The St. Louis Republic., 1903-04-23
POLITICS VS.. REFORM.

The Doodle City Council and the bood,e House of
Delegates. both Of which hourished up two years
ago, were Republican In the Council the combine
completely Republican; in the House the combine had
Republican majority and 4 Democratic minority
The present Council is entirely Democratic and its
tegrty and ability are not and cannot be assaed The
present reform House consists of twenty-five Demo
Gratis, five Republicans and one Independent.
This. in brief, is the political complexion OF two
Municipal Assemblies the notorious for corruption
and the other esteemed for its efforts at reform-re-
form that reaches even into the House where reform
was almost unexpected and where reform would have
been utterly impossible If any improvement depended
on the newspaper organs Of the Republican machine
That this House is better and that it has done better
and that it has promising are facts apparent
to all observsnt citizens.
Good citizens have tried TO keep purely partisan
struggles out of the effort toward a municipal St
Louis. But If infatuated organs insist on making
party comparisons and propose slander Democrats
OF every kind. beginning with the Mayor they must
abide by the result of the challenge.
The Fontana combine, representing the Butler ele-
ment. was beaten in the organization of the new
House OF Delegates yesterday" says the Globe by
the three Republican votes of Lakeland. BIrge and
Hammersteir and the of Block. independent"
Ii should have added, but did not that the reform
unit was subjected 10 the probability of defeat
through alliance with the Fontana combine of two
Republican machine Delegates, Weeke and witthoefrt
whose election the Globe ardently urged
And, since the Globe is playing politics against
municipal betterment. 1t should have reverted to
Weeke's official connection as Sergeantat-Arms with
the Republican Doodle House. and witthoefrt's able
service as ward-worker for the Zegenhein gang II
should have published recent editorials showing that
1t tried to persuade the Republican that weeke
and Witthoeft, who are members of the "Fontana
of in tha
should have Informed the voters that opposed the
election of William A Block the Independent whose
vote really decided the House organization
st Louis has suffered great injury through fbe
Globes treachery TO the city. it's feay 10 partisan
gangsters and its unscrupuousness in fighting pro-
gressTe movements that it might curry favor with
the machine to which grovels The Republic has in
sisted that the welfare of the municipality is above
party interests and has lived up this principle by
giving praise. when praise due faithful Repub-
iican public servants, and in supporting as 1t did in
the last local election the best nominees for the House
irrespective of politics =
Especially at the present time is the Globe autac-
onzing the reform movement and endeavoring 10 de-
feat plans for improvement by favorng petty political
schemes in preference 10 policies for advancement
This attempt disrupt reform party In the Hotse
is only of the many manifestations Of that papers
lack of civic pride and its inability to deliver Itself
from the machines yoke.
The reform so far accomplished in the House has
been accomplished in the only possible under
the ward system of representation; and that is ly de-
rarture the part OF clean Delegates from partisan
lines Reform was opposed by eleven Democratic and
two Republican Delegates; it brought about nv
eleven Democratic, three Republican and one Inde
pendent Delegate.
The Republic Democratic paper cannot be
sorry that the Globe gives the Republican party credit
for the improved organization Of the House for the
Globe thereby makes its party responsible for weeke
and Witthoet and for the Republican combine of mast