South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-08-09
MAKES PLEA FOR
CITIZENS PARTY
Judge John A. Aiken Opens the
Campaign For Local Move
ment With an Address at the
Auditorium.

Declaring that efficiency will never
follow party government in municipal
affairs and asking his hearers to sup
port a citizens ticket II they want
business administration" Judge John
III. Aiken OF TT Wayne made the
opening speech in the campaign Of the
'citizens" at the Auditorium Friday
evening.
A J.. Martin, attorney, law partner
OF John a Hibberd. state senator. pre-
coded Aiken with a speech attacking
the present administration for what
he termed costly mistakes" and
charging a hand In glove relation
ship" between the city officials and
the public service corporations.
Sen. Hibberd presided at the meet
ing which drew a crowd that nearly
filed the lower floor OF the theater.
Music was furnished by ElbeTs band
before the meeting and by a male
quartet.
Says He's a Democrat.
Aiken. the principal speaker OF the
evening. is Judge Of the Allen county
superior court. In national and state
politics Aiken claims adherence TO the
democratic party. In his speech Fri
day evening he vigorously denied IL
meant the loss of party relationship
a a
movement.
Municipal government, according TO
Aiken, should be strictly business.
so a man can not be said to have
deserted his party simply because he
voted for his business interests in a
city election.
For my part 1 fail to see what ap-
plicatiOn the tariff or any of the other
national questions have in municipal
government and / believe the time has
come when the national and state d.
viding lines shall be obliterated in the
cities"
Aiken declared the greatest reason
for the inefficiency in city government
which he charged exists wherever
party rule obtains, is the appointment
of political henchmen TO positions
which they are not qualified TO hold.
"A political party is a faction" said
the speaker. and a faction can't run
a city. In the first place the officials
do not represent the people, they are
subservient 10 the party bosses. They
must appoint the men who helped
nominate and elect them if they are
TO remain In good standing with the
bosses.
Question Always Raised.
Every action the official takes is
preceded by the questions: How will
this affect my standing in the party?
Will II hurt me in case l want to run
again. An efficient business admin
istration is obviously out of the ques-
ton when such conditions prevail
What gives our American politics
the general reputation Of corruption
among other peoples. is not so much
genuine crookedness as II is genuine
Incompetence"
Aiken pointed out that although
good men might be nominated on
ok he inf Of J,af II
party hackers is bad the administra-
ton will be bad.
The speaker paid tribute to wo-
men and their influence in politics.
declaring voteless woman can often
exert more influence for good than the
man with a ballot often does.
Unless the church people are too
lazy and the business men too busy
South Bend can have officers who are
responsible to the people" said Aiken.
Down in Ft. Wayne our young la
dies are boycotting their young men
friends when they find they are stand
ing for the partisan candidates. And
they're doing a lot OF good"
Tells of Movement
The speaker then traced the origin
and the development of the citizens
movement in TT Wayne. Aiken pre-
sided at the meeting last week which
nominated Charles Buck as independ-
ent candidate for mayor
Martins speech was an impassioned
plea for the citizens movement. He
declared a CITY administration must
stand on its record % achievements
and failures when judgment is TO be
passed. He condemned the officials
for granting the franchise to the two
railway companies 10 cross the Lasalle
av. bridge and declared that both gas
and electric rates in this city should
be lowered. He intimated that the
reason there has been no reduction IN
rates was the hand in glove" rela-
tiOnship" which he charged existed
between the officials and the com
panies.