The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-02-27
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lows coulont sell some br1ckS ana EEL
lnws who wanted Office, and different
conditions. They hired a theatre and
got four or five speakers, and one
was Harry Hartwell, and another fell
low named MCGOWAN. Anyhow, Hart
well said he didn't want any Office,
wouldn't have an office: he was merely
there as a philanthropist for the good
of the people. My friends. the cam
paign was hardly over when he got a
job as school commissioner. Then,
after one year, they stated in their
platform and in the newspapers that
this was to be a business government;
there would be no politics, and hum
dreds and hundreds of business men
and professional men fiocked to them
under false promises, AMI the first part
OF the campaign for the commission
form Of government, and I say this
without fear of successful contradfc-
toni say 1t in all sincerity-was the
greatest political campaign in the his
tory Of Mobile, not including the car
petbag days, when Harry Hartwel was
trying to beat Pat Lyons and get in
office. Going around trying to tell the
people he didn't want office. 1 do be-
Eeye 1t is the duty and privilege Of
every citizen In this city, or any other
city, to aspire for office, but 1t is
wrong for any public man, II makes no
difference what trust he holds, if he is
member of some Mesontc order, or
secret order, member of a church, on
the board Of county commissioners, or
city alderman, or whatever he is, not
to deceive his fellowman. This fellow
MCGOWAN got up on the stage and said
he was purely a business man, and
says, sect rid OF the ring-get rid Of
the gang" Well, he got on the school
board: now he has gotten up a petit
tion, been up to Washington fifteen or
twenty times, and wants to be post
master of Mobile-ne said he wasn't
in 1t for the politics. Now, gentlemen
and friends, that would have been all
right II they had not got UP before the
public and said in the press that they
we're not In this movement, that they
didn't want any office and wouldn't
take any, but gentlemen, they have
been hankering for office ever since.
never have seen the men they were
traducing running around, chasing
after Office. spending as much money
as those leaders Of commission form
OF government
ANOUB NY 4EISluSs WIldk else ulu IIey
say? Why, the board of aldermen
here are making you pay a license
But when we get in, we will abolish
that license, IL is un-American, driv-
ing away trade. I knew they couldn't
do IT. I had been chairman of the
finance commItte and say to you, my
friends, II I never utter another word,
I served my city as faithfully and as
honestly as my best judgment told me
as chairman OF the city of Mobile
finance committee, and as 1 did my
private business, and when a man
says, as some have said, how can
fellow work for nothing, what Is the
motive? My friends, I am sixty-six
years Of age. I have been a wage
Garner since 1 was fourteen years old: 1
have been in public life since the re-
construction period, and when Mobile
was captured / was put in the Mobile
prison for fighting for home rule, and
1 had not attained my majority, and I
again say to you that that long expe-
rience and my observation is, that the
man who seeks Office for honor is a
tar better servant Of the people than
the fellow who is paid. (Applause).
have seen so much of 1t. I have had
men to tmpugn through the criticism
OF some partisan paper, or some SER
vice corporation, and we have got a
great many Of them in Mobile, we
nave got the insurance people there,
who collect more money out Of Mo-
bile than any other city in the world
get rid Of the aldermanic govern
ment-why? Those things occur,
Why? When ] was chairman Of the
finance committee I was one of the
men who belonged to the volunteer fire
department I hope the stenographer
gets all these things down-they are
facts), and we wer told then by the
insurance people that we had to have
fire department and more water, and
lower rate Of insurance. That was
one OF the incentives why fought nine
years for municipal ownership of wa
terworks. When l was chairman of
that committee they put nine hundred
fire plugs in Mobile because the in
surance people told us, when you get
plenty Of water, you will be entitled to
a low rate of insurance" We paid the
fire department and improved our con-
| ditions and moral risk and we ex-
pected lower rate in Mobile. Insur-
ance rates, friends, are higher today
under the compact of an insurance
| trust than they were with a paid fire
department and the finest water sys-
tenn in the world; when we didn't have
fire plugs and when we had a volun-
teer fire department.
Now, as the government went on
| ard as the men that were charged
with gathering up the money were I'M
| proving our conditions, increasing the
police, giving more and better lights.
more streets. and paid the fire depart
ment. increased our hospitals, and all
OF the public utilities, looked after the
peoples health, especially health de-
psrtments of all kinds, We went to the
| insurance people and said: Gentle
men, we are maintaining a fire de-
partment costing US sixty thousand
| dollars a year and we have mortgaged
| and bonded our property and put in
plenty of fire plugs, and you ought to
| contribute something; you have got
seventy five per cent of the property
of Mobile for your risk and you are
getting the largest premiums from US
o. any city in the world where there
are the same facilities for fighting fire.
and you ought to either reduce your
rates. or We viii have to put your