Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-01-22
The Political Caldron

"A circles when messenger from the city han
slipped into the court and procured six films
application blanks
'Hs. ha." wheized the sOothsayer Jim is out Of
town and the other Elk slipping him.
The mice win play when the cats away"
But there is nothing 10 that. a fellow came dash
ing into the city hall the other day with twenty Of
these blanks. enough TO supply the commissioners
three times around lacking one. AS matter Of fac,
there are several budding geniuses i'm the city hall
besides the seven commissioners, although for pru-
Dental reasons they keeping well within them
selves.
Three more hats have been flung into the ring.
They belong 10 Malan J. Lacy, engineer, 1909 South
Thirteenth street. Edward Walsh. 1922 Park
Nick Dargaczewsk. SoO2 South Thrtcent: street. Mr.
Washs hat has been hurled in by another than him
SELF admirng friend and neighbor, but the other
two gentlemen threw theirs in themselves. ~
OF course. everybody knows the redoubtable OAR
gaczewski. sometimes called the mayor OF Shelley
town What would a campaign be without Nick7 lie
Is serving his country inspector In the Of
flee OF the city engineer. lie proposed to II IL
understood. the wide-open plan, throttle thrown
back 70 the last notch.
Some 10 his personal friends are tuggng the hat
of Dick Grotte trying snatch II and shoot IL into
this eommissonership ring
Nix says Dick. nothing doing. I'm too busy
trying keep up with my duties Of city purchasing
agent to give any time to candidatng."
But Dick has his friends and there is never any
telling what mans friends may do with hinn-or TO
him.
The Ministerial association has. perhaps unwit-
tingy bulled the market for the present city hail
regime by rejecting the proposed investigation OF the
police administration. OF course this seems like a
matter affecting only Police Commissioner Kugel. but
in truth II affects also ali his colleagues. who pro-
portionately responsible.
SO when the cIergymen turned down the proposal
OF the Rev. DR. Titus Lowe for thorough inquiry into
the police administration they gave a good deal Of
comfort TO the commissioners and their friends Folks
will naturally be influenced to extent by such
action. While DR.. Lowe seems quite convinced
in his own mind that all is not we'll with police
regulation. his brethren must either be under
trary belief they want TO do II in different
DR. Harry A. Foster dentist statesman, IL groom
ing himself for a place the city commission. He
was defeated for the legislature at the fall cleo
ton but has not let that keep him from allowing his
mind 20 over the city election situation with a
view OF starting reforms 81 am for economy
and efficiency N city government" he says. II oe-
cve the practice OF nepotsm should be stopped. Ono
.>oins TO airy number of instances in which real
tves OF commissioners given fat salaries they do
not earn.
For one thing would not pay Si75 a month to
clerk who never worth SIS to any one else. ]
would hire all necessary help. but would pay them
only such salaries as they could get for similsT
clerical work in any commercial house in the city
Look here. the commission form of government
was instituted to cut down expenses and give a
greater efficiency Instead. Il has resulted in an
additional expenditure of $1,000 year. This Is
not the OF tho commission out OF
agement. I take pencil and figure out in few
minutes where $4,000 year be saved in the con-
duct of the city government by simply cutting out the
useless positions that created TO give friend or
relative job. and by cutting down salaries OF men
| who getting sl25 and s75 month who never
earned SIS month in their lives in the open market
| for jobs" 80 tT+f f-f' slE r. ~ iaJ't
--se. ~ t7nte.u+l So si.. %
Let no one be doghatic about what this faction
/ or that faction can or cannot do toward putting
slate without crack in it. Certainly IL there IA
| an element in this any other city with right "a
speak such occasions that Is the business element
| Well. someone says the business men u Omaha want
radical changes. All right. There others" But
you'u find your business men too wise imagine tc
laundering into any belief that they alone gel
what they want. You have only 20 reflect upon thu
result OF the late Auditorium purchase election The
business men, collectively and individually. were
rather compactly aligned behind the proposal to buy
| the Auditorium and the whole city hall bunct
! for that matter and you remember how the votes
! went. it
No. the exigencles of the hour larger than any
faction. They are TO be met by broader and bette
| spirit