The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-06-10
Weekly Letter on
Municipal affairs
1.-the Great Civic Uprising.

~ HERE Is civic revolution now in progrcs
| in the United States, the Importance ant
L proportion OF which arc not fully arpro
| riatcd. f,cm thc Atlantic to the Pacific
| and from the Gicat Lakes TO the Gulf, in ever,
| city of importance. besides many Of the smaller
| ores. munioipsl leagues. clubs or associations o
| some sort are carrying on reforms, but not undc
| the guisc of reform movement. The so'callec
| reform movements arc still under the auspo"
| uf sclf.appointcd rcfnrncrs. who have little il
| common with these practical efforts OF business
| men to establish the civic affairs Of their towns
| upon business basis.
| For example. the Merchants Association %
| New York city has been the prime mover il
| this work and mauy OF tho Efforts in other citic
! have been planned after the New York organza
| tion. Although the New York association la:
been most efficient yet by far its greatest achieve
mcnt was the overthrow of thr proposed Ranapc
| steal, which. but Tor its timely fight. wouI'
| have saddlcd q debt of more than 500 900. .0Of
| upon the city
Comptroller Bind $. Coler was the first 10 dis
cover the animus of the promoters Of this gieanti,
scheme, but it was wholly due to the stiff tga;
rut up hy the Merchants Association that tic
! measure was defeated. IT cost over $4,000 &c
| conduct th" campaign, $4,000 of which WIS
| advanced by President William +. King, and
| morths OF free labor by a score of the mos,
enthusiastic members of the association
At the present writing. this remarkable OF
eanization OF business men is maturing plans :ol
| :, most thorough ovelhauiinC OF the municipal
| accounting of the city. This will involve the cS
| pcndturc OF tens Of thousands of dollars, trc
| nendous anovnt Of labor cXcnding period
| Of several years before its completion and a
| large amount Of new legislation. As an iustIa
tion of the need OF the latter, of the more than
50, 900 which annually paid for salaries
alone in New York city. fully So per cent. Of
that amount is made absolutely necessary hy
| mandatory legislation. That per cent, OF course,
could not be saved to the city by the enactment
of good laws. hut Comptroller Colcr maintains
that several millions OF annual expense would
he saved by the repeal Of these mandatory meas
urcs.
Tile Merchants Association Of New York city
is doing more toward hrinsiEs; about perman-
emily better state of civic affairs than are all
the reform organizations combined, including the
City club and the Good Government clubs. 1t
works along purely nonpartisan lines.
Tie Merchants Association Of San Francisco.
California, was patterned after the New York
organization. the officers OF the California or
| eanization making a "trip across the continen.
| for that express purpose and spending weeks in
tho city iamilarizing themselves with the work
| ings OF this model association. That the work in
san Francisco has been successful is to put the
case mildly. for it has transformed that city
| from one OF the wolst ruled in the world to one
of the best in the United States. While there
| is still opportunity for improvement. yet it is
not possible for the 'obbcrs" and political heel
crS TO work the city as they used to. 1t is in'
iinitely cleaner, both politically and physically,
| than it was five wears ago.
Regardless OF all statements to tho contrary.
the city OF Chicago is slowly emerging from a
| political thraldGm of the most unsavory char
| accr The Civic Federation OF that city was
| responsible for the formation OF the Municipal
Voters League. a scm.busincss mems organizi-
| ton, which has so transformed the Board OF
Aldermen and Council that now Chicago can
boast of having the ccanest municipal assembly
in tho country 1t is greatly to the credit OF tho
Windy City, that the days for the passage OF
"~nakc" legislation and ior corrupt methods in
the disposition oi street railway franchises arc
past it is to be hoped forever.
Even conservative Philadelphia is making sub
| stantia progress toward better things, although,
it is largely due TO the work Of the Municipal
League, which is more Of reform organization
| than the Voters, League Of Chicago. Its work
at the last November election. Notwithstanding
the strongly partisan character OF its voters, and
| the fact that ii VAS presidential wear. Rcpnh.
lcan majority OF more than 1lj,0O0 tor president
was reduced 10 about 1900 ior the city treasurer
This league has also performed notable work
in uncarthing election frauds. The present agita'
ton ior improved election laws and for an i'm.
provcmcnt in the election system had its origin
in tho leagues fo,ccfnl ardignment OF existing
evils and in the bills which it introduced in the
| legislature 1t has not been wholly successful in
avoiding all bad civic legislation for in spite OF
il, best cndcayor the ''ripper" legislation, al.
fccing the cities ol the second class was passed
and signed by the governor. Althoucn the matter
WAS taken TO the courts and strong fight made
to show that it was unconstitutional. the Su.
p,on,c court of PENNSYLVANIA has declared the law
constitutional which is severe defeat for better
civic affairs in Penusylyania
The best governed civ in The United States l.,
one of the smaller citics-Cambriduc. Mass. II
has the euyi,ble reputation of being the only
civ in the United States where il is not necessary
10 ..rrease" the way before a bill Of goods can
h, sold by n contractor. IL j. the universal tc,ti.
mony Of contractors that they do not ha IN
nav even a small discount 10 obt ain their money
at Tho end of thilty DAYS. One CONTRACTOR who
sold several thonsand dollars worth Of goods 10
thc ,itv for tho first linn, recently MAS 81 sur.
nrised to find tho business methodS in vogue that
he remarked to a friend. swell | s,mposc !
Shall have 10 divyy nm when / mesent nv bilI
in order 10 get nv money ON time - But, 10 hi,
unbranded anazemcnt when h, rather ,nyiousIv