Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-03-20
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT TALK
PUBLIC OPINION
No. ,
BY L H. BRIGHT

The day for the GOOD FELLOW-in politics has passed.
He who owed everybody and everybody owed him, has gone
forever-his doom was sealed when the boroughs were merged
into a city.
In a small community a large force of hangerson and de-
pendents cut a wide swath, especially on election day, but IN
the larger city, that force becomes negligible, (city folks view
things from a different view point he may become a ward
boss, or a ward heller, but he's bound to evolute into what he
naturally is, for the reason a city needs and demands men of
"a larger calbre, men of sound Judgment, men who stand for
something, men who have a policy outlined for the public
good, men who are willing to make sacrifices of their time
and ability to further the ends for which a seaside city exists
men of capacity and foresight and who are not filled with
lust for public Office, for the sole purpose of drawing a salary
or using the credit of the Office or the city to p~romote-their
own selfish ends.
Commission form of government brings into the hearts and
hands of the people adopting it-a near approach to doing
their own business and while it takes time to educate all the
people to an intelligent use of its various features yet withal the
people have responded quickly enough when shown. In lit
tie over a year from its adoption here two of its features have
been operated, the referendum and recall and while the refer
endum petition failed-It did not fail as a result of any in
herent defect in itself-But for the reason that those who pro-
NOTED it-Relying upon the promises of a commissioner that
the wishes of the people would be carried out, to save the ex-
pense of an election, it was permitted to rest. Some one was
betrayed-but never mind, an opportunity IS at hand now to
rectfy and correct that error. Don't be deceived by lip prom
Uses; act. There are many ways in which to mould public
opinion and any whose moral sense of justice is not too blunt
can readily surmise just how actions like the following would
help furnish a scandal-by threatening to refuse to buy meat
from a merchant unless the merchant could succeed in getting
an employee to withdraw his name from a recall petition, by
sending a police officer to bring to the city hall a business
man for not paying a mercantile tax on a pool table when no
bill or no notice had ever been served that any tax was due,
because he had signed a. recall petition, notifying another
merchant to appear at CITY hall for not putting iron posts
under an awning when it had been done at leasta month";
for signing a recall petition, by using the Chief of Police to
see voters and use his inhuence()to get them to withdraw
their names from the recall petitioul These are some of the
things that help to mould public opinion-When the voters
and taxpayers see their employees band together to prevent
them the people) denied the opportunity of obtaining a free
expression of opinions as to the best method and a free ex-
preston as to who would be the best men to hire to run their
government something will drop-just listen to the thud-
when it happens.
No honest official or employee objects to criticism-it tends
to promote efficiency. Many times it happens that the by
stander watching a game of checkers being played notices the
errors of the players-so it is with the actors in municipal
government those on the outside can more readily and quick
ly discern the mismovement or Encouragement or the error
in Judgment than the player can.
1t is one of the rights reserved to the people to openly
criticize what it is thought to be wrong, for no other method
obtains for %righting a wrong or correcting an evil than to
bring into the notice of the servants of the people. When /
was elected Collector of the Borough of Holly Beach City
and demanded an audit of the books my predecessor took excep-
ton to my position, claiming that to ask for and insist upon
an audit of his accounts was a reflection on his integrity
simply because it was not the custom at that time to do such
a thing. But it's a well established custom now and it would
be thought queer if any one would advance an argument like
that now. Criticism won in that case, and it is destined to
win more battles, for public opinion is being educated to the
necessity of an active participation in public affairs.
Public opinion once tolerated the booze heister as a polit-
ical leader, will the reader kindly indicate the position of
that leader now and the bunch of his followers.
Don't be deceived every total abstainer is not always pos
sessed with sound business judgment and it requires just as
much discrimination on the part of the voter now, in fact