Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-09
GOOD GOVERNMENT


nicipal affairs have nothing whatever
to do with party politics and should
be kept free and clear from party poll
ties will be asserted in Los Angeles.
This is no new doctrine, but is an
application of common sense to public
affairs, and has been recognized and
upheld by leaders and thinkers in
American life and history for half
century. The great minds of modern
times are unanimous in condemnlng
attempts to befog local issues by in
PRODUCING elements of party allegiance
utterly foreign to them. What has
party politics to do with an economical
and businesslike administration of the
affairs of the city Of Los Angeles?
President Taft is opposed to party
politics in municipal affairs. He has
expressed publicly his opinion on the
subject, and no one who processes
admiration for President Taft and his
policies can consistently oppose in
practice the principle laid down by the
president in a speech at Cincinnati
during a great municipal campaign, in
which a Republican machine, under
the management of Boss Cox, was at
tempting to bulldoze the people into
voting its ticket, even as the Repub-
lican machine in Los Angeles is at
tempting to bulldoze the people.
President Taft at Cincinnati took a
stalwart stand for good government
as opposed to machine government in
municipal affairs. He made a strong
speech in which he urged citizens to
vote for the Independents in the field
and defeat the Republican machine.
He expressed emphatically his abhor-
renee Of partisan politics in municipal
affairs.
Theodore Roosevelt in his strenuous
and outspoken fashion condemned un-
sparingly and unreservedly any inter-
mixture Of party politics in city af-
fairs. He said;
THE WORST EVILS THAT AFFECT
OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ARISE FROM
AND ARE THE INEVITABLE RESULT OF
THE MINING UP OF THE CITY AFFAIRS
WITH THE PARTY POLITICS OF THE
NATION AND THE STATE. THE LINES
UPON WHICH NATIONAL PARTIES d.
VIDE HAVE No NECESSARY CoNNEC-
TION WITH THE BUSINESS OF THE
CITY; SUCH CONNECTIONS OPEN THE
WAY TO COUNTLESS SCHEMES OF
PLUMBER AND CIVIC CORRUPTION"
It is not even thinkable that the
Americanism of Lincoln, which made
him the foremost and most drastic rad
ical and reformer of his time. could
contemplate governing city by the
planks of a national party platform or
could apply national politics to local
conditions. Lincoln's logical mind,
which rebelled against a highly illog-
ical and un-American labor condition
which up to his time was an estab-
Hshed institution, never could have en-
tertained a proposition that candidates
for city offices were to be measured
by their national politics. Other con-
siderations apart, his keen sense of
humor rejected such an incongruous
absurdity.
Another great Republican, President
Grant, would have dismissed as child
ish a suggestion that because a man
voted a certain national ticket all his
fellow citizens who shared his ma
tional political belief should combine
to put him in charge of the affairs of
the city. while all those who did not
share his national political belief
should vote against him municipality.
In short, partisanshlp in municipal
affairs can be bolstered up only by
narrow, selfish machine arguments.
No great statesman ever approved
such a monstrous proposition as that
championed by the newspaper repre-
sentatives of the local Republican
machine.
The last witness we will summon on
this important question was a Repub-
lican president who made prosperity"
his watchword, and was confident the
best protection" was the protection
of the American home, that to protect
the American home was the principal
business of a municipal government,
and that in order to assure such pro-
lection the municipal government must
be GOOD, without reference to the
national politics Of the men chosen
to hold municipal offices and admin
lister the affairs of a municipality.
President William Mckinley, in
Labor day speech delivered before the
members of Ohio labor
of which he was an up
holder and advocate, said: THERE
IS NOTHING TOO GOOD FOR THE
MEN THAT WORK. The first duty of
a nation is to enact laws which will
give citizens the widest opportunities
for labor and the best rewards for the
work done. With us the best citizen
ship is required to secure the best gov
eminent, the best laws and their wise
OUR CITIZENSHIP
MUST BE PROTECTED IN EVERY
WAY POSSIBLE, for upon it rest the
and glory of our institu-
lions. IF 1 WERE CALLED UPON
TO SAY WHAT, IN MY OPINION,
THE STRENGTH
AND INTEGRITY AND SECURITY
OF THE GOVERNMENT, 1 SHOULD
SAY
THE AMERICAN HOME"
1t is the duty of municipal good gov
eminent, irrespective of national party
politics, to protect the homes of the
people.