Henderson gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1911-19??, 1911-11-23

Gilt - lAiSI = al Z IOO llIdIlt CGuul-
dates to be elected. 1t prevents
politics from coming into town
government. Neither mans
political nor church views should
be considered in connection with
his qualifications for municipal
Office. We select a cobbler not
because of his theological opin-
ions but for his ability TO mend
shoes. What is also highly i'm
portant, we can have under the
commission form concentrated,
together with increased capacity
in city administration-one of
fetal doing well what formerly
number old poorly. The plan
will also make impossible that
abominable relic Of barbarism.
still recognized by the President
Of the United States, the 'SpOils
system, >" by which the public
money has been sQuandered
among political Office holders. 1t
introduces instead the merit sys-
TEN, by which offices are given
TO the men or women best quail
fed to fill them.
3. Education in Civic Affairs.
This is the third question upon
which the League laid mighty
emphasis. The paper by Arthur
W. Dunn, Of New York, on
Civic Education,' is worthy of
the widest reading. The same
point is emphasized in the last
division Of Mr.. Pittman's paper.
Heretofore the people in this
country, as we'll as in Russia,
have not ruled. Political boss
es, with machinery adapted to
their ends, have prevented a
free expression of the popular
will. The people have not been
allowed to select their own rep
resentatives. They have been
restricted to the privilege of vot-
ing for the men named by their
bosses. But conditions are rap
idly changing. The day Of doom
is near for that class of our poll
ticians who consider the people a
mob, incapable of self-govern-
ment. The people are destined
to rule. The character Of their
rule will be determined by the
character of the citizenship.
There can be no effective citi-
zenship without adequate edu-
cation.' The quality of citizen
ship can, to a great extent, be
determined by the teaching of
civics in the schools. Here, as
elsewhere, we have been teach
ing our children the nOn-essen-
tials, leaving them pitiabIy ig-
n0rant Of the great realities Of
life. Our colleges are doing lit
tie to train for citizenship. Cur
lower schools are doing almost
nothing. Instead Of teaching
the old Civil Government, " the
child should be familiarized with
the government Of his own
town, and should be taught his
obligations to participate in the
/ same.
The foregoing are the views
Of others. | close with 4 5ug-
T gestion Of my own. IhaVe wait
ed for weeks to make it. [ have
followed with keenest interest
the recent discussions Of our
/ town government. The writers
in the Gold Leaf forced US to the
conclusion, if we had not reach
ed it before, that our municipal
administration is sick. They
rendered an important service in
making US familiar with the
symptoms Of the disease. We
should complete the diagnosis
and endeavor to find the remedy.
To enable US better to do this
work, let us organize among the
men of the town a Progressive
Municipal League, to work in
conjunction with the Woman's
Civic League, toward the solu-
ton of our problem.
Some Of those who discussed
our local government suggested
that the cause Of failure might
be found in a lack Of knowledge
Of large business enterprises or
of ''practical' political methods
on the part Of individual council
men. 1t is a notorious fact that
the Ship of State has almost been
run aground by men who possess
just this knowledge. AS a rule
/ success in big business and in
PRACTICAL politics is a guaran-
tee of unftness for real public
service. The men who are now
leading in movements for munich
pal reform are usually men who
have had little connection with
practical business or practical
politics. but have studied from a
scientific viewpoint the problems