Semi-weekly herald., 1910-04-21
SANITY. AND DEMOCRACY
FOR AMERICAN CITIES

SANITY. AND DEMOCRACY
FOR AMERICAN CITIES
Everybody's Magazine
Surely every American adult. if so
much as moderately patriotic, If not
joined for gain with predatory enter
prise, and il given in any way 10 medi
tation, must feel moved at times to
SIT down and weep over the fathom-
less shame and ito his mind) the hope
less misrule OF the cities of his native
land Here is very strange matter
well worth the attention of all
Lei us take. for an example. high
class and chiefly American city of the
middle west The city of Des Moiues,
Iowa In many respects II Is an ad
mirable place OF habitation handsome
ly situated, OF stolid and permanent
development, unusually fortunate III
the character of its population. doubt
If in another community in the world
you could find higher average OF
worth and Intelligence 1t has every
lllDOi Vi iuNdHtfu CIV lilZdllDH,
great university, model schools of all
grades. excellent newspapers. church.
es, beautiful parks, societies for cul-
ture and art. The residence streets
are broad and handsome: in many di
rections there are evidences of taste
and aesthetic Impulse
1t Is the capital of a state famous
fol- schools, good institutions. prosper.
lily, good order and the broadly pro
gressive spirit of its inhabitants; II Is
fit capital of such a state.
IN this city the people are admitted
to have unusual civic spirit; they are
never Indifferent to public affairs. Ha
bitually and with great liberality they
subscribe for every public purpose
Reasonably enough, they are proud
and fond of their city; they will make
sacrifices in its behalf. The business
men are noted for their alertness and
their progressive methods: with con-
spicuous ability and success they man.
age their respective concerns. Beyond
doubt the vast majority of the peo-
pie of Des Moines are efficient as well
as honest; they fervently desire eff
cient and honest government.
Yet for many years they were cursed
with a local government usually ex-
travagant and wasteful, sometimes dis
honest, and always grossly incompe-
tent aud futile. Again and again good
men, feeling the sting of these con.
ditions, aud upheld by the sympathies
of most of the people. set their hands
to the task of Improvement. Without
exception their efforts had one dreafy
record of failure. Good men seemed
to become bad when they took public
office; wise men TO turn foolish: eff
cient men to become suddenly incapa.
BILE, and honesty itself TO be corrupt.
ed. Public service corporations alb.
sorbed the highways, the city finances
were slipshod, the protection OF oiti.
Zens was often alarmlngly inadequate.
Thus the strange spectacle was pre-
sented of able business men yearly in.
Sesting their money in "A notoriously
Improbable venture and supporting an
institution so wretchedly mismanaged
that 1t was II kind of public Jest.
What was strangest of all, while the
people had obviously the sense OF beau.
ty and the love Of adornment, the
appearance OF the business part Of
their city was always slovenly In
spite, therefore. of what might be call
ed a universal aspiration for good
things, the astonishing result was OBJ
tanned of universally bad things, until
part of the people were ready to de
spair of good government. and an.
other part settled into a cynical &C
ceptance of what seemed to be an ir-
remediable evil.
In all these matters Des Moines, was
but type of the American city, big
or little, and, everything considered, |
know of no other fact so abnormal as
that this should be so.
Because if The American people have
one distinguishing trait, 1t Is their
strong innate moral sense: yet the gov.
ernment of their cities Is probably the
most immoral government In the world
They are essentially honest; the gov.
ernment of their cities Is so dishonest
that It is a byword and mooking for
the rest of mankind. on the whole,
they are probably the most capable
and intelligent of modern peoples; the
government of their cities is incompe
tent, childtshly Inefficient laundering