The record-union., 1899-12-16
THE MUNICIPAL PROBLEM.

THE MUNICIPAL PROBLEM.
Mayor Snow of Oakland, in address
Ing the League Of California Municipal
tiles on Wednesday, said. in the course
OF his speech, that ''to be an officer in
many cities Is to have honor mixed
with opprobrium. The loud election
day acclaim is soon changed to looks
OF vexation and surprise" That is
truedn a large sense, and we fear more
generally than many suppose. But
wherewer true the fault Hes with the
municipal officer. If he awakens the
anger of the lawless and the con-
sctenceless he Is to be congratulated.
No man ever did that who did not have
the admiration and applause Of the law
abiding and the high minded, and Of
all whpse good will Is worth cultivat-
ing. Il he discharges his duty faith
fully and fearlessly, even if in some
things his lights are insufficient or mis-
leading he can rest assured that the
NAL Judgment OF the people will be in
his. favor
It he arouses the animosity of low
down politicians, tricksters political
traders and wire pullers because he
does his duty as the law commands,
and the best interest of1he municipal
ity direct, he has nothing to fear. Sura-
~ political punishment, if the vicious
Influences apply it. is nothing to such
g man. The difficulty indicsted by
Mayor Shows remarks is In the weak
and ienoble effort of so many municipal
officers to satisfy the people at large
and at the same time keep in favor
with the political element which have
regard only for their own interests and
power.
In municipal government 1t is impos-
sible to run with the hare and hunt
with the. hounds. A man must choose
between the forces he will serve: there
can be no divided allegiance in this
matter Mr.. Snow suggests opposition
comes to the conscientious municipal
official and reformer, not always from
the vicious and constituencies and
those whose sole aim is to make munic-
pial treasures objects of loot and
municipal regulations means to low,
selfish ends, but from those also who
are disappointed because more is not
accomplished than Is possible, and
rrrI< 10
out of jealousy.
That Ia true, and it Is chief reason
for choosing municipal officers with suf-
fcient moral balance, firm judgment and
profound conviction of duty to stand
against friends as we'll as foes, to dis
charge the trusts committed to them
with the eye single to duty-doing and
the moral and material uplift of the
community. This is not demanding too
much 1t is not insistence upon an or
der of courage that Is rare. There is
plenty of it, but the difficulty resides
in enIfsting it officially in municipal re-
forms.
There are men in plenty with moral
and physical courage sufficient for the
need to effect every betterment neces-
sary in the governmnt Of our cities,
within say a half generation of time.
But that they are difficult to enlist in
such work is conceded. And the rea-
son for this lies with the people. for
after all every community gets about
the kind Of local government 1t de-
serves, since If it suffers under any
municipal Ill, it is within the capacity
Of the voting citizens to apply the
remedies. It is in evidence that this
has been done by communities and not
so infrequently as to make the cases
notably exceptional. Mayor Snow is
right in his concluding expressions,
1.-THE citizen Is King. Long live the
King. The city is his. 1t will always
be what he chooses to make it:''
l. hof Ia