The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-03-25
HARD FACTS
OF CAMPAIGN
Little misunderstanding of
Municipal Politics.
COMPARISON OF FIGURES
Information of Vital Import
ance to Voters.

The more one hears in the present cam
| paign the more he is impressed with the
| belief that the study of civil government
taught in the public schools is not ade-
quate for the needs OF the coming citi-
zens Of Wichita. II should be expanded
| to cover the details of local government,
| for if the people understand the func-
lions of their town government, state
government and national government will
| be more easily understood. Anybody
with a reasonably clear comprehension
| can study the system of town govern
ment in one night. No night in other
study could result more profitably.
The first fact in city government is that
it is representative. No one man makes
the town government of Wichita although
some seem TO believe that way. The real
government OF Wichita is the twelve
men who represent the six wards of the
city. They control every department of
the city. The mayor presides over them,
but has no say in anything that they can
not have a say after him. The twelve
councilmen of the city OF Wichita can
condemn the very home of the mayor and
he cannot prevent it by any legal power
inherent in or connected with his office.
When people blame Ben Mclean or Fin
lay Ross for any act Of extravaganza
past or present they do not know what
they are talking about.
If the twelve councilmen are unwilling
the mayor has no more power to appoint
subordinate city officer than that
ancient citizen whose bones were discov-
cred last year at Lansing. The council
can refuse TO confirm any man he may
appoint, and that's the end OF it. The
mayor can veto an ordinance, or an APP
preparation above a certain sum, but
the council can pass it over his head and
put IL in full force and effect in spite OF
him. So that all this talk about mayors
being responsible for everything connect
ed with the city is nonsense and not even
a good article of hot air.
The mayor is not the financier of the
city. He may look ludicrously wise when
he has a bill before him, but he has no
more TO say about that bill, if the coun-
ell is willing 10 pay it, than that ficti-
tious gentleman of the moon He can
make a grand-stsnd play. but there is
nothing TO 1t. If he has influence with
his council he can curb any tendency
that body may have toward extravaganza
but he can't stop it. The best mayor is
the diplomatic mayor-the mayor who
does not presume to be the whole thing
Any man who has ever been connected
with the city council knows that the
chairman of the public Improvement COM
mittee and the chairman of the finance
committee together with the balance of
these two committees practically finan-
cier the whole business of the city ad-
ministration. The matter Of reducing the
citys Indebtedness is easily explained
from the fact, for instance, that when
Mr.. Ross was elected for his first term
there was an accumulation of delinquent
taxes amounting to nearly 100000 in the
county treasurer's office. These taxes
were mostly paid during the two Ross
administrations. and a schoolboy can
figure out how much the citys indebted
ness was reduced when it is explained
that the city treasurer went up to the
county building and got the money paid
in by the taxpayers for the delinquent
taxes. This money was deposited in the
city depository and the city treasurer
paid off the bonds and coupons with the
surplus over and above the delinquent
taxes received, plus the amount collect
ed under the general levy. The city
treasurer pays all bonds and coupons and
in doing so. simply performs his duty re-
quired under his oath of office.
During the Mclean administration, not
withstanding the fact that the delinquent
taxes have been practically absorbed
under the Ross administrations. they
have succeeded in paying all the expenses
for general improvements and every
other expense connected with the run
hing of the city government. besides pay
ing all the bonds and coupons that have
become due during their term OF office
Continued on Seventh Page0