The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-09-20
GARBAGE THE THEME
Of the League of American
municipalities.
MAYOR JONES IS HEARD
In a Speech WaiIfuI of Other
Folks Ignorance.
MAYOR JONES is HEARD

annual convention Oh the League OIL AnleA-
lean Municipalities opened here today
with 400 delegates in attendance, and
many more are expected to arrive dur
ing the day Mayor Mcclure Of Syracuse
made the address Of welcome to the city.
Governor Roosevelt, who was to have
made the address Of welcome to the state.
telegraphed that he could not be present.
Former Mayor Samuel L. Black Of Co
Iumbus, o., presidetn of the League, re-
sponded to the address Of welcome.
In his annual address President Black
said: 1--WE are not here to lose ourselves
in abstruse and abstract speculations.
Our purpose is a sternly practical one.
We deal with human life; we seek to pro-
long ito suffer it TO run its natural
course unchecked and unhampered by
disease. We aim to work out this by dis
posing Of such severely practical ques-
lions as garbage disposal water supply,
civil service reform, saloon regulations
and similar measures.
Neither the physician nor the minister
of the gospel go before Us in the humani-
tartan character of their work. If we and
others working along this line can in
crease the general average health and
happiness of the millions who dwell in
cities we have gained a victory comp4'ed
to which the destruction of a fleet or an
army is as nothing. Since the last meet
ing Of thins lague our people have been
called upon to undertake, or at least to
regulate, the government Of cities in new
countries, and in Havana, Santiago, Ma
Mia and other cities of the East and
West Indies our vigorous soldiers and ad-
ministrators are enforcing the first prin-
ciples of our municipal systems-clean-
illness and order. Whatever plans are
proposed and whatever hopes we indulge,
the bulk Of our voters are not educated
upon municipal affairs and are not in
formed of the advantages they can Sc
cure by proper exercise of their suf-
frages. The voter should be taughth
what he can secure by intelligent voting.
This must be done by the object lesson
and example Of other cities where so
much has been done for the public at
large. Tell the voters what to vote for
and put your example in the concrete
At the afternoon session President
Blask made a change in the program and
introduced Mayor Jones of Toledo, who
was to speak tomorrow, but who was
compelled to leave tonight for Ohio, to
continue his campaign for the governor
ship on the non-partisan ticket All of
the delegates were in their places when
Mayor Jones began his address on "The
New Patriotism: a Golden Rule Govern
ment" He said:
'As it stands today, 1t is simple can
dor to say that the word patriotism is
to most people a meaningless Jingle, the
one conception they have of the thing
being associated with red fire, bunting
flags, f1recrackers and the Fourth of
July. The new patriotism, however, is
the old patriotism. The flag. the Stars
and Stripes, still represent the love of
millions, but we have been so busy in
the chase after wealth that any just con-
ception of patriotism Is well nigh lost in
the hurly-burly of the scramble.
We have reached the point where we
are discovering that wild beast ethics
are not good enough upon which to build
a permanent and enduring republic The
ethics Of the wild beast, the survival OF
the strongest, shrewdest and meanest,
have been the inspiration Of our mater
ialistic lives during the last quarter of a
century. This fact, in our natural his
tory, has brought US today face to face
with the inivitable result We have a
nation in which a few are wealthy. a few
are in what might be called comfortable
circumstances. vast numbers are proper
tyless. and millions are in paurenism and
crime. Certainly, no serious and reasona-
BILE person will contend that this is the
goal that we have been struggling for:
that the inequalities that characterize
our rich and poor represent the ideas
that the founders of this republic saw
when they wrote all men are created
equal And the new patriotism is the
love Of the millions that is already plan
ming for and opening the way to better
things, to a condition OF life under this
government, when every child born in It
viii have equal opportunity with every
other child to live the best possible kind
Of life that he or she can live.
The steps most likely to contribute to
bringing about the better days and better
times for which We all long. are. TO nv
mind. those things that viii unity the neo-
pie, that VIII serve 10 weld them together
into one common mass. those things that
VIII help them TO understand the one
ness, or solidarity Of society and the things
that are the greatest hindranCe TO this
sort Of development are al those agencies
that serve to separate the people into
fragments. that keep alive the fires OF
hatred within their bosoms and tend 70
make them hate rather than to love each
other All these agencies are the enemies
a progress and liberty, and stand direct
~ athwart the path Of freedom. CHEZ
among them, and the one agency above
all others that the patriot should seek u
in the municipality. ne state
and the nation. IS partisan politics"
Following Mayor Jones, the secretary
and treasurer made their annual renorts
after which the question box was opened
for he receipt OF queries CT subjects per-
tanning 70 municipal government
Secretary g. r GiklSou stated in his
annual report that although tie League
Of American Municipalities vas but TWO
ypea1s q age, l. had on is membership
rolls cities representing about ole-s.xth
Of the entire population @ the United
States At the date OF his lazt roper.
August Il. lssS. the lsagne had a mem
hership q = cities; since chen g. cities
have been added 10 membership The
bureau received during the year - Spe-
cal -a-.a-a ~ I-,--L--- --,a.l.-. - -------.