The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-11-01
The Issue in TUESDAYS Election.

There is just one issue to be voted on at the
city election Tuesday. That issue is:
Shall the present system of inefficient gov
.rnment be continued for another period of four
years, or shall an efficiency system OF govern
nent be substituted for it efficiency system
which is not of the red tape" variety, but which
will be of practical use in operating our big mu-
1icipal corporation more economically, to the
end that the $4,000 stockholders" will receive
some real substantial returns their tax in
yestments.
We know the bulk of the citizens of Rich
nond desire the establishment of an efficient
city government, so the question is, what may
oralty candidate is best qualified to undertake
his work?
There are several reasons why DR.. thinner
mans ambition to succeed himself as mayor of
Richmond will not be fulfilled, but the one which
stands out boldly above all it's fellows is that the
ak, Indifferent and inefficient methods of con-
Quoting municipal affairs under the present
and former Zimmerman administrations has
made it imperative that the management of the
city be placed in more capable hands.
For four terms DR.. Zimmerman has had the
opportunity of establishing city government
which would meet the needs of the community,
out he has failed to make good.
DR.. Zimmerman has winning personality
and is man of generous impulses but the time
has come at last when his fitness to fill the very
important office of mayor will not be judged by
such standards alone.
Can he hold down the Job ?" is the basis on
which the voters of Richmond will now consider
his candidacy for fifth term, and as this is the
standard by which they will make their decision,
his defeat be easily forecasted.
cause for just complaint. He has received more
public favors, more tolerance than falls to the
lot Of the average citizen. This more than fair
treatment he has received from his fellow cti-
zens has been repaid by most careless, to say
the least, administration of public affairs
For salary of $1,000 year he has, on the
average devoted one hour per day to his official
duties. The remainder of his time he has de-
voted to private business affairs. He has never
appreciated the importance of his high office
He has valued it only for the additional income
he has derived from it, and were he mayor of a
commission form city his lax attention to his dll-
ties would have alone justified his recall by the
citizens.
To Mayor Zimmerman's failure to devote his
time and attention to his duties be traced di-
rectly all the evils which have crept into our gov
eminent and the popular demand for a re-organ-
ization of city affairs on an efficiency basis
He has tolerated loose conditions in the
health department; he has countenanced the
slipshod and extravagant conduct of the affairs
of the street department; he has given no
thought to the installation of a MODERN effective
budget system; he has permitted in fact autSar-
led policy cheating the municipal light plant
of large proportion Of its annual revenue; with
thn ho hos
pal plant he has made public improvements, paid
for entirely by the patrons of the city plant
whose rates have been maintained twenty five
per cent higher than necessary because of the
citys failure to pay its public lighting bills
much of this money rightfully belonging to the
municipal plant he has permitted his street COM
missioner to use in making streets with ma
cadam surfaces of only one-half the standard
depth, in making frequent repairs to these
streets so improperly built; he has never re-
quired the adoption of system of daily detail
ed reports in the various departments; he has
frequently made himself target for ridicule
by his rulings on the city court bench. and he
has assumed a czar-like dictatorial attitude in
presiding over the sessions of the city council
All of these indictments in more detailed
form, have been returned against Mayor Zim-
norman IL articles appearing in the Palladium
the past few weeks, but all these charges of
leakages in the public funds and inefficient adj
minstration of public affairs remain unan-
swered even by the mayors sturdy champion
Edgar Tiff, police commissioner and ready let
ter writer, that is unless lifts shouts of liar
to every presentation of facts. culled from the
books and records at the city hall, are to be con-
sidered answers to the charges preferred
AS a matter of fact the mayor. Mr. Tiff and
his other supporters have no intelligent replies
at hand to deny the indictments returned
against Zimmermanism so, in self-defense, they
have been compelled to resort to the old school
political trick of attempting to divert the main