The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-05-16

country today They are the great dis
tributors of thought. They WELD pro-
digious influence. The best public schools
are there. The great universities and col
city. The press also finds it's largest life
and best support in the great city. There
| also are the chief centers of moral force
and activity. The great churches, too,
are there, and the great charities and
philanthropies. The American city! 1t
is the best and it is the worst; it is the
shame and it is the glory of our modern
civilization: In it the crucial battle is
" be, fought. 1t is glorious thing to
BYE In the city. if you recognize the
fact that the city is a Waterloo, and as
the victory goes this field. SO goes
the destiny of the nation and the world
The Kingdom of Babylon could not sur
vive the downfall of Babylon: the King
dom of PhoeniciN could not survive the
corruption of Tyre and Sidon; the Ro-
man Empire could not survive the decay
of the imperial city of Rome. The United
States of America will not survive it's
cities. In its cities the battle for JUS
tice, for purity. for the Kingdom of God,
is to be fought Do you ask what is
needed to be done in the present crisis?
l answer: First, we need to awaken our
selves to a realization of the exigencies
of the hour. Public opinion is the puri-
fler of the social and political atmo-
sphere. In democratic government it
is the court of the last resort; but in
our day public opinion must be whipped
and goaded into action. 1t is divided be-
tween spasms of virtue and periods of
dull inaction. 1t does not bestir itself
until abuse becomes intolerable; and the
people lind themselves in danger of be-
ing bound hand and foot by the worst
and lowest elements that center in the
boodling politicians of a thoroughly cor
rupt municipal government The people
near the cry of woe, woe. in their ears,
but they are sleepy. They yawn and
take a nap; and then they turn over and
time to find that they have been robbed.
and with the vile stencil of political cor
rupuon in their nostrils. Then under the
call of some Parkhurst they arouse
themselves then to lay tardy blows on the
backs of official rogueS and thieves and
evil-doers. The spasm of virtue is very
acute for time, but it soon wears itself
out. 1t is a fire of straw. Our modern
city ringsters are far more baleful than
the robber barons of the middle ages In
principle they are the same. Their meth
DDS may differ. but the amount of plum
der is greatly in favor of the modern
spoilSman. The decent populace is q
huge, inert CULVER, bound by the chains
of boodling pigmies. Occasionally he
shakes himself and the pigmes come to
grief; but again he lies down and snores
loudly, poor, stupid creature! And his
clever active enemies have tied him
mere closely than before, while they pro-
ceed TO pare his nails and rifle his pock-
cts. we need to be aroused to steady,
persistent effort. What can we do?
We can give our sympathy and COOP
Grafton to those who demand the enact
ment and execution of just and righteous
laws. Is it true that magistrates in our
American cities wink at criminals? Is II
true that laws which are for the preser,
walton and reformation of morals in our
city cannot be executed? Is it true that
city ofhcials refuse to investigate abuses
and eXclaim in derision What are YOU
gong to do about it?' Where is the pub
nc sentiment of the community? Sails
are OF no use upon a ship if they hang
without wind; and laws are of no use
in a community if they do not have the
Wlnd OF public sentiment to press them
forward TO execution. GU may depend
upon 1t that whenever magistrates wink
al the violation of law the fault is not
SO mucn IN them as in the community
t thau puts Us, them in office and keeps them
tnere. Ihey would not dare to 90 il
alone; they represent too well the aver
age sentiment of the community where
they are: We do not realize the great
pc ssibilities that there are in combina-
tlon Tor good. Combinations have been
mighty in politics, in finance. in trusts,
among the money kings, among the can
tains of industry. These peonle undep-
stand the secret of organization fTba
moral clement in the community must
learn now to organize. 1t must study
the methods of the enemy. If, as a CITY.
we are padly governed in the future thai
is before us, we have only ourselves to
unank- III there are men good and com
highest end. whom have we to blame bnt
our own indifferent, party-bound selves
I, II We'd we DO not put them in office? When
1t comes to municipal affairs no mon 10,
right to vote for the Republjcan nart1,
or for the Democratic party. or for re" any nv;
6 6 party; the one duty resting upon
has n rs t rgbt to % vote for the city He
or to work for anything else OF 10 n1t
Iorth his influence for ANYTHING else
SeI no cares whether we have Democratic
sewerage, or Republican stretched ming
or Popuiist sidewalks? What we Want r.
IhoLest' efhc1ent management of the citv's
larger housekeeping. The great funda9
cities, is purity against impuritu A bour
sly against corruption. temperance