Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-08-16
DO YOU KNOW, MR.. MAYOR?

nastiness and the indecencies OF tn
, underworld paraded before 1t. This news
paper is heartily sick Of having sucl
news from City Hall that it is necessar!
to blue pencil half the matter out of re
spect for the feelings Of decent people
and out Of respect for itself.
1t is doubtless of surprising interest tc
the horde Of politicians who are in con
troll OF affairs to have the licentiousness
of the community in which they are little
kings talked about, to have raids and
grand jury investigations and lot OF
hot air" about how they are going to
wipe out the conditions which give them
pie OF this community are not going to
be tricked by such tactics and their eyes
blinded to the facts.
Do you know, Mr.. Mayor, that while
| you are taking up your time trying to
find out why Director of Public Safety,
who was appointed because he was a
Ware protege, is not doing his duty, the
great transit system, for which the people
voted millions, is being held up and no
new work whatever contracted for?
Do you know, Mr. Mayor, that while
you are talking about cleaning up n city
that can be cleaned up in "a hours by
the mere appointment of Director of
Public Safety who the district knows will
do his duty, the important matter of the
tax rate for next year is being neglected,
although 1t is a question requiring the
most earnest study by the best brains
available?
Do you know, Mr.. Mayor that while
you are promising acts instead Of words
in situation where one act alone is re.
quired, the infamous 25 per cent tax on
every gas-user in the city of Philadelphia
continues, although the gas company
itself has urged that the rate be low.
cred?
Do you know, Mr.. Mayor, that the peo.
pie have just voted tens of millions of
dollars to be expended in public improve
ments, the spending of which will tax
your ingenuity and skill to the uttermost
If the funds are not be wasted. while your
attention is distracted to the considera-
ton of what ought to be mere routine
by the deliberate ineficlency of your ap-
pointees in office?
Do you know, Mr.. Mayor, that you were
elected on a platform which called for
efficient administration, aye. for a bust
ness administration, an administration
that would do things and do them in
hurry? Do you know that you are mot
doing them. that you are, in fact, being
taken off the scent by red herrings that
you are being led by the nose into a cam.
paign against mere filth simply because
your own subordinates have allowed that
filth to collect?
Do you know, Mr.. Maylr, that this is
all poppycock, this endeavor to make it
appear that the vital thing in Philadel-
phia is the vice situation? You can wipe
all that nastiness off the slate in ten min.
utes and free your attention for weightler
things, II you want to. But do you know,
Mr.. Mayor, your neglect so far to do the
obvious thing makes men suspect that
you are not so anxious to get clean city
as you are to get clean city in your
own way, which is way that can never
be feasible?
cules to be performed. Mr., Mayor. The
proper policing OF the vice district is not
one of them. To real Hercules that
would be as easy as the killing of
mosquito.
No, Mr. Mayor, you are in Office dedi-
Gated TO the upbuiIdlng of Philadelphia,
to the achievement OF those great enter
prises on which the people have set their
heart. They have provided you with the
money to go ahead. They expect you to
go ahead. They have no sympathy with
this philandering which is going on. They
have asked for the bread OF progress and
you are giving them stone of exposures;
they wanted achievement and under you
there is Haunted before them dirty linen, |
the activities OF the dregs of society and
prurient tales of wanton licentiousness
within the very shadows of City Hall.
There was no open vice when you
entered Office. You were free to go ahead
ana do things. Get free again; throw out
and eject the men who have prostituted
the offices in which you placed them; get
busy on the grand projects which you
havs been authorized and commissioned
to carry on; forget the little things and