The Lexington advertiser., 1905-05-18
revelations BY
An H.NAYoR
THE IL-AL MAYOR, AND TEE
,. CITY.

Both of Them Out of Reach Unless
Radical Reforms Are Made Effec-
tvs Public Servants the Real
Masters Practical Method for
Freeing Cities from Boss Rule by
Disfrant hising oficeholders.
BY AN EX. MAYOR OF ONE OF THE
LARGE ST AMERICAN CITIES.
0CCASIQNALLY some writer who
" takes himself seriously lays down
the plans, specifications and working
drawings for the construction OF the
ideal mayor. have never heard of
any mayor or eX-meyor who had the
hardihood to say what he believed
should 90 10 make up the ideal chief
executive II large city. But about
every so often sote student" Of "mu-
nicipal problems sets forth in vigor-
GUS language the mental, physical and
spiritual elements which should 20
into the making Of that visionary
character known az the ideal mayor,
To Cne who has filed a mayors
chair for a. least one term, these ef-
forts to fashion the improbable out of
the hardly possible are calculated to
establish an all-embracing feeling Of
intense anG prolonged fatigue. Such
a one know S from bitter experience
that the ideal mayer cannot become a
realization until the ideal city is an
actuality. And you never will get the
ideal city.
| am repeating substantially what
said to a couple Of welI-meaning gem
tlemer who called ON me near the end
OF my tern to enter mild protes
against some official act Of mine. Ore
OF them asked me to give him my
views on the ideal city and | replied
"A town whose business men do not
have one standard OF honesty for pr-
vate business and another for public
business" | teit safe in venturiEg
that opinion, for / sincerely believe
that If the representative business
men OF any large city would measure
their civic relations, duties and ob!t-
cations with the same rule Of conduct
they use In private affairs that city
would become the ideal municipality.
In business personal honesty is a
valued asse. and individual respons;-
bility necessary burden. Nine-tant.is
III thu 1l
based on credit in some form, and this
Is founded on the rock of confidence
which business men have in each
other. Every business man is meas
ured by his personal honesty and his
willingness to assume personal re-
sponsibility. If he meets the require
ments and measures up to the stand
ard he is known as an honorable and
representative business man.
Is it, fair question to ask why
;hese very men are dishonest or ire
spongible or dishonorable in their re-
lations as citizens with their city?
large city an overwhelming majority
of citizens are either dishonest or dis
honorable in their personal dealings
with the municipality or utterly fail
to assume any personal responsibility
In civic affairs
This unpleasant statement is known
10 be true by any man who ever served
as mayor of Boston, New York, Phila-
delphia. Cleveland, Chicago, St Louis,
San Francisco or any other important
city in this country. Every such city
Is full of citizen-c0wards, citizen-ras-
calls, citizen-drones, citizen-hypocritea
and citizen-irresponsibles, anG most
Of them belong to the last class.
If you can. but inject the spirit OF
work into the drones, awaken the civic
consciences Of the irresponsibles ami
arouse the pride Of the towards you
perhaps may realize the dream of a
city peopled by men who have grown
to the full stature of honorable, intel
iigent and self-sacrifcing citizenship.
use the word "self-sacrificing" be-
cause it frequently happens, in the Or
dinary administration OF municipal
government, that the interests of one
must be injured for the good Of many.
In these modern days, with the spirit
Of seIfshness dominant, when the
public good demands a sacrifice the
one whose interest is placed in jeop-
ardy by the demands makes such a
comomtion and puts up such a fight
| that frequently the necessary i'm
| provement is baked and thousands
suffer because of this one mans self
| ishness.
Too often this selfshness is bred
and fostered by the spirit of greed-a
| plain case of blackmail. | could call
a roll of some of the blackmailers whl
attempted to- hold up the city of which
| was mayor, and the list would con-
tain the names of many OF our great
and good" citizens.
1t is too much TO expect that the
ideal city and mayor will come III ou,
time, But much of the evil whief
breeds corruption. laSity and extrava.
| garce in the administration of city af.
fairs can be eliminated by making {
few radical changes in the methods q
elec,iDg city officials.
First, partially disfranchise every
public official and employe. Keep from
him the right TO have any voice what
ever in the nomination of city officer!
and their subordinates SO long rs h
is a Public official or employe. MAKE
II unlawful fer him to take any par
whatever in political organizations
caucuses or primary elections, an.