Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-05-23
KENT TALKS OF
CIVIC DECENCY
NOTED CHlCAls0AN IS GUEST
OF CITY CLUB
EXPLAINS MANNER IN WHICH
GRAFT DEVELOPS
Former President of Municipal Voters
League of Illinois Metropolis
Speaks OF Large Cities
Ini luenee

Three hundred members of the City
club heard Jcs seph w. Folk ant
William Kent tel about Righteousness
in civic governns ent. The crowd that
gathered about Il lunch tables at the
Westminster yestt rday was larger thar
il has been at an v time in the history
of the organizatSo and it is estimated
at least 100 perso rs who could not get
seats were turne away.
Folk had not been featured as q
speaker. The moi ice cards simply saio
he would De a guest of honor and
when he was pre- vailed on to make a
few remarks his speech was not 9
studied address hI Il more IN the nature
of a heart TO hes TT talk on municipal
decency.
, Frank c. Finla, yson. first viee-presi-
dent presided in lthe absence of Presi-
dent Works. and he introduced the
former governor Of Missouri as the
pioneer in graft C-usades. Mr.. Finlay-
son said il was the victorious efforts
of Folk in prosecuting the boodlers OF
st. Louis that hail awakened the CIVIC
conscience all over the country.
Folk opened his address with a trib-
ute to Los Angeles and what this city
has done for municipal reform.
This city does not consist of its tall
buildings. its magnificent residences
it's man and women" said Mr.. Folk.
en- nroportion as these men and women
are high-uinded this city will be great.
If this city could be distinguished
for good government as no other city
is, it would be the greatest city in the
country, for it is good government that
brings people to your city. You can [
cure corruption by hiding it. The only
cure possible is to drag it into the open
and hit it hard Some say this method
hurts business. l say, if any business
is hurt by the exposure of corruption
that business deserves to be hurt.
Some declare it will injure some
political party. If any party is hurt
bv the exposure of corruption the
sooner that party is wiped out of ex-
istence the better.
.You in Los Angeles have made
great progress towards good govern
ment. This progress is simply the re-
suit of good people taking an active
interest in politics, and there they must
stay if you would continue clean.
Commission Plan Favored
I'm Des Moines l had an opportunity
To study the commission plan of mu-
nicipal government and 1 believe it is
a desirable method. 1t is the simpler
form of government and the simpler
YOU can get government the better
able YOU are to control it. The init
alive. the referendum and the recall
are desirable features of municipal
government. All these have their
faults. There are some objections that
can be made to them. We are still
cropping in the dark, still experimenting
with government, but THESE features
are a step in the right direction. After
while we may find something better
but until that time comes let us keeI
these things as we have them now.
But we may have all these helps
towards good government and yet If
the good people of the community neg
Iect their civic duties we will have bad
government. All a good law can do is
to give the good people a cure for pub
lie ills But, If we can make the people
fight for the public interest then good
government will result. Reform al
ways comes from the masses, not from
II ores higher up.
ut takes fighting to make the people
free and mort lighting to keep them
free He who does not fight for bet
ter things. gives his tacit consent to
bad things
William Kent, formerly president of
the Municipal Voters League of Chi
eago, the organization responsible for
many good results in that city, spoke
to the club on Cities and Things.
Mr. Kents fOreword was for the City
can acquire such a factor for civic
Righteousness as an organization of
this kind" said Mr.. Kent.
How shall we look at a city," ques-
toned Mr.. Kent. "The rural idea of a
city is an aggregation of individuals
that is bound to tester and breed cor
ruption. 1t is a historical fact that the
city is the oldest political entity and
the history of all cities shows that they
are the focusing center of the real
ANTON The city furnishes the highest
social opportunities and these are ne
cessary to our existence. The social
spirit can only be cultivated by get
ting together.
1--WE must also regard the city as an
economic factor. Who can say that by
crowding together in cities we do not
create a labor saving device?
Explains Duties of City
"The function of a city is to furnish
to every man, woman and child within
it's confines law and order, educational
facilities and recreation, water, arti-
fetal light and transportation. Under
the old idea cities were allowed to grow
without planning. Someone laid out a
tract of land, other people rushed to it
and soon they found they would have
to have another source of water sup
Ply than the wells on which they had
depended. They soon needed artificial
light and transportation. When the
need arose, promoters provided water
light and transportation and so glat
were the people to get these facilities
they did not consider what they were
giving away for them. This policy
of heedlessness on the part of the peo-
pie produced a greedy set of corpora
tions, who saw no wrong in charging
all the traffic would bear and wher
they found they were opposed in this
idea, they stepped in and secured con-
troll Of the city governments. Then by
easy steps we got into a condition
where these important facilities be-
came merely a system of loot.
In the law and order feature cities
have been lax and police systems have
grown up as political machines.
''In the matter of health the heed
lessness of the people has brought
about congestion and slums. Land has
become so valuable that these crowded
beings cannot have space. Educational
facilities probably are handled better
than any other city function.
Some cities, especially New York
present a great problem which will
have to be solved some day. This is
the waste and extravaganza of public
money which is bound to cut off the
citys growth. If New York today
could not draw on the outside world
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