Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-08-31
INCONCEIvABLY NEFARIOUS

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not taken the trouble to vote in recent
years. has read and inwardly digested the
following statement by Mayor Smith:
have been in politics for years,
I know what things are done and that
knowledge Is guiding me now. But l
never dreamed that politics could lead
men TO do such things as l have dis
covered have been done in Philadel-
phia. My mind is made up, and 1 am
going to teach policemen that they
cannot take orders from the outside
and expect to get away with 1t.
This admission that the police have
been taking orders from the outside is
interesting. but It is not news. Yet the
police were not taking orders from the
outside a year ago. They were not In
politics then. They got into politics be-
cause the Mayor appointed as their chief
a well.known politician. He appointed
him for political reasons, and that was
as much notice as the police force needed
that q political regime was In the saddle,
wherefore holding ones job depended, in
the event, on obedience to the instructions
of politicians.
We say in all seriousness that the
Mayor invited the situation Of which he
complains, and he knows, es everybody
else knows, that there is not the remotest
possibility of changing that situation so
long as Director Wilson Is retained in
osaaa ~, 49,, c,,oar,o+andapt pnhiDson 10
merely TO trifie with the issue, for, what
ever his delinquencies, they flowed from
and had their origin in the acquiescence
of the Director of Public Safety. Either
SO, or that Director is babe in the woods,
utterly incapable of filling the office which
he holds
The EVENING LEDGER can have no con-
fidence in the professions of the Mayor,
nor do we believe any fair.minded citizen
can. until he has made those professions
good by the election OF the politician
under whose regime the monstrous con.
ditions to which the Mayor confesses have
reached their fruition.
But far more important to Philadelphia
than the Mayors declaration that the
police force is ruled by politicians is his
naive announcement that even he, hard.
ened in the toughest school of politics
known and Injured by long acquaintance
to its immortality and lawlessness, could
not conceive that men would do such
things as "I have discovered have been
done in Philadelphia"
out the righteousness OF the gang that
each new revelation OF wickedness has
almost fallen fiat. High-minded citizens
simply would not believe that the things
it was declared were being done could be
done. Yet here is the Mayor himself.
elected by the gang. confessing the fact.
1t is enlightening; It is Illuminating; it
is humiliating.
We have no comment to make. II a
city deliberately votes for such govern.
ment 1t gets what it wants. We doubt II
there can be impartial and honest en-.
forcement OF law with a gang Mayor in
City Hall. But we do venture to hope
that Mayor Smith will oust Director VIII
son and. having done that much to clean
things up. will devote his attention to the
great community enterprises for which
money has been voted. The electorate
will take care OF the gang when the next
election comes along. Meantime Phila-
delphia is waiting for the Mayor to get
busy on business. There will be a con-
ference today relative to the floating OF
some bonds in the near future. If de-
cency in government cannot be obtained
straightway. at least $500 a day can be
saved by paying the mandamusss which
now bear interest at 8 per cent