The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-10-28

Carrying out plans to do the city.
The latter might be considered to have
been more successful than the former.
because civic affairs were being ad-
ministered under a system applicable
one hundred years ago, when but
small proportion of the population was
housed in cities and not at all appli-
cable now; before the advent of steam,
gas, electricity, telephone and many
ether great inventions that have in
recent years followed fast and will
follow faster, and which brought in
to being improvement and utility COM
panies, good, bad and indifferent,
which are and always will be looking
after their full share, if not more, in
civic legislation.
Corporations Interested In Politics.
Utility companies, wherever form
ed have always been more or less
(generally more) interested in poll
tics-not particularly partisan-and
therefore little more Shrewd than
the average politician. Their interest
centered around the individuals to be
or not to be- in the control of civic
affairs and the partisan label was sec
ondary to them. These companies al
ways have been and always will be
found lined up with those and for
those whom they can count upon to
be friendly to certain legislation
wanted by them and to strenuously OPP
pose such legislation as was notwanted
ter how 1t might affect the general
lublic. Occasionally, 1t is true, and
BECAUSE of this fact, good men have
taken renewed hope, the people would
tire under the load and throw it off.
and a municipal house cleaning would
be had that would prove a betterment
for a time. But even then. when the
crucial test was applied, men of here
tofore approved probity would be
found lined up with the interests at
he xypr mr. ont ,aiv
~ needed in the interests of public
good, and instead Of real reform meas
ures being adopted, sop would be
thrown to the public in the shape of
continue in milder form perhaps and
the service become more and more in
tclerable as the years rolled by, until
another popular upheaval would take
place with similar results.
mo man knew, of course, what in
fluence was brought to bear on this
or that individual to induce him to
oetray his trust at the particular
moment when he should have held
I Ugh aloft the banner of the people.
Yet of one thing they were morally
certain, and that was that if the deal
ing out of franchises and special priv
ileges was left in the hands of the
people, corporations would no longer
Re more interested in civic elections
than any other one citizen. Every
nan of good purposes and high ideals
who has been interested in civic af-
fairs realized this great weakness of
the plan under which so many cities
have valiantly struggled and earnest
lly hoped for state legislation that
would correct this one great evil par
tfcu1arly and many more of minor i'm
/ ortance. And they Particularly well
coined the act passed by the Iowa state
legislature in 1907. which. in their
opinion, presaged the dawn of a better
day in the conduct of municipal af-
fairs.
Under the old plan, partisan poll
ties and corporate greed cut entirely
too much figure in city elections and
often prevented the best selection of
officials and as often defeated those
officials who were particularly COM
petent and trustworthy.
! Law Enforcement Becoming Universal
Business men everywhere are drop
ping the old attitude and theory that
| vice makes business good. They are
supporting the local government ev-
| erywhere for law enforcement. and
| are finding that the question has two
sides to it from a business standpoint,
while there can be but one side as a
| question of morals. Today a large per
cent of the human race is housed in
cities. This being the case, munich
| pal government is of greater impor-
lance to the people than county, state
or national government ever can be,
because it affects the individual-ev-
| cry man, every woman, every child
| and every home. Municipal governmen t
| g complex question, and particular
| ly so because it has to do with all
| ,lasses-the rich, the poor, the honest
man and the criminal the educated
and the ignorant, the patriot and the
p1underer; the good and bad ever
have been and always will be found
| IN populous cities. This being the case
If hph0NunS cultivate
| the spirit of working for betterments
| in the municipality in which he lives.
TO keep alive and burning brightly the
| fires of progress that all citizens may
work. Every man must be brought to
| realize that if he would live in an
| ideal city, he himself must give of
| his time and talents for the public
good, and should he fail to do so when
| allied upon he cannot expect to be
numbered among those who are class
| ed as among our best.
Duties of Citizenship.
mo man can escape the duties of
| citizenship had he the desire to do
| so. And in no other way can a man
| be of greater service to mankind than
| by taking an active interest in civic
affairs. 1t matters little what party he
| may affiliate with, but it matters much
as to what principles he advocates.
N urging you to take an active in
tereSu IN PUBIC aIIalrS, 90 not mean
N any sense that you become a pro-
fessional po1itician-far from it. Pro-
fessionaI politicians are not interested
| in doing for the city but are inter-
ested only in doing the city-interest-
ed only in what they can get out of
the political game as they play it.
Some people object to classifying it
as a profession at all, and they are
right. 1 remember of reading a lit
lie anecdote that fully and fairly de-
scribes what is known as the profess
ionaI politician. farmer was rid
ing along the road when he overlook
man on foot who asked if he might
be permitted to ride. The request was
granted and as they continued their
journey the farmer asked his passen-
ger what his business was. Profess
sionaI man. was the reply. The an
swer was not very satisfactory to the
farmer who was curious to know as
20 the profession which claimed him,