The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-09-20
MUNICIPAL REFORMERS
ANNUAL CONVENTION OF MAYORS
AND OTHER CITY OFFICERS.
President Blacks Address-Toledo
Jones ON "The New Patriotism, .
Golden Rule Government"

SYRACUSE, n. Y, Sept. 19.-The third
annual convention of the League Of Amer
lean municipalities opened here to-day with
four hundred delegates in attendance.
Mayor Mcclure. of Syracuse, made the ad-
dress of welcome for the city. Governor
Roosevelt, who was to have delivered the
address of welcome for the State. tele-
graphed that he could not be present. For
mer Mayor Samuel l.. Black, of Columbus.
o., president of the league, responded TO
the address of welcome.
In his annual address President Black
said: I'VE are not here TO lose ourselves in
obstruse and abstract speculations. Our
purpose is a sternly practical one. We
deal with human life; we seek to prolong
ito suffer II to run its natural course,
unchecked and u~nhampered by disease. We
aim to work this out by disposing of such
severely practical questions as garbage dis
posal, water supply, civil service reform.
saloon regulations and similar measures.
Neither the physician nor the minister of
the gospel go before us in the humanitarian
character of their work. If we and others
working along the same lines can increase
the general average of the health and hap
piness of the millions who dwell In cities.
we nave gained a victory compared to
WHICH lut CSl ~ VI a hN0N "a ~ 80
is as nothing. Since the last meeting of this
league our people nave been called upon to
undertake or at least to regulate the gov
eminent of cities in new countries. and in
Havana, Santiago, Manila and other cities
OF the East and West Indies our vigorous
soldiers and administrators are enforcing
the first principle of our municipal sys-
tems-cleanliness and order"
At the afternoon session President Black
made a change in the programme and In
troduced Mayor Jones. of Toledo. who was
to speak tomorrow, but who is compelled
to leave tonight for Ohio. to continue his
campaign for the governorship on the nom
partisan ticket. Al of the delegates were
in their places when Mayor Jones began
his address on the New Patriotism-a
Golden Rule government" He said In part:
las 1t stands to-day. 1T is simple candor
to say that the word patriotism Is TO most
people q meaningless jingle. the one con-
ception they have of the thing being ASSOC
ciated with red fire. bunting. flags. fire.
crackers and Fourth of July The new pa
triotism, however, is the old patriotism.
The flag, the stars and stripes. still repre-
sent the love of millions, but we have been
so busy in the chase after wealth that any
just conception of patriotism is well nigh
lost in the hurly-burly of the scramble. We
have reached the point where we are dis,
covering that wild beast ethics are not good
and enduring republic. fhe ethics OF the
wild beast, the survival OF the strongest,
~shrewdest and the meaneSt ave oeen the
inspiration of our materialistic lives during
the last quarter of a century. This TACT
In our national history has brought US to-
suits. We have a nation in which a few are
wealthy, a few are In what may be called
comfortable circumstances, vast numbers
are propertyless, and millions are In pau
perism and crime. Certainly no reasonable
person will contend that this Is the goal
that we have been struggnng Ior' mat me
poor represent the ideas that the founders
of this Republic saw when they wrote that
'all men are created equal. And the new
patriotism is the love OF the millions that
is already planning for and opening the way
10 better things, TO a condition OF life un-
der this government, when every child born
i'm it viii have equal opportunity with every
other child TO live the best possible kind of
Ills th IikelT ne to or con ahs Gsn to ay Srlns Tns a sseps
the better days and better times. for which
We all long, are 10 my mind those things
that will unity the people. that Will serve
to weld them together into one common
mass, those things that will help them TO
understand the oneness or solidarity OF So
hindrance to this sort of development are
all those agencies that serve TO separate
the people into Fragments; that keep alive
the fires OF hatred within their bosom and
tend TO make them hate rather than love
each other All these agencies are the enc
mics OF progress anS liberty, and stand d.
rectly athwart the path OF freedom. Chief
among them, and the one agency above all
others that the patriot should seek TO over
come In the municipality. the state and the
nation, ere partisan politics."
The remainder OF the afternoons session
was given up TO papers and discussions on
the Collection and Disposal of Garbage.
j. J. Williams. mayor OF Memphis, Tenn:
II. j. Gonden. educator OF city government
New York: DR.. William c. Woodward
health officer OF Washington. and David p.
Wheelan, of Richmond. 1nd.. discussed the
question. Mr.. Wheelan presented interest.
Ing facts concerning It, disposal