The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-11-29
BY JOHN IHLDER

L
but now the city is completed O.
| Yet the subcommittee took itself
and it's work seriously II produced
a report which showed so clearly the
costly errors that had recently been
made and those that were then being
made,-as in the location of a new
postoffice-all because of lack of fore
thought, that the municipal affairs
| committee adopted ii unanimously
and passed it up to the directors. 1t
was finally laid on the table. how
ever, on the ground that D city plan
| in order to be effective must be au-
/! thorized by the city government. So
a petition was sent to the common
council, and after a special committee
OF the aldermen had spent all sum-
mer considering the matter. they were
persuaded TO recommend the appoint
ment of commission of nine citizens.
This commission considered the sub
| ject all last winter. going over the
city thoroughly and preparing a num-
Der of tentative plans. But at the
end it too decided that expert advice
was necessary even in the prepare
tion of such a tentative plan as it
proposed. Expert advice costs money.
however, and the aldermen who lad
requested the appointment of the
commission had done so, not because
they believed in the value of its
| work-they were practical men
but in order to quiet the petitioners.
They and the new mayor treated the
whole matter a. joke.
Then the municipal affairs commit
tee came to the commissions aid.
A city plan proposal with nothing to
commend it except it's merits might
expect little consideration from offic-
ials whose thoughts are practical but
such proposal backed by public opin-
ion might fare differently. For such
backing would give it practical"
meaning. So the committee began to
seek means of getting this backing,
and tnen came the thought of the civic
revival which would break down the
wall of popular Indifference. After
this, the city plan became simply
symbol; the great purpose was tor
arouse in the people an interest in
all that concerned their city.
The men WHO proposed the revival
had few illusions; converts to their
ranks had been won too painfully.
But they had reasons for faith For
years one of the local newspapers
aad been offering prizes for the best
kept lawns of the city, and had thus
aroused considerable interest of a
kind that redounded to the public ben
eft. NDuring the past year or two it
had added prizes for the most at
trsctfVe group of lawns and in that
way a little community spirit had
been awakened During the same
time the managers of several of the
larger factories had cleared away the
rubbish heaps which decorated their
premises and substituted grass and
trees and vines. But, after all, this
was only development of the old
pride in individual posse Ssion- Now
1t was proposed to arouse a pride in
what all owned in common.
A systematic campaign was begun.
The newspaper which conducted the
lawn contest had been aiding the
city-plan commission for months by
publishing news stories and editorials
describing what other cities were do
ing in the way of city planning 1t
and its contemporaries now gave gen.
erously of their space to the plans for
the civic revival. But the municipal
affairs committee was not satisfied. 1t
printed thousands OF circulars which
ii distributed among the school chill
dren. II sent letters to every organ
ization in the city, Cubs, societies.
neighborhood associations, asking
them to express formally their ap-
prevail. 1t put placards in the shop
windows and in the street cars. There
might be Indifference among the mass
of the people but the committee was
determined, if the thing were posi-
BILE. to overcome the Indifference
Anything OF a political nature, of
course. the great majority could I'M
derstand and take an interest in. Pol
itics is not only a recognized part of
life but it promises salaried offices.
This new movement, however. this
demand that one show his patriotism
not only on election day, but every
day by thinking and working for CON-
munity betterment, was not so easily
understood The formal responses
from the clubs and societies were re-
assuringly cordial But these whose
business it is TO watch the moods of
the people, the professional polite
ianS. manifested no change of heart
as revival week drew near
Not seven days before the revival
began the mayor told the secretary
of the city plan commission that the
aldermen would laugh at its request
for money. The budget was by far the
largest in the city's history and be-
sides there We're important matters to