Omaha daily bee., 1903-04-19
Frank e. Moores--The Poor Mans Mayor

quent occasions the ONCE was packed with
such applicants and one night 1t became
necessary to throw open the doors OF the
adjoining court room to accommodate the
crowd. That the motive in all this was
unselfish is best attested by the fact that
the great majority OF those who we're taxi
ing out their papers we're known to intend
Identifying themselves with the democratic
party instead OF under Moores' standard
An antagOnistic board OF county commits
sioners, determined to undermine him po-
ltically, began refusing payment of claims
be sent down and when he retaliated by
holding fees collected as a setoff they
raised the cry Of embezzlement which has
since been regularly brushed up for cam
paign purposes and as regularly discredited
by the public after the matter was aired in
the courts and Moores shown to have acted
practically in self-defense.
While he was clerk and though the Office
was then a fee Office and consequently all
salaries paid from his own pocket, he gave
higher wages than the county is now pay
ing. In addition he opened his private
purse during the daye of financial distress
and II is asserted by deputy in his ONCE
at that time, paid out an average Of $50
per day for the relief of the poor and the
temporarily embarrassed, some of whom he
some with money in hand
When he became mayor his purse strings
hung as loosely as before. His of1ce has
been and is still the preferred mecca of the
needy, though possibly the climax came less
than a week ago when he was asked by a
caller to stand good" for bottle of
Peruna. The mayor STOOD good" The
gentle art of turning people down" he has
not mastered-and doesn't appear to care
to. 81 had rather be an easy mark he has
confessed than miss helping little when
l should" Nor is 1t in small ways only
that he aids. When Galveston was devas-
tated he led in the work of securing relief.
The $500 sent by Omaha was raised and
despatched so early that this city was
among the very first to contribute.
Let no one infer from all this, however,
that Mayor Frank e. Moores has not the
stamina to say mo" when he thinks he
should. The city council has been shown
otherwise by his persistent demand for
economy In municipal affairs, made patent
by the more than 200 vetoes he has placed
upon measures II has enacted and sent up
to him for final approval
This has made him enemies and some OF
them have been both clamorous and In
fuential. The corporations controlling To-
cal public utilities have brought unavail-
ing pressure to bear against him because
he seemed to them to be too stringent In
his requirements. other enemies date bach
to his unforgiven defeat of Broatch and al
these disaffected factions have combined
into one common opposition that made itt
stand at the recent primaries and. being
defeated bolted the convention, later nom
mating Erastus A. Benson to run agains
him. 1t means a three cornered fight fol
success at the election May s, but Mayor
Moores seems little disturbed and even les
inclined to retract
'I like politics." he said in an inter
view yesterday, "and 1 like the excite
ment of a good fight and a brisk campaign
though l intend this one to be quiet ant
with little demonstration. Probably hav
as many lively skirmishes as any office
holder in Omaha and find a grim sort o
pleasure in them. But l always abide b.
the decision OF the majority and neve
bolted a convention or a ticket My igh
always is in the primaries and l supper
what ever ticket my party presents to me
"As for machines ! consider then
necessary in politics as the best means o
making party principles effective. part
cannot get along without one. No grea
national victory ever was achieved withou
such organization. II you doubt me, as
Senator Hanna"
Assuming that you will be reelected
what would you like to accomplish durin
your next term?" the mayor was asked.
''Well there are many things I would llk
to do but mayor isn't king you know
and cannot expect the accomplishment Q
all he would like"
Suppose you were king. what woul
you do?"
The captain laughed That's quee