New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-05-26
NOT A LOCAL PROBLEM.

PhtIadeIphia's fight TO break the power OF
corrupt political ring and block the looting or
the city treasury has attracted national atteh-
ton The Mayor who leads that fight the hon.
John Weaver has walked up TO ind mmsen
national figure. His defiance of the bosses, who
had counted on his taking trip to the PACING
Coast while they railroaded through their In
famous gas grab, has given fresh encourage
ment TO every foe of graft" 1t has Strength
ened the faith Of those who think that the vices
of our present system of municipal admlnlslFa-
ton can be eradcated through effort ana eouca-
ton and that the democratic principle VIII IN
+be end vindicate itself in spite of the many
mishaps and failures which have attended lts
application In the government of cities. II
Philadelphia, VIGOROUSLY patient and apatneuc'
and notoriO4sly loyal to the political bosses VINO
have opp;essSd and plundered it, can be aroused
70 throw OF their evil yoke, is there not hope
that every AmertSAa city can come IN tune 10
recognize the folly OF enduring conditions Wnch
make such ring domination possibls ana 10 APP
precate the direct value TO its citizens of mtell+-
gent honest, conscientious, popular rule!
Mavor Weaver has expressed his surprise ana
pleasure at receiving congratulations on MS
stand from every part Of the counry' put the
unanimity and cordiality Of these Endorsements
should not be surprising. Philadelphia fight
for selfgovernment and good government ls
every American citys fight The forces behind
the raid ON the Philadelphia gas plant are the
forces with which every other municipality has
TO deal in its effort to secure enlightened and
honest administration, Given corrupt poht-
cal ring which has attained great power through
it's deceptive appeals TO partisan loyalty, ana a
DubIic service corporation eager TO exploit the
consumers Of gas or the users of local transpoe-
tation facilities and any city is pretty certain
to have on it's hands a fight for seltdetence
such as Philadelphia is now engaged in. The
same unhoIy alliance will be struck between the
politicians who have leases to traffic in AND the
interests which would turn those leases to IN
ordinate private advantage; and the same hol-
low appeals to partisan feeling would be made
by bosses working only for their pockets as
have served here in New-YOrk to keep nomi-
nal Democratic organization like Tammany Hail
in power and in Philadelphia to prOlong the
rule of a nominal Republican machine like that
controlled by Mr. Durham and his lieutenants.
The two great enemies of good government IN
our cities are the self-seeking and mercenary
machines which fatten on the superstition that
a voters ideas as to national policy should gov
ern him in deciding questions of purely local In
terest, and the great public service corporations
which use these political machines to obtain ex-
cessively profitable franchises. Philadelphia is
now threatened by an alliance of this charac-
ter and is earnestly striving to overpower and
dissolve it. But every other American city is
vitality interested in this effort; for with every
blow given to such alliances one more step is
taken toward the goal Of municipal freedom
and intelligent and honest local self-government.