The Tupelo journal., 1905-03-10

Asylum for I~ncompetents.
by AN EX-MAYOR OF ONE OF THE
LARGEST AMERICAN CITIES.
DEFORE | mad been the chief eXecu-
Is tive of M city half a dozen weeks
was strongly tempted to rub out the
sign "Ofice of the Mayor" which gilt
tered in gold letters on my door, ana
substitute for it "EmpIoymentAgency.
Apparently all the expended money,
time and energy. all the bitterness OF
a fierce political fight, all OF the excite
ment, worry and fatigue caused by a
mayoralty campaign, and all OF the
skill, cunning and craftiness incident 10
an election had been so many Factors
in the proposition, not to make me a
mayor, but to enable me to distribute
city Jobs to several hundred partisans,
The day after l was nominated my
modest mail suddenly expanded to
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 a congratulation and ended
with an application for a public posi-
ton. Most of them were reinforced by
Endorsements, recommendations from
men of whose existence | was densely
ignorant.
In the beginning | made some futile
o+.on,,tr To clio cSjfu anH OrNnn The let
tiers. but a few days demonstrated my
inability to keep the head OF system
above the deluge of applications, so |
called on my campaign manager for
help. He promptly said l needed a
Campaign secretary" and in a few
hours had installed q 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 a possible
vote and a probably enthusiastic parti-
san. My campaign secretary wrote a
reply to each application, so cleverly
p "OIutu tUdI Willie IL dlu hOL NOlltoAh
the definite statement that l would, if
elected, give the applicant a city hall
position, it was warm" enough to JUS
tify thousands of the petitioners in he
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 a matter of fact, they were so many
petty swindies designed to obtain goofs
under false pretenses. | aid not see
these trouble-breeders until | became
mayor. Then they fell or 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 Job 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
employment agency work. And | 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
salaried clerkships in the public
service.
While was struggling against this
invasion of job hunters | was told by
my political friends that in dividing
the plums | must constantly keep in
mind, not the good of our party, but
the welfare of our organization. | have
told how the peculiar political condi-
lions which obtained at that time led
me to organize what my opponents
were pleased to call my personal ma
chine" | supposed that in building up
an organization to strengthen my ad-
ministration | ought to be doing my
party good at the same time. But soon
learned that successful politicians
place organization first and party sec
ond. 1t was a friendly alderman who
laid 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 n of his Eel
lows" on the payroll.
HE isn't much on figures, but he's
a hustler at the primaries, and l need
him. He's one of the best %nvass
I've got. and | want you to take care
of him. There's a good job in the
health office which doesn't take up
more than one day a week, and the
rest of the time l car use him. He's
a pretty wise lad. | could get the
street car company to take him, but
he'd have to work there"
The chat which followed led me to
the conclusion that in the game of
practical politics the successful man is
he who proves to be the best job get
ter.
'You can't stay in politics unless you
can put your constituents on some pay
roll" said the alderman. Most of my
time is spent in getting work for my
people. and this is true of every alder
man in the city. l don't know how
many men 1 have got into the street
car company, the gas company and the
other companies which have come to
sc for fovorc yucf now nv hest old