The leader., 1905-03-11
RE VELHT|ONS BY
An TX MAYOR
MAYOR AS AN EMPLOYMENT
AGENT"
Clever Work by Campaign Secretary
Politics Business Which Deals
in Public Jobs and Contracts -Po-
litical Feudalism - City Hall as
Asylum for Incompetents.


BY AN Ex-MAY0R OF ONE OF THH
LARGEST AMERICAN CITIES.
nEFoRE had been the chief execu-
Is tive of my city half dozen weeks
was strongly tempted to rub out the
sign 'Oflce of the Mayor which gilt
tered in gold letters on my door, and
substitute for it Employment Agency
Apparently all the expended money
time and energy, all the bitterness oi
q fierce political fight, all of the excite
ment, worry and fatigue caused by
mayoralty campaign, and all Of the
skill, cunning and craftiness incident to
an election had been so many factors
In the proposition, not tofmake me q
mayor, but to enable me to distribute
city jobs to several hundred partisans
The day after was nominated my
modest mail suddenly expanded tc
fearsome proportions. Letters literally
flowed into home and Office. They were
heaped in mounds and hillocks, and
these swelIed 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 l was densely
ignorant
In the beginning made some futile
attempts to classify and group the let
ters, but few days demonstrated my
inability to keep the head of system
above the deluge Of applications, SO
called on my campaign manager fol-
help. He promptly said | needed Q
campaign secretary" and in a few
hours had installed brisk young man
with 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 l became
mayor.
Every letter represented possible
vote and probably enthusiastic parti-
san. My campaign secretary wrote q
reply to each application, SO cleyerly
worded that while it did not contain
the definite statement that would, II
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 we're regarded as ex-
ceedingly fetching campaign literature
AS a matter of fact, they were so many
petty swindles designed to obtain goods
under false pretenses. did not see
these trouble-breeders until / became
mayor. Then they fell on me from al
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.
ises, for each bore my rubber stamped
signature. / simply was compelled tc
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:
business, were given up entirely to thi:
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 pale
them higher salaries than they evel
could hope to get from the city. Ye
they were willing and anxious to givt
UP substantial situations in honorable
business houses for insecure, small
salaried clerkships in the publi
service.
While | was struggling against thi'
invasion of job hunters was told By
my political friends that in dividing
the plums / must constantly keep il
mind, not the good of our party, bu
the welfare of our organization. ! hav,
told how the peculiar political condi
tions which obtained at that time let
me to organize what my opponents
were pleased to call my personal ma
chine" l supposed that in building vi
an organization to strengthen my ad
ministration ought to be doing m.
party good at the same time But sool
learned that successful politicians
place organization first and party sec
ond. 1t was friendly alderman VIII,
laid down this rule of conduct for me
"Give your fellows the jobs and they'l
make the party keep you in your job.
He had called to get one of his s'fel
lows" on the payroll.
"He isn't much on figures, but he
hustler at the primaries, and neel
him. He's one of the best eanvasser
I've got, and | want you to take car
OF him. There's a good job in tn
health office which doesn't taks u
more than one day week. and tn
rest of the time can use him. He
pretty wise lad. could get til
street car company to take him, bu
he'd have to work there.
The chat which followed led me t
the conclusion that in the game o
| practical politics the successful man i
he who proves to be the best job get
ter
You can't stay in politics unless yo
can put your constituents on some pay
roll, said the alderman Most Of m
time is spent in getting work for m
people, and this is true of every alder
man in the city. l don't know hol
many men | have got into the stree
car company. the gas company and th
other companies which have come t
us for favors. Just now my best hol
is the railroad which cuts though tn
west end of my ward. The railroa
people want to run q long switch dow
q street and it comes in mighty hand
to me just now, for the other crow
has got the breweries and the lumbe
yards, and I'm going to have har
fight on my hands. | sent 40 men owe
to the railroad yesterday, and they al
all working to-day"
The city hall seems to be regarde
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