The herald., 1897-01-15
THE "PUSH" AT OUTS
One Feature Of the Charter Particularly
Obnoxions
By Chance 1t Is One of the Features
That Receives Strong Approval
From Non-Partisans.

The push" Is very much exercised in
mind. The nondescript entity known
popularity as the push" is made up Of
many individuals of varying intellectual
capacity. station in life and wealth, but
is bound together by common purpose
to feed at the public crib. or as an
humble member yesterday expressed
himself, "to snavel the simoleons."
And now all these good fellows are
suffering from perturbation of spirit,
and all on account of the new charter.
The machinery provided by the amend
ments to the charter are really three in
number. First, endowing the mayor
with power to appoint the heads of the
several departments, subject to the
challenge of the city council; second,
the election of the councilman at large
and not by ward, and third, by making
all minor appoin tlnents under civil ser
vice rules
The push" objects to these features
of the new charter. individually and col
lectively, and were it rot for these three
features the new charter might pass
muster as being a very good one. But
if there is one provision more objection
able than another it is the second one
mentioned, that provides that council
men shall be elected by the city at large
and no longer by wards.
What does the city know about the
needs of my ward?" enormously inquiries
the ward politician. "and what right
have they to override the wishes of the
people in my ward?" The fact that in
asmuch as each councilman legislates
for the city-that is for all the wards
and not merely for his own-so the city
as a whole should have something to say
as to who should be returned. never
occurs to the ward politician. Or If It
does he preterds that 1t does not, and
1t amounts to the same thing in the
end
By the elections at large of councilmen
the city is assured of representation by
men whose minds and desires are not
bounded by the boundaries of their re-
spective wards. If the respective par
ties in each ward will put good men in
nomination for the office all win be well;
If they 90 not it is extremely proba BILE
that the citizens at large Will help them
to made a creditable selection by chooS-
ing a man that will be a credit to his
ward and to the city But this is what
breaks the heart-or for what passes as
such-of the professional politician. To
line up his men, move them like checkers
on a checkerboard, manipulate the votes
and pull down his share of the spoil
is as the breath of his nostrils to the
ward boss. And now his greatness mus
disappear ard he simmer down to the
outward guise of a most ordinary citi-
zen.
But what is condslnned by the push
is that which is receiving especial ap-
proval from citizens at large. To clothe
the mayor with appointive authority
and then hold him responsible is busi-
nesslike and proper; to have men in the
council pledged to administer the affairs
of the city in broad-guage way, and
not be pulling and hauling each man for
his ward is what is desired; and last
but by no means least, the civil service
rule will insure the rank ard file of the
citys service being made up of men no:
putting in their time falling over one
another in their attempt to placate the
head Of the department ard win his
favor, but devoted to the work of their
office, resting secure in the knowledge
that they cannot be removed by anyone
save for dereliction of duty.