Semi-weekly herald., 1910-04-21
ruinously wasteful, and stupid beyond

| &ili MOlNS.
| II you happen not to have handy
standards for comparison, this may
seem to you overwrought. Also there
is the old matter OF cheap national
blocks our way; we hate TO make pub
lie confession OF fault that In our
hearts we know well enough. Yet
shall we for once deal with things
ion? Then the statements made here
are not over but under the truth.
Some few exceptions exist, also some
degrees OF badness; but as rule the
American city is unsightly to look at,
plundered by corporations and politi-
cal ruffians. misruled where II is not
| corruptly ruled. and bungled. boggled,
and manhandled in all its most import
ant affairs.
| The government of these cities Is
usually wasteful, usually fails to give
to the people that pay for 1t any ade.
quate return for their money. and is
usually conducted for the benefit, and
at the command, of public service cor
porations In things visible md ia
visible it certifies to its own abomina.
BILE failure; for most American cities
are badly paved, badly lighted, badly
built, badly severed. have an expen.
sive water supply and a police force
that thrives upon an alliance with
vice, sometimes upon an alliance with
both vice and crime.
All this, with every stage and phase
of 1t. beginning, end, and middle. ut.
| terly contradicts the essential spirit
and impulse of the people. because
they are for things high and good
Then, is II not strange spectacle?
| Yet as a matter of fact, and not to
make any concession to fustian pa.
tiiotism, the failure so broadly remark
ed upon our municipalities Is not real.
ly ours, but a systems. We have done
the best we could with the tools we
have; the fault Is with the tools: .hey
are worn out, antiquated, and worth.
| less for the task in hand How alb
surd TO suppose that people capable
OF deYising and managing tho most 81.
eantic business enterprises is ineapa.
| hIe of managing a municipality or
that Americans are moral III thoir
convictions and grossly immoral n
their practices. Indeed, the ruth is
something very different. The truth ia
that the old medieval and thumb-hand
system called representative govern
ment Is n failure, and the American
city, being wholly modern and without
The sustaining power of tradition, Is
Ihe first to demonstrate thar fact.
The theory of representative gIv.
ernment rests upon the belief in in.
dividual wisdom. Some few men are
very wise: the rest OF us are very fool.
ish If, therefore. we entrust our af.
fairs to the wise and the god, all
will be wen with us
On this theory the nation has pro.
ceeded for one hundred and twenty.
two years. most of the time In trou.
| hle and so far as its cities are con.
cerned, in state bordering upon
chaos.
| All this time we have been trying
with more or less assiduity to find the
wise and the good and to inve!5 them
| with government.
| Some of our performances in this
grand pursuit have been OF N. aspect
not without its touch of comedy for
those to whom cyniclsm appeals.
| Thus, for about four-fifths of the
time our municipal affairs are perfect
| ly rotten and We all know they are
rotten and say they are rotten, but
patiently endure the rottenness, feel
ing. perhaps, that rottenness is sent
upon us as a visitation from the gods.
| OF sudden, in the fifth year, we
say that We can endure rottenness
no more The time has come to throw
off the hateful yoke of Tamnany In
| New York, or of the Ring in Philadel-
phia, or OF the Coke gang In Cincin.
natl, or of the Butler gang in ST.
| iSouin, III bl the
gang in Chicago, or of the Ruef-Rall.
road gang in San Francisco Some
uncontrolled newspapers tell us this
end valiantly lead us to the assault.
The pulpit sounds the alarm, the un.
derlying moral sentiment is aroused.
A non-partisan committee Is formed.
Our best citizens turn from their pri-
yate affairs and devote themselves
sedulously 10 the cause of reform. We
feel that to do away with rottenuess
We must, with great care, choose for
each public office only the wise and
the good. TO this also the uncon.
trolled newspapers vehemently exhc. I
us; so eXhorts the pulpit: so exhort
all the moral guides.
We proceed TO exercise great care.
We search, we weigh, we consider.
We choose good men, splendid men,
exalted characters: the president Of n
college. the head OF great business
concern. men OF learning and of spot-
less reputation. TO these, our wise 1T
and best. we entrust our governmc mt,
| feeling n cwnat inv In tba thnuuht tho !