The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-07-30
QUESTION OF MEN
MOST IMPORTANT
Thinks Determination in a Com
munity Will Be Productive of
Best Results.

possible for the future
CHARLES J. BONAPARTE."
This sentence is the gist Of an article
by the Attorney General which ap-
pears in the August number of the
World Of Today. The title is, can We
Have Good Government" and Mr.
Bonaparte would seem 10 have written
with the present agitation for a change
In the form of our Washington govern
ment particularly in mind.
Told in a Nutshell
The effect OF the article is.
/ That the form OF city government
IS matter OF lesser Importance.
2 That IL the government has import
ant defects they can better be corrected
by the presence OF good men in office
than by the change OF name or new
definition Of responsibility for the office
3 That in the end, good city govern
ment is direct consequence Of a de-
termination by the people 10 have Il
/ rather than the product Of a particular
form adopted 10 obtain it.
The article follows IN part:
Good Citizens First.
! To have a good city government IN
| the United States we must. first OF all.
/ and before all else, have good citizens.
! Burke's well-knOWn words have been
often quoted; they have been even
! quoted more than once by myself; but
we can not too steadily remember that.
| as he said. There never was long a
| corrupt government OF a virtuous peo-
pie"
When We find any self-governing com
munlty afflicted with chronic misgOv-
4 ETnNnHnN Faf- I'll
| neTe that II does not deserve a better
| rate II may indeed wish 10 be we'll
| governed, just as many a drunkard in
MS seasons OF repentance and headache,
1 wishes he were temperate; just as many
/ detauIte-, as yet undecided. in saner
| moments wishes he could repay what he
mas taken and feel himself once more
an honest man.
Should Wish Earder.
But as such do not wish hard enough
10 keep away, the first from the bar.
the second from the faro cable or Wall
| street. so such a nation. state or city
does not wish hard enough for good
government TO make lad government
impossible
4 1 remember the story Of man who
had been run over IN the street; a sym
pathlzlng crowd gathered around him.
ana many expressions OF compassion
were heard. A preoccupied man, hurry
ing 10 his business, stopped, took in the
situation with a rapid glance and said
Well, friends. I ply MIN one dollar S
worth FOR a hack TO take him home:
now much do you pity him2'
OF course, We are all patriots. espe-
/ cially IN Presidential year. but what
IS the value in dollars and cents, in
sacrifice Of money, time or personal In
clination. OF our patriotism?
We long 10 see good and wise men in
public office, and peoples burdens light,
the peoples work well done: but II we
put this longing In the scales, what VIII
Overbalance it2 VIII blind and paltry
prejudiCes OF party or race or class or
creed outweigh Il?
viii some mean and trivial gratihca-
ton TO self-intereSt or vanity outweigh
. it, say, the hope OF quartering an IN
ltaxpayers for support; say. the prospect
OF becoming a Presidential elector, OF
| a colonel or general on the governor
| staff2 Will sheer Incidence and cow
! ardice outweigh it2 the dread OF unac-
> customed distastefuI work: the fear OF
abuse and personal enmity2
Citizenship Questioned.
Will it be found wanting when
! matched against the mere sQueamish-
ness which runs away from coarse and
ugly surroundings. however vital the
l.task to be done in their midst. much as
a man might rather die of typhoid
fever than clean out a sink2 II such is
the measure Of our patriotism II such
is the moral avoirdupois Of our citizen
ship. we need not wonder. we ought not
| 10 complain IL while We are nndlng eN'
| cuses for not doing the work OF our
government in our interest some one
else does il for us in his own.
Because we can not expect perIecl
government. whether Of an American
city or of anything anywhere else, IN
e less and until the people governed are
also perfect (Which is not likely 4
happen. here or elsewhere, IN our tlInel
| the conclusion is not infTcQuenTly drawn
that meantime any Improvement Is
hopeless; but this is a grave mistake
| No doubt, as there never has been, Sc
there never will be, perfect govern
i | ment OF men by men; but there nave oeen
there are now, much better government:
e of great cities than those we I've undel
y in the United States OF today. and
believe that there might be better city
a government now and here man an.
e which the world has known IN this
| country or any other.
Z The True Lesson.
k The true lesson is that the question o
good government in American cities i
- | essentially a moral and only incidental
! " a political one; indeed. this is true o
all governments in all countries. bu
more clearly and emphatically true o
a popular municipal government than o
any other. I mean by this that wha
| the friends Of good government il
| America and especially in American
| cities, have 10 do is much less 10 devils
III methods FOX the efficient and economical
| administration of public affairs than L
| set forth clearly and frequently and I'm
III press constantly and forcibly- on tn
/ attention of their fellow citizens tn
| true and admitted ends and principles o
| government and the daily nantes
| grievous derelictions Of duty on IN
j part Of public officers and OF the voters
III If, for example, one finds some grea
J department of a city government
} through which millions OF dollars o
: public money are annually spent, in
Z welter Of confusion. extravaganza an
z suspected pecuiation. the remedy Is. no
z TO give its head q new name. or TO pu
Y IL in the hands OF three men instea
( of one. or vice versa but TO expos
( thoroughly its abuses. adequately punis
the man or men responsible for Their