Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-30
BAY CITY MAYOR is
GUEST OF CITY CLUB
PROF. B0KE OF U. OF C. TALKS
ON DECENT GOVERNMENT
Speaker Says Citizens Are Awakening
to Fact That Present Adminlstra-
tons Are Unsatisfactory
and Evil

Or. E. r. Taylor, mayor of San
Francisco. was greeted with an ovation
by the City club yesterday when he
arose to speak on Good Government"
following an able address by Professor
George H. Boke of the University of
California.
Mayor Taylor's speech was short, as
he was scheduled for an address at
Simpson auditorium last night, and he
did not want to take the edge from
his evening speech; but what he said
was delivered with the force and vigor
which has made him a power in San
Francisco and was aimed at the heart,
straight from the shoulder. He paid
a high compliment to George Alexan-
der, mayor of Los Angeles, and threw
out a little Josh" for Uncle Billy
Workman, the playmate of his boy
hood, who sat at his right hand.
Good government as l understand
it," said Mayor Taylor, lis directly
antithetical to political bossism gov
eminent. What is political bossism
government? What does it mean? Too
often we use words and phrases with
out stopping to analyze their meaning.
1t simply means some one with a
faculty for organization gets control
of political machine. This boss tells
the convention when to meet and who
to nominate. When the nominees are
elected the boss hands in a list of per-
sons he wants appointed to various
places, and the political machine is in
full power. The citizens have no voice
in the government Those in office
do not represent the people; they rep
resent the political boss who has placed
them there, and the only interest they
have is in this boss.
Good Forces Must Organize
Good government is the antithesis
of that. To combat this political boss
ism, the forces of good must have their
organization, and these forces of good
must rise to heights of citizenship that
not many can attain. They must make
up their minds they are there for the
interests of the city alone and not for
personal purposes. We cannot do any,
thing worth while unless we are willing
to make sacrifices. Each one of you
must be willing to be crucified, if
necessary. Unless we have this stead
fast purpose we will have only spurts
of moral uplift that amount to nothing
The sprinter is useless. 1t takes the
long distance runner to accomplish
something in good citizenship, and his
run must be for life.
isn't the spectacle at Washington
ly sick at your stomach? Don't we
know that three-fourths q want to
| be moderate in my language) of the
members of congress are ground out of
/ political machines? There is not enough
good citizenship in the whole of con-
gress to sweep up.
But | have great faith in the Ameri-
can people. 1t is our work to cooper
ate with the forces of good and make
them predominant over the forces of
evil. We have become so dominated
by the material that we can scarcely
see the spiritual side. But let us get
on the heights and no longer crawl on
the ground.
Professor Boke, who is identified
prominently with the League Of JUS
tice in San Francisco, which is re-
sponsible for the prosecution of the
grafters in that city, spoke ON the work
of the organization which he repre-
sents.
Not Satisfied with System
after setting UP our system of gov
eminent we don't seem to be satisfied
with it," said Professor Boke. EVERY
where citizenship organizations are
springing up which express dissatis-
faction with the issues Of government
Why do we feel it necessary to have
these organizations? 1t is because we
feel we are not yet IT; that we have
not fully won the battle and are not
free from some enemy that has en-
trenched itself We feel we are not
yet the power that we should be-
There is some faculty in us that
has determined We may be the power
in the republic. But how? 1t is to
find the key to this problem that ou1
civic conscience is being awakened
We have accomplished something in
the right direction. The direct primary
is most essential, and the recall in Los
Angeles has set up a standard most
successfully. Is the political program
outlined by the forces Of good govern
ment the fundamental program?
do not hesitate to say it Is not, but II
provides the machinery by which W.
|, are working. 1t is a mighty battle
we must wage. We have to deal witt