Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1907-11-18
PURE POLITICS
IS PLAYING FAIR
Reformer Kent Talks On
Reform Work In
Chicago

Doing politics all the time, keep
ing constantly at 1t, playing fair and
keeping your promises Is the secret
Of success in compelling civic virtue
and common honesty in government.
according to the views set forth by
Reformer William Kent of Chicago.
Mr.. Kent spoke to a good audience
last evening in the Central Union
Church. He told of his experiences
in the struggle for honest govern
II ent In the municipality of Chicago.
lie particularly impressed upon his
hearers the necessity for dealing with
human nature as IL Is, and playing
with absolute fairness In all political
! Citations.
Mr.. Kent Is not Il ready speaker
and does not claim to be, but his
talk was very interesting because 1t
vas the story of man who had been
in the midst of municipal work and
spoke from personal experiences. He
lcsitates and stops to think when
dealing with platitudes, but speaks to
the point and with intense and
convincing readiness when he gets
down to the practical things of hon
est municipal work. He obviously
has as little use for the theoretical
parlor reformer as he has for the ad-
rlittedly dishonest grafters.
| IIa plnriaQ I'm tha gnpnagc nr 'rpn
johnson In Cleveland, because the eff
fort to defeat him was based on Ma
tional issues and an endeavor to be-
fog the intense municipal issues TO
which the attention of the people
should be directed. In this connec-
ton he spoke of the hap-hazard man.
her In which the cities of America
have developed. Not until late years
nave the people realized the necessity
for making special study of the
government of these great cities
which have grown from n town to 9
great commonwealth In u twinkling
I'm ancient times the city was the ma
ton. America has developed in tn,
opposite direction.
The speaker in his Introductory re
marks asked that II be understoo,
that he did not speak with a view L
making local applications because h
Lnew nothing of local conditions. .
cont think your government her
reeds reforming"
Two years ago in Chicago ther
was held Il convention made up c
men who had actually learned of tn
corruption of cities by fighting 4
htom every large city the story wa
the same. The cities had grown u
in heedlessness. The value of thei
Duhlic utilities had grown with the
growth, and was such that the ma
who could not water the stock of
corporation owning one of them WI
not much of flnancier. But in o
der to continue this inordinate prot
they must continue to own and col
troll the wealth that the communit
creates, and to do this they had to r
sort to corruption and bribery. The
POISONED the law at its source.
'lf the teachings of the MAST
mean anything, they mean that v
must get along together in peace, ar
that presupposes justice, and justi
Is pretty broad thing. 1t meal
that If we would be happy our fe
bowman must be happy, and can
happy only under justice. This i'd
Of commonwealth has led to the hig
est self-sacrifice. Men have alwa
been more ready to fight and die 4
the interests of the community tn;
for their own interests. That is wi
reform which proposes the good
the community is easy. This is
wild idealism. It is only an eXte
sion of human nature as we know