The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-04-06

CORPORATIONS IN CITY POLITICS.
The recent municipal elections brought
to the front two possible presidential can
didates-Carter Harrison in Chicago and
Tom l.. Johnson in Cleveland. The latter
is already an avowed aspirant for the
Office, and made his race for mayor openly
as a first stepping-stone towards securing
the nomination of his party. Mayor Har-
rison is not yet an avowed aspirant, but he
does not discourage the use of his name in
that connection and evidently feels the first
buzzing Of the bee. With fair and clean
political methods it would be a great honor
TO be three times elected mayor of a great
city like Chicago. and in spite of all that
may be said it does undoubtedly give a man
considerable political prestige. Harrison
and Johnson are both men of ability. as
modern politicians go. and both are IN
scrupulous politicians. Neither of them is
the kind of man that the people would
naturally turn TO or willingly take up for
President or Vice President. or that intelli-
gent Americans would like to see elected to
either of those high offices. They belong
to the class of schemers who make a study
Of politics without knowing or caring any
thing about craftsmanship. and who ex-
pect to succeed by fooIing the people rather
than by serving them in any useful way.
1t is n curious coincidence that both of
these men owed their election largely TO
their attitude on the street-railroad ques-
ton in their respective cities. Carter Har-
rfcon u-ac oIoo+oI IorOoIx- looa,ca Of hic
alleged or pretended opposition to granting
long franchises. and Tom Johnson to his
specious advocacy of a three-cent fare.
There is no similarity in their positions ex-
cept that they both serve to call attention
to the growing influence of quasi public
corporations in municipal politics. 1t would
be interesting to know how many other
municipal elections turned largely on the
same issue. Here are two mayors of large
and important cities, both avowed or posi-
BILE candidates for President, who made
effective use of the street-railroad question
in their respective candidates., and it is
probable If the truth were known that the
same question figured in some form in a
score Of other city elections. In short. the
influence of quasi public corporations in
municipal politics is becoming one of the
important questions of the time. 1t is
bigger than a mans hand already and
threatens in time to overshadow the whole
population makes cities an important fac
tor i'm our elections. Municipal elections
are always important to the cities in which
they occur, and they derive additional i'm
portance from the leverage they afford for
controlling national politics. There are
several States whose vote in state and ma
tional elections is controlled by that of one
or two large cities. If these cities are in
turn controlled by an alliance of street.
railroad magnates and political bosses cleo
tons may become a farce. Corporations
have very little conscience in any respect,
but in politics they are utterly unscrupu-
lous. Street-railroad companies are like
steam railroad companies. All parties are
alike to them so they carry their points.
AS between Republican and Democratic
government it is only a question with them
which party can be most easily and sue
.cessfully worked" Honest men of all
parties are opposed to boss rule in cities,
but that is exactly what street-railway
and gas and electric light companies de-
sire. AS municipal politics are now con-
Quoted in all large cities political bosses
and public corporations are natural allies.
They gravitate towards each other as
naturally as water run down hill. Each
is useful to the other. Given an alliance
between a w-ell-organized political machine
and an unscrupulcus corporation and you
have a combination that is almost beyond
the power of the people to break. The evil
is a serious one already and growing more
so. 1t has not been many years since there
was not a street railroad in the United
States: now they enter largely into the
politics of all our cities. In'some cities they
are by their alliance with political bosses
the controlling power. The evil is one that
even now calls for reform, and it will grow
worse as time passes until some remedy is
applied.
MERIT SYSTEM IN THE SERVICE.