Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-09-13
POsTOFFICE BUILDING.
SEPTEMBER Is. 1888
JCEBE1,Y IN CITY GovERNMEN,

JCI:BEItY IN CITY COVER NM .NT
The disc osurc of the Eamapo w;lt...
scheme in New York has called rnr,ai
many able contributions to "mu:licii,:li
government" literature. Official Ioi,-
berry is 80 prevalent in the large, .=...e.
ana the subject is OF such vital I'M
pcrtance to every municipality that w~
venture to reproduce. 1T some length
an editorial from the savannah Morn
ing News which contains some Sound
counsel for urban citizans. 1t is as fol-
lows:
That eternal viGilence is the price uf
honesty in municipal government is
We'll as OF liberty has been freshly IL
lustrated in the case Of the Raiuai'a
water job in New York. And the vlg!-
lance must be On the part Of the rso-
pie, without any reliance upon the h on-
esty of purpose of any opposing politi
cal organizations Indeed. in the else
OF the Ram apo business it appears tiiat
the rival pclitl,al forces. While bitt.iiS
opposed 70 each other noninally, Wri's
actually working together in the 800.
deal Win o View Of mutual profits. Tie
leaders of the two parties either p-o-
cured or permitted the bill making ,t!r
contract 10 he passed, ANA except fur
the exposure Of the job through tic
diSintereSted newspaper press and tie
prompt acli{n Of the outraged people.
the grab Involving the expenditures II
millions Of dollars of the peoples lrlulln,
for the benefit Of the politicians ,vi.u
engineered tn" deal, woull! have been
fastened upon the municipality. Far il
Is 4 fn,esol:e conclusion that ii WAS the
purpose Of the politicians II anrlGn
themselves in contracts and privilcg $.
Schemes 81 q similar nature. that is
schemes having for their purpose t!.a
expenditure Of puhlic money iGr 1he
benefit Of politicians, have ceased TO !,e
a novelty in New York. They a..
known also in Chicago Philadelphia
and other large cities ana in most Of
Ike smaller ones. The problem If nor
est municipal government, is ors. Of Ne
greatest that now cOnfronts This oot,r:-
try. 1t seems that it il extremely t:f-
ficuli 10 get the right sort Of mon 10
enter City politics or To- set them eject
cd 70 office W;l"n they have consan, "a
from a SENSE Of public duty, 10 ;crv,,i
municipal nominations Ifhc trouble Is
that he pc oplc DO not think much on
city affairs while they 60 pay attention
70 the Sperious speeches and proIc:;ii-
tons q t'r masogucs and hctiers wllo
are in pol les for personal profit ;ic-
casionaily q party Of reformers vii, 30
organized end make successful at
tack upln CHE office holders; and As
soon as the rcformers have captured
the offices hey become about as bad 4;
If not worse chan those whom they s::c-
ceeacl in oustinS
In municilal affairs in a majority VI
instances II seems to be the whole i;U.-
p5se Of those in power tn concncl ana
put through schemes To get their finger,
into the taxpayers pockets ana to X, Ell
themselves III power. New offices ana
being continually created. new ioui,!i..
works are frund to b.. necessary ard
new reasons for pi!ing on the taxes ara
always IN order The people are always
promised retrenchnrnt and raior,n.
which never come to make real ;hs.ir
vague hopes w..
"a wise old philosopher eulogizcti dis
trust as q safeguard of democrlcirs.
Except for the public dstrust Of the
New York political bosses the I,a!1l:,;po
job would haze gone through 4 cr,.-
tain amounc CT distrust is necessary to
pubic vigilance and to the purity Of
politics. ] is the bank employee Or Of
1iciai whose accounts; are never chec!l:y.
because the directors have implicit
confidence in him that raids th:. insti-
1utions funds: and the average bank
employe is Of higher moral character
th:tn 1Ee average ward politician. We
40 no; mean - say, or course. that al
Of those VINO enter politics are to be (i.-
trusted as individuals. There are good
men in politics and it should be the con-
slant endea vor Of those Who love good
government to incrrase the nun1DrI OF
such men. but we 90 mean to say tina,
in about every municipal political or
ganiZation. or machine, there are those
who would not hesitate 10 use any no
5itcal means available ic get bubble
money into their own pockets; and de-
cause Of the presence Of that element
IT becomes necessary to distrust ana
watch the whole machine
There doesn't appear to he any par
~ ,easn,, y,nv TTncln C.r, ..h~,,,,