The Indianapolis journal., 1903-06-15

good intentions Is entirely competent to
successfully manage the affairs Of great
municipal corporation, with its housand
and one details requiring special knowl-
edge. not much of the details themselves
as of the peculiar fitness of particular men
to handle them.
Mr.. Hitz has been moderately successful
I'm both the baking and the commission
business. Yet, If he were to be elected and
give upN the management of his private
business, it is not believed he would employ
as manager some other man because he had
been a successful manufacturer of clothing,
or builder of houses, not even IL that man
came to him with the promise that he
would manufacture pies at the lowest pos
sible cost and sell them before they got
stale. and would buy vegetables and fruits
cheap and sell them dear. 1t requires
special knowledge to do these things.
How much study has Mr.. Hitz given to
municipal affairs, and how well would he
handle them? He knows about what the
people want, but that is easy. We have no
assurance that he knows enough about
either municipal affairs men to select
boards that will manage affairs well. A
business administration, economy. enforce
ment OF the law, efficient fire and police de-
partments. low taxes, abolition of grade
crossings and fuel gas arrangement that
will please everybody-an these points
on which practically everybody will agree
as good things. How to get them is the
question.
On only two points does Mr.. Hitz an
nounce definite programme. These are his
fourth and fifth planks. which read thus:
shall instruct the Board of Public Works
to allow majority of the property owners
determine the time and character Of such
improvement and that the property owners
should be given full hearing In all such
cases. However L should try always to in
duce property owners to favor uniformity
in public improvements believing that this
adds greatly to the beauty Of the city and
value of the property.
l shall favor the abolishment of all special
taxes that are hardships on one class for
man should not be taxed on his bicycle or
wagon to keep up the streets in front of
the property of the rich.
Mr. Hitz will pardon a smile over that
fourth plank by everybody that has had
anything to do with municipal improve
ments It means that the paving would
generally be on the next street and the
sewer in the next district. 1t would mean
square or two without pavement on
stretch of paved street. The efforts to har-
monize this theory with any intelligent
scheme Of municipal improvements has
failed every time it has been tried. and it
has been tried times without number.
Plank No. means the abolition Of the
vehicle tax, IL 1T means anything This is
one thing that Mr.. Hitz knows about and
has definite views on. His bakery wagons
and commission wagons have to bear the
| burden of this tax, and he doesn't think it
is right, because the rich ought to stand
the whole expense of paving and paving
repairs in front of their property-the poor
too, though he doesn't say it: the Widow
Jones Is too poor to have a vehicle, but she
should pay for the damage done by other
peoples horses and wagons in front of her
cottage.
On the whole, there is no reason to believe
that Mr.. Hitz is broad enough, or useful
enough, or wise enough to manage muni-
cpal affairs to the best possible advantage.
without further study and some actual ex-
| perience.