The broad ax., 1915-02-06

Or OF CHICAGO, STANDS
sQUARELY ON A CLEAR-CUT
PLATFORM
Hon. Robert NJ. Sweitzer, one Of the
most popular German-Americans in this
neck Of the woods and democratic can
didate for mayor of Chicago, to be
voted for at the primaries Tuesday,
February 23d, who feels dead sure that
he will put all the other candidates
seeking that office out of the running,
squarely stands on the following plat
form which is bound to cause many
thousand of people to rally to his sup
port.
"FOr years." says Mr.. Sweitzer in
his platform, ga false atmosphere
around the Chicago mayoralty has
been cultivated sedulously. Promises
of great things tomorrow have been
employed to forestall demand for ae-
ton on the obvious needs of today"
Conditions in the police department,
Mr.. Sweitzer says, are a striking ex-
ample of the evil which follows ineom-
petent, insineere, or dishonest supervi-
sion and direction.
Blame for Police Conditions.
"The mayor of Chicago is the head
of Chicago's police department, the
platform charges, Gas he is the head
of all other city departments. The
chief of police, or any other city de-
partment heads, holds office as long
as he runs his department the way the
mayor wants him to run it, and no
longer.
"For the out of joint conditions of
Chicago's police department, says the
platform, "the mayor of Chicago, and
he alone, must accept responsibility on
one hand or the other. Either he
knows, and has known, its condition
and wants it to be as it is, or he is
blindly Indifferent. Either way, he is
unfit for his responsibilities. "
Heavy Tax Rate.
For waste, extravaganza, and in
efficiency in the management of the
city government, the platform charges
responsibility to the mayor.
"Under the first budget made after
the present mayor went out of office
in 19O3," the document says, Getty ex-
penditures totaIed $39, $40, $50, or 1898
per capita. Under the last city budget
made before he came back into Office
totaled $49,941, 1852, or
$224O per capita, an increase of s2.77
per capita in six years.
"Under this mayor, and in the short
space of four years, the eity's expen-
diture has grown from $49,94l 1862 TO
$50 500. OO5, or a per capita rate of
1866, the amount carried in the
budget just passed. gross increase of
s39, SIS, 543, and an increase per capita
of Sl4.25. What have we got for itf
Think it over"
Transportation Problem
On the transportation issue the plat
form SAYS street cars are for the use
and benefit of the public-not pri-
vate conveyances to use once in four
years for a return trip to the city hall.
"This question has no place in poll
tics,'' Mr.. Sweitzer argues. "Let us
take 1t out and keep it out. Let us
pay attention to it each day of every
wear. That is the first essential step
% better service.
"The present administration is pro
noting attack upon the ordinances Of |
1907, which have brought nearly $l4,-
100000 into the city treasury, and have
given street ear users universal trans |
'ers and transportation from any part |
IF the city to any other part for one
are. This is an attempt to dismem-
,er our transportation facilities and
eturn to separate systems and double |
ares 1t is an attempt to revive the
'lu Edut VI paying FoAsi'' "N
yorse-with the transportation ques-
ion. And back of this is a still more
mister attempt to make the board of
engineers a political or
Opposes Politics in Schools.
Mr.. Sweitzer believes that if the
ity cannot get relief from financial
waste, excessive taxation, and multi
,licity of taxing in any other way,
here should be a constitutional con-
ention.
Turning then to school matters, the
andidate SAYS
"The board of education is another
ranch of city government that should
,e kept entirely out of politics. If
m elected, members of that board
riI be chosen for their fitness and
haracter, and not to please particular
olitieal eliques, and there will be no
digestion of private traffic in school