Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-11-21
H|GHBR0W MUST
Be ELIMINATED,
SAYS COMMITTEE
Reform Political Organizations
Must Come Down to Earth
# Anything Substantial Is TO
Be Accomplished.

ttr~otmted Press correspondence
Baltimore. Nov. 2a.-~Politieal re-
form organizations must come down
TO earth, they must remove "the
sign of the 'high-brow' aud substitute
the dollar mark. which alone appar-
entity is sufficiently potent To he cffcc-
tive" according to report to the
National Municipal league today by It's
committee ON plan OF political organi
zatlon.
The committee has not completed
its work. and the report Is inscribed
as only an "interlocutory expression. -
II was prepared by the chairman, a.
Leo Wen. president of the Voters
League Of Pittsburgh
In part the report is as follows.
"a plan OF political organization
which relies for It's support upon that
class who have reached the elevation
where they look down upon aelfish-
ness and are moved solely by altruistic
considerations. must fail. The num-
Der Is too limited.
1T will not do for the so-callcd
high brow To invegh against the
complacency of the average citizen.
This gets him nowhere. II will not
do to assume that all voters were
corruptly influenced when they sup
port political factions This prcsup-
poses the prcponderance OF corrupt
ion. The trouble is. perhaps. that
while the one form OF Organization
follows the natural instincts OF man.
the other ignores them and relies
upon conception OF citizenship as
appeals only to the idealsts, the the
orists. the purists and the dreamcrs.
A plan Of political organization, to
succeed, to secure the following re-
CURED TO win az the polls. must be
built upon the handspring of human
action. towit self-interesti Your
committee believes that Il can be
demonstrated. (except where the con-
test is purely personal, between men.
not measures). that in the campaign
for good government. as contiasted
with the machine government, the
selfish interests of the citizen are at
stake. Too much stress is laid upon
patriotism, civic pride and the like,
and too little upon what the eontlnu-
ance of poor government or institu-
ton Of good, means to the purse and
the person of the individual citizen"
There was much justification, the
report continued. In the charge that
a large number OF those who were
found among the reformers, so-called.
did not qualify by registration or
other legal Formally to exercise the
rights OF citizenship the mere voice
Of civic obligation not being loud
enough to call them from their per-
sonal pursuits TO the performance Of
their public obligations
A general awakening was going on,
however. and there was an ever in
ereasing number who wanted good
government out Of purely selfish mo-
tivcs
AS to the financing of such p0liti-
cal organizations the report noted the
Cleveland plan. and urged that 1t
might be followed by other cities. In
the city of Cleveland the president Of
a large trust company conceived The
idea OF getting some of its cillzens OF
wealth to provide in their Wills for
requests TO foundation. devoted TO the
city's welfare. and d large amount,
up into millions, has already
been thus incorporated in such wills.
The money, Of course. will be avala-
bic only upon the death of the bene-
factors Some of these amounts, how
ever, have already become available
death. and In consequence an
organization is being effected in that
city having for is purpose the gem
eral welfare of the city"
The report concluded with the
appeal for suggestions as.
How best to show that good gov-
means personal good TO the
How TO inform the community
that good government is selfish |
not an altrulstic dream
How to remove from such organi- |
lations the sign Of the 'high-brow' |
and substitute the dollar mark.
which, alone, apparently, is sufficient |
~ potent to be effective.
How to bring such organizations I
DOWN 10 earth where they will appeal |
% inhabitants thereof"