The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-02-27


tons; I am following my experience
and the things I have contended for.
I was first elected to the city council
in Mobile in 1874, and served as the
youngest man. have always been
progressive, and every Improvement in
Mobile I had something to do with it
that is a coined word, everybody's
| being progressive. You have been
progressive here in Pensa cola-you
heaven't been going backward, and
my long experience permits me to say
what I do and observe that which I
come in contact with.
was up in Colorado visiting an
other commission form of government
city Il don't want to, tire you gen.
tlemen) (''lSeep on, go ahead'O and by
| the way there Is a Mobile girl who
married a Mr.. Chapman lives up there.
/ was then president Of the CONNER
i cial Club of Mobile, and I went to this
city to try and get a convention Of in
surance men. I finally succeeded in
brining them to Mobile, the National
! Commissioners of Insurance. While
there, Mr.. Chapman asys to me, DE
Lena wants you to come up to the
! house tonight" I said to him, 81
can't be up tonight; I am very busy
with a couple of other gentlemen from
! Mobile trying to land convention but
will be up tomorrow night" Well,
: in the meantime, Mr.. Chapman intro
duced me to the mayor Of this Colo
RADIO city-they had just gone into the
commission form Of government. They
i'were very courteous to me and the
mayor introduced me to the other four
commissioners, and while there was
getting their rates Of taxation, values,
and licenses, and looking into their
utilities, comparing the police and fire
departments and various other things
with the conditions in Mobile. The
next night went up to Mr.. Chapman's
| house; there was a reception. I knew
| his wife from a little child in Mobile
and she was glad to see me, and says
to me, Mr.. Craft, voted last cleo
ton" I said, You did2 What was
the ocacsion?" She says. "Mr. Chap
man says he wanted to get all the ras-
Gals out Of office and got me to vote
| against my wishes" A lady from New
York was also there and she said she
voted but she never would do 1t again
I had been there only tire days.
said to Mrs. Champuan. DO you know
what is the occasion for q change In
the government She said, mo-"
and said to her, 1.-THE electrtc light
company wanted to get an extension
of their franchise-they couldn't set It
out Of the aldermen. and 50 they
| thought the best thing to do was to
change the government" kApplaEse).
This lady said she voted but would
never vote again, and Mr.. Chapman
SAYS, he was deceived too but he Just
voted for the popular thing, thought
that was progressive. That was the
condition there.
Now, what brought on the fight in
Des Moines3 What brought on 8
change In the government? The mayor
and city council wanted municipal
ownership of the waterworks, mad got
@ bill through the legislature creating
a fund of one mill per annum. Then
| the street railway company and cleo
| trio light people wanted an extension
of their franchise. The council was
insisting upon 1t. They Immediately
went to work and organized q new
commercial body. composed principally
of service corporation men. their
bankers and their friends and lawyers,
and then the hue and cry went up
that they wanted q commission form
| of government. What were the re-
suits? The results were the people OF
| Dies Moines gfiot no municipal own
ership OF water works; the aldermen
were away: the franchise Of the rail-
roads is what they wanted.
No, my friends, you can always see
some motive behind all these new
false prophets. In conclusion, as the
hour is getting late, would admonfsh
you, gentlemen, to get g. government
that will give you the greatest repre-
sentation-where you can have direct
representation, so that If you have 1t
| in wards a citizen. It makes no diff
ference how humble he is or what po-
sition in life he occupies. can go to his
representative and have somebody to
talk for him. All this talk abot get
ting quick dispatch and quick results
by commission form Of government
is all rot have seen it IN Mobile,
Des Moines, Houston, and everywhere
have gone to. I want to say that the
political aspect, If last year when Mr..
Hartwell ran against Mr.. Lyons, is to
be a continuous squabbling over five
thousand dollars, we have had more
politics and warngles than in any
form of government we have ever had.
want to thank the citizens Of Pen
sacola again for the privilege of being
here and speaking to you. I have
always felt kindly towards Pensacola,
and when was in business got sup
port from here, and when I was in
the legislature. and Mr.. Sullivan will
bear me out, 1 was one of the most
active men who tried to yank you
over into Alabama. / want to thank
you.
We, the undersigned court reporters,
do hereby certify that the above and
foregoing speech is a true and correct
transcript Of the address as made by
Mr.. John Craft, Of Mobile, Alabama,
on the 31st day Of February, 1913, and
| that this IS all Of said address.
w. NJ. HURTENBACH,
MINNIE S. REHOE.
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