The Hawaiian gazette., 1907-11-19
HOW AMERICANS
HAVE AWAKENED
TO CIVIC DUTIES

tiquity were mainly cities. Rome.
Athens. Nineveh.- Babylon are the
names OF cities. They could sustain
themselves though their provinces were
overrun. But our prototype was Eng
land. She was protected by the seas
and by the wooden walls of her ships
Hence she had no need of those de-
vices which continental cities and those
of the ancient world developed. Our
fathers, having nothing to guide them
in the matter of cities. organized the
| town meeting. where every man cast
his own vote. As cities grew, mere
| expedients were adopted to meet new
situations They got mixed up with
counties. In addition, our country was
| divided for years on the question of
slavery and later on the question OF
! tariff. and we paid no attention 10
the development of municipal politics
| 1t was a long time before we even be-
gan to ask the question of what tariff
| had to do with flushing sewers. In
our municipal affairs we divided on ma
tional party lines.
IF my friend Roosevelt. or MY friend
Taft. said. as they are reported to have
said, that the defeat of Tom john
son was necessary to the success of the
Republican party. it was impudent
I'irnpertinence. I believe in Tom john
son. Some of you may not. But
am glad that he was reelected Mayor
of Cleveland. among other things just
to disprove that national party poll
tics have anything to do with munich
pal affairs.
1.-The story of Chicago is the same
as that of other large and misgoverned
cities. broke into the city council in
1895. There were sixty-eight aldermen
then, of whom there were eight or ten
who would not steal milk can or s
door mat. There were a few of us who
thought such things ought not to be-
We were young. We got the town
stirred up. We did not have a very
distinct idea of the rights and values
Of commonwealth. But We did believe
in honesty. The city was controlled by
the most brave. resourceful and utterly
INSCRIPTIONS man that ever lived. His
name was Yerkes. We organized the
Municipal Voters League. We found
that the people are always ready to
accept honest and disihterested leader
ship if they are told the facts. We
told them the facts about every man
who was a candidate for alderman. The
result, in the course of a few years.
was that since 1899 there has not been
a corrupt measure pass the council.
"Yerkes owned the street railways.
His franchises ran out and he intro
duced ordinances for their renewal for
twenty years on conditions that gave
everything to him. and nothing to the
city. Carter Harrison was then mayor.
Yerkes was defeated in the city coun-
Gil He went to the State Legislature.
which he controlled, and asked for
fifty-year franchises. We aroused pub
lie sentiment. We did not say we
would hang the Senators If they passed
the act. but we intimated as much, and
IL was no bluff. We were prepared
TO do it. The Senate did not pass thu
bill Yerkes got tired and sold his in
terests to Morgan, Wiedner and the
rest of the New York gang. In selling
out to them he swindled them, the
men who intended to swindle the city.
The fight was transferred to them. We
fought il out we won. The city has
control of the traction company. 1t
was settled in a way that will become
historic We have ended government
by purchase"