Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1905-02-22
BY
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!. ! An EX:MAY0R
III Il u hnn
RECENT ARTICLES ON "GANG
-: = RULE" ONE-SIDEp.

RECENT ARTICLES ON "GANd
=. - RULE" 0NE-SIDEp.
Full Truth Would Cause Exodus of
: Prominent. ~Citizens-Elected I'm
pledged-Bosses Turned Down.
personal Machine Organized
Distribution Of Patronage Essen
tial to Successful Administration.
BY AN EX-MAYOR OF ONE OF THE
LARGEST CITIES IN THE UNITED
STATES.
w HEN you elect a man mayor OF
w any large city of the United
States you practically start him on the
broad road to perdition If he doesn't
end his administration crook he Won
ders how it happened he escaped being
one.
He is ready to believe that every
man either has his price or is~eagerly
willing to be appraised by some expert
on graft valuation. II he does not .'go
wrong it is not the fault Of some Of
those whose. names are always in the
list of ''public-spirited" and *'proni-
nent" citizens. If he is not travelling
with swift smoothness on Perdition
boulevard before his term of Office ex-
pires 1t is because he is either too cow
ardly to take chance or too brave to
grasp an easy opportunity. Did it ever
occur to anyone that some of these he
roes of municipal warfares are moral
towards? So ~.
Of late magazine writer's and some
who speak through the daily prints
have paid large attention to municipal
corruption, gang rule and grafters.
They have much to say about some
mayors and ex-mayors, and what they
have written has been interesting and
the: evidence they present indicates that
almost all of it is of the hearsay order;
not competent in any court of record;
not good even in a. clOthesline case be-
fore a crossroad justice of the peace.
It appears they have seen every one but
the mayors. They have really present.
ed but one side Of many-sided case.
They are perfectly safe in making
statements of apparent facts so far as
mayors are concerned, for they know
and the mayors know that the chief
executives of large cities would not
dare tell the one-hundredth part of the
truth concerning the happenings of
their administrations. Not that the
cold truth would necessarily criminate
the head of the city's administration.
but it would start an exodus of we'll
known business and professional men
OF such magnitude and suddenness that
the passenger traffic managers of rail-
roads could not furnish the required
rolling stock to handle the. outgoing
business.
When l was elected mayor of one Of
the largest cities of this country took
office free from pledges of any kind.
Political exigency and public clamor
compelled the leaders. of my party to
Eeak< for: a business man to head the
city ticket. To my surprise, for I had
not sought the Office. was nominated.
AS there was small hope of eleeting one
Of our party, the party leaders had not
attempted to tie me down with pledges
of patronage. So it was I assumed
Office feeling that was under personal
obligations to no man or set of men.
l. The vote was close, and it was not
until the returns from the last ward
came in that our campaign manager,
who had been keeping tab with his
pencil, leaned forward and said: "Mr.
Mayor, you are elected"
They told me afterward that took
the news calmly: that accepted the
prohered hands and vociterous con-
gratulations with the. nonchalance of
An old political campaigDer. But can
not recall what occurred during those
hrst few moments. sat, mentally and
physically benumbed. AS look back
now can see that this curious condi-
ton was the result of a psychological
revulsion. was regaining my individ-
uality.
For some weeks my personality had
been compaetsly elfaeed,~ In those few
cred hours, the high pressure days in
the cycl0nic finish OF a fierce campaign.
[ was not person. I was an issue. In
my hurried speeches, evening follow
ing evening, when I spoke Of myself,
what would do and be If elected, I
had the feeling of being impersonal;
there was the curious idea ever PRES
emit that was another man talking
about myself. l walked, talked, ate,
schemed, planned and worked a dual
| creature; one of me, the tissue" was
running for mayor; the other was my
self, fighting for and defending the is
sue.
! But when the campaign manager
| told me I was mayor-elect it was
as if flood of ice-cold water had fall
len on me, leaving me numbed and
| gasping, alone with myself again. Men
rushed at me, crowding me against the
wall, so eager were they to take my
hand and clap me on the shoulder.
remember nothing but confusion, JOS
tie, incoherent ntterances, disjofnted
and disconnected sentences.
Just when I passed the crisis and
headed toward the normal cannot re-
call, but my first sane thought was:
why are all these men so particularly
joyful?"
They were the party managers, the
so-called bosses, who had directed the
campaign Not one of them held a city
job, elective or appointive, for the city
administration for some time had been
in the hands Of our political opponents.