic League for
Good Government.
Toledo, o.
Cincinnati.
Chicago, civic Federation, Municipal
Voters League.
Milwaukee, Municipal League.
Duluth, Municipal Reform League.
Denver, Civic Federation.
Louisville, KY, Good Government
club.
The gentleman who writes thus does
some considerable vaporing himself,
while he doesn't advance a single ar
gument in favor of the method pursued
by those directing the non partisan
movement in this city. Being 50 we'll
versed in non partisan literature it is
somewhat remarkable that he is not
aware of, or does not cite, the fact
that there is a municipal league in our
own city, whose objects are substan-
TALLY the same as those of the various
leagues cited by him. The Municipal
league in this city, we believe has
never been asked to take any part in
inaugurating the great non partisan
reform movement Why it was not is
a matter of much conjecture
The gentleman who furnished the
above list to the News no doubt in
tended to convey to the readers of that
paper the idea that in all the cities
named by him a movement similar to
the one in this city is in progress. In
not one OF them is the same method
pursued that is being pursued in this
city; in moi one of them have num-
her Of gentlemen as a league or club
or committee gotten together and as
sumed to name ticket without any
consultation of the people; the non
partisan committees course in this re-
spect is absolutely unique. In the
cities named the various organizations
mentioned as in favor of reform in
municipal government do: not proceed
along the lines of an oligarchy as is
being done in this city by the non par
tisans.
Can the gentleman who is so well
versed in municipal reform literature