The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-03-28
GAINING WISDOM.

1t has not been so many years ago that in about
every state in the union, Immediately following
change in the state Administrations the heads OF
all the penal and eleemosynary institutions were
relieved of their positions, and about every subor
dinate in those institutions had to hunt another
Job. This is not generally true today Somebody
discovered that these institutions could be super
visel in safer and saner way by placing compe-
tent men at their head and leaving them there to
grow. Those states which first made this discovers
prohted so well that the policy has been generally
adopted, 1t took good deal of moral courage for
a partisan administration to permit an executive
head OF state institution to remain in office while
a crowd of hungry heelers clammored for the Jobs
But after the break made it got easier
Now there are some indications that bye-and-bve
this same principle so beneficial to the state. will
become part of the city governments of the land.
Galveston pointed the way Houston followed and
Des Mones improved on both Cities are much
alike in their needs, just as people are. People
learn great deal from the experiences of others.
and cities should nQt hold back from adopting what
the experience of other cities has shown to be val
table. When Galveston was thrown face to face
with the calamity which all but wiped it off tb:
map, there was such vivid display of ineffciencv
not OF men, but of the general scheme of gov
ernment-that the people were amazed and le-
manded some method with less red tape and more
business about it. Under the old system. the of
fcials could do nothing according to law when
things simply had to be done. Laws cannot be
made to every contingency that may arise.
When the earthquake and fire visited San Fran
Z h., { A.
by the same cumbersome laws of procedure which
obtained under normal conditions. 1t was the same
in Galveston but the people in the Texas city were
quick to comprehend the sound truth that a sys-
tenn which prevented action when action was soreiy
needed was not the best at any other time.
The wisdom of the change has been demon
strated. Seven years experience with the new plan
in Galveston and the results obtained as compared
with the years preceding gratifying to the in
habltants. Galveston like the whole state of Texas
IS overwhelmingly Democratic, but there has been
a complete separation from the old partisan polit
cal activities, and the authority to do things and
consequently the responsibility for doing or not do
ing things has been centralized
There is probably no more egregious fallaey
abroad than that which classes all politicians as
bad 1t is an oily statement which certain reform
ers like to make that all our disagreement is due
to the politicians, and that the way to reform is to
put the reformers into Office. If there are un-
worthy public servants occupying positions it is
because the people have placed them in power and
given them cumbersome method which they must
follow wherein each can point to the other fell
low responsible for any shortcomings of the adj
ministration
What Salt Lake needs is a charter revision
which Will give the management of the city over to
four or five men with power to carry on the business
of the city along lines approved in the modern bus
mess world. These men should be chosen from the
city at large; should be nominated and elected with
out reference to wards to political or religious
Beliefs In them should be vested the same powers
as are conferred upon the directors of any otlGr
corporation by the stockholders. 1t is true Mat