St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1905-04-08
Re Violations BY
An EX.MAY0R
MAYOR AS AN 'EMPLoYMENT
AGENT"

Clever Work by Campaign secretar,
Politics Business Which Deal
in Public Jobs and Contracts-Po
Ntical Feudansm - City Hall a
Asylum for 1ncompetents.
By AN EX-MAYOR OF ONE OF TIL
LARGEST AMERICAN CITIES.
before had been the chief execu
p tive of my city half dozen week
| was strongly tempted to rub out tn
sign "Ofice of the Mayor" which gilt
tered in gold letters on my door. an.
substitute for it Employment
Apparently all the expended money
time and energy, all the bitterness O
a fierce political fight, all Of the excite
ment, worry and fatigue caused by {
mayoralty campaign, and all of thu
skill, cunning and craftiness incident tt
an election had been SO many factors
in the proposition, rot to make me &
mayor, but to enable me to distribute
| city jobs to several hundred partisans
The day after l was nominated my
modest mail suddenly expanded te
fearsome proportions. Letters literally
| flowed into home and Office. They were
heaped in mounds and hillocks, and
these swelled to mountains the day
after my election.
With rare exceptions every letter
began with congratulation and ended
with an application for public posi-
ton. Most of them were reinforced by
Endorsements, recommendations from
men of whose existence l was densely
ignorant.
In the beginning made some futile
attempts to classify and group the let
tiers, but few days demonstrated my
inability to keep the head of system
above the deluge of applications, SO l
called on my campaign manager for
help. He promptly said l needed a
campaign secretary" and in few
hours had installed brisk young man
with a corps of typewriters, and saw
no more applications. But when that
energetic campaign secretary took hold
he started the major part of the
troubles which beset me after became
mayor.
Every letter represented possible
vote and probably enthusiastic parti-
san. My campaign secretary wrote a
reply to each application, SO cleverly
worded that while it did not contain
the definite statement that I would, If
elected, give the applicant city hall
position, it was warm" enough to JUS
tify thousands of the petitioners in the
belief that they certainly would be
taken care Of"
The answers dictated by my cam
paign secretary were said to be vote
getters. They were regarded as ex-
ceedingly fetching campaign literature.
AS matter of fact, they we're SO many
petty swindles designed to obtain goods
under false pretenses. l did not see
these trouble-breeders until 1 became
mayor. Then they fell on me from all
sides at once. Their bearers filled the
halls and corridors of the city hall.
They mobbed my home every morning
and stormed my Office every hour. /
could not repudiate the implied prom
Uses, for each bore my rubber stamped
signature. l simply was compelled to
listen to every man who came with one
of those typewriter curses, and wrote
down his name, address and LOB want
ed" for future consideration.
Valuable hours, which should have
been used in the conduct of the city's
business, were given up entirely to this
agency work. And l mar
veled at the eager desire for public po-
sitions displayed by men who wasted
weeks seeking ''city hall jobs" Some
Of them held good positions which paid
them higher salaries than they ever
could hope to get from the city. Yet
they were willing and anxious to give
up substantial situations in honorable |
business houses for insecure, small
clerkships in the public |
service.
While l was struggling against this |
Invasion of job hunters l was told by
my political friends that in dividing
The plums I must constantly keep in
mind, not the good of our party, but
he welfare of our organization. l have
old how the peculiar political condi-
ions which obtained at that time led
ne to organize what my opponents
we're pleased to call my personal ma
'hine." supposed that in building up
N organization to strengthen my ad-
I ought to be doing my
,arty good at the same time. But soon
earned that successful politicians
,lace organization first and party Sec
md. It was friendly alderman who
aid down this rule of conduct for me:
Give your fellows the jobs and they'll
make the party keep you in your job"
He had called to get one of his EEL
ows" on the payroll.
He isn't much on figures, but he's
hustler at the primaries, and need
i'm. He's one of the best canvassers
we got, and I want you to take care
t him. There's a good job in the
ealth of1ice which doesn't take up
aore than one day a week, and the
est Of the time l can use him. He's
pretty wise lad. could get the /.
treet car company to take him, but [
ed have to work there I,
The chat which followed led me to ,
he conclusion that in the game of !
tactical politics the successful man is
e who proves to be the best job get
er. 4,
"You can't stay in politics unless you {
IN put your constituents on some pay {
oll." said the alderman. "Most of my I
me is spent in getting work for my