The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-11-16
Report of Secretary
Woodruff.
Sessions of League Continue
Until Friday.


Municipal league, and the seventh ma
tional conference for good city govern
ment, opened here today. Over $50 city
officials and municipal authorities from
oil over the country were present, The
report of the secretary, Clinton woodruff
,f Philadelphia, came first In the proceed
ings.
linton Rogers Woodruff, secretary Of
the league, submitted the following re-
port Of the operations Of the league dur
ing ths past year:
"If one were asked to characterize tn,
distinguishing feature OF the growth and
development Of public interest in munich
pal government, In the period covered by
the existence Of the National Municipal
League, he would be entitled to reply,
Continuous and uninterrupted progress.
Each year find the preparation OF this
annual review OF municipal happenings
an increasingly difficult tack, not because
OF any lack of material, byt because OF Its
inorea sing abundance. II l were to men.
ton each municipal achievement Of the
past year should unduly extend the
limits of my review. Indeed, 1t IL impos-
isble to do more than refer to the more
important, and to that end In very gen.
eral way touch upon the general features
only.
s'Statistics will not tell the story Of our
activity. We might speak of the number
of meetings helo. of the amount Of litera-
ture Issued, OF the number Of newspaper
notices reoei we'd, and yet come far short
of EXPIRE ssing in any ads quats sense TINS
impression which our conferences, our
publications, our literature have pro-
duced Even II Wa went 50 far as TO
point to the organizations which have
been formed and .he work wEich tney
telling the whole truth, simply because
we are dealing with q natter SO subtle
and s, difiiouis OF exact determination
that figures fail to give us any adequate
| Impression CONCERNING L. The League
stands pre-eminently for consideration
of municipal questions separate and
apart from State or national politics. IL
Is coming to be more generally recognized
than ever before, rs q result OF the agfta-
ton persisteDtly maintained by tine
League and Is upwards OF one hundred
AFFILIATED organic atoms. that state and
national politics should have no part In
municipal affairs"
MIR. Woodruff cited rumber Of In
stances to show that this principle is Sc
curing recognition. In April last BATH
more elected Mayor bscauss he repre-
| sented the idea. Mayor Jones. OF Toledo,
was elected because his candidacy repre-
sented the pre-eminency OF municipal
affairs, and in Chicago the reelection OF
Mayor Carter Harrison Is ascrihed not to
HE participation in State and national
politics, but to the fact that he represen t.
ed definite stand upon definite local
| question. Secretary Woodruff continues;
"Hand In hand with the movement 10
divorce municipal questions from State
and national questions is that for the
Introduction of the merit systsm. The
spoils system and national partisAnshtp
| In municipal matters go hand In hand.
| ! ha elimination Of the spells system
mt ans the elimination of rational partis-
anship In municipal affairs. The spoils
partisan recognizes this and devotes his
| force and energy to combating the intro
duotion of the merit system; but despite
| bis efforts, his subtlety and chicanery tn g
movement for civil service reform In our
| IN un CAPABILITIES goes steadily forward and
is making substantial headway. .he ex-
perience In New York state. IN San
Francisco and In Chicago, all point to
one conolusion-that the people when
they have a chance to express ihsir opin-
ION are in favor OF the merit system. and
that the politicians whenever they have
an opportunity viii do all that lies with
In their power TO retard Its progress
There has been no abatement In the
movement for cha rter reform throughout
the country. 1t has gone steadily on;
succeeding here, failing for the present
there. only 20 be followed by still more
vigorous efforts.
There has been no more substantial in
dication OF the growing public interest In
| municipal problems than the discussion
| during the part year Of the question OF
municipal ownership, control and opera
ton of municipal franchises. At the
Detroit meeting of the League Of Ameri-
can Municipalities the sentiment OF the
was upqualihedly In favor Of the munici.
pal ownership, control and operation of
| the principal municipal franchises.
Since that time the whole question has
| been discussed with degree OF care
and thoroughnsss that indicates beyond
question that the people are thinking on
the subject, and thinking with View to
determining once and for all the funda-
mental policy involved
| In speakng of sui st sntiai services In
the cause Of good government rendered by
city officials In office, Secretary Woodruff
speaks highly OF Mayor Quincy, Of Bos-
| ton, and Of Comptroller Coler, of Greater
| New York, He says; "The charter of
Greater New York makes the Comptroller
| m official or extraordinary powers and
responsibility. When 1t Is recalled that
the disbursements of New York city In
1898 amounted to sl3s, COO. 90 some slight
conception of the importance of this
1 Office may ha had. That Mr.. Colsr has
so administered the enormous powers
and the diversified duties Of his office as
to meet with the general approval of his
| fellow-citizens and municipal students
generally, is Of itself an enviable accom-
| piIshment. But he has done more than
this. His prompt and efficient action has
preserved the credit Of the city and saved
| 1t from the clutch of grasping syndi-
cate OF money lenders. But above all and
| beyond all he deserves credit for the
courageous stand he has taken IN behalf
of the continued municipal ownership