The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-07-08
BY NATIONAL CIVIC FEDERATION
COMMISSIONERS AFTER TWO
YEARS INVESTIGATION.
POLITICS IS THE KEY
Recognition of Labor Unions Stronq.
est Safeguard Against unwhole-
some Political Influences
"City Hall Ring" Con-
stant Menace.

New York, July AFTER an inyes
/ tigatian extending over nearly ts1
lyears and embracing many OF The prIa
Icipal cities both Of the United Stats
land Great Britain, the National Civic
Federation Commission on Public
EOwnership and Opera ion has compis.
ted its duties. The important and In
teresting reports ON labor conditions
are the first to be made public. There
lare two repe rts on this subject, one
lby Prof. John n Commons. of Wis
consin University. and the other IN
y. w Sullivan edior OF the Cloth.
ing Trades Bullein" OF New York. The
report Of Prof Commons. under thu
title Of Labor and PcIitics, ii more
favorable TO municipal ownership of
public Utilities than is that Of Mr.
Sullivan, made under the general heaa
Ing, THE Labor Report Mr.. Sulli-
van makes caustic reference to polili.
cal rottonness, evidence as to which
he declares was conclusive In Syra.
cuse. Allegheny and Wheeling. Prof.
Commons, on the other hand. b lis.
that corruption under municipal con
troll was no greater than under pri
vatc ownership
Prof. Commons Views.
The views expressed by Prof. Com
mons are in may respects favorable b
municipal ownership. He finds, how
ever. that the proper method Of deal
ing with employees Is the most diT
cult and critical problem of muni
Icipal ownership and he favors recoM
nition of organized labor as 4 saia
guard agains the pressure or out
side tpoitica) recommendations On
this subject he says
THE appointment, promotion AMI
dismissal Ct employees aud the wages
to be paid offer peculiar opportuni.
ties for political and personal inf.
ence inconsistent with efficiency
Civil service REFORM. so-caiiea, has
been found in Its highest perfection III
the city of Chicago. but 1t is evident
by comparison with less perfect de
vice In Syracuse that It's integrity de-
pends on the politicai influences that
control the mayer and the heads OF
departments. II the head of The depars,
ment is Independent of politics, %
shown In Cleveland, Detroit and Soata
lNorwalk, the civil service commits
sion is not needed The Chicago sys
-em Is temporary bulwark built
around the departments until such
ime as the chief officer himself can
also be protected from political So.
ecticn. This is the case In British
titles where the idea of civil service
commission Is unknown But even
here, especially In the Sheffield tram
ways, appointments have been made
m the recommendation of councillors
Ihe experience of Glasgow Is instruc
I've. Fifteen years ago he practice os
hiring employees ON the recommenda.
ion of councillors was universal in
III departments But with the growth
II municipal ownership 1t has almost
Our investigations have shown that
he strongest safeguard for manager
gains The press re of outside recon-
nondations is the recognition Of or
'anized labor within his department
Wherever we have found a class a
mployees organized and dealt wifi
5 such through their representatives
re have found those positions exemri
rom politics This follows from the
allure Of labor organiza ion whica
anno' survive If individuals are gis
b preference on political. religi vs.
ersonal or any other grounds THAI
ie character Of the work they do
ven In the politically honeycombs.i
undertaking al Allegheny
'e union OF electrical workers stop
ed the practice Of paying asses
ents by is members for Ponucsf
'mpaigns The success-f ihe ciYai
IrFice system of Chicago is owing
ore than anything else 20 the fact
lat organized labor has one q ila
ree members on each e1amininz
iard. The manager Of the Msnche=
r tramvays sscrihes his freedom
ON interference by individual coua
llors 10 his recognition 4 the union
'at holds 80 per cen. II his moformeu
1d conductors
Politics
In the course II his reoort Prof
ommons said. q take if that ths
ey ~ the whole quosfi n II municipal
r private Ownership Is the q estion
T politics For poii ics is Simply The
Ies ion Of getting and keeping the
GIT find of men % msuarc and %
ate the municipal undertakings. r
D supervise. reEuiaie and barzsi1
-iih TIE private nH8e-takinEs. The
inds Of business that ne are dealing