Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-09-22
''HIS HONOR ROOTED IN
DISHONOR STOOD"

THE Germans added to their crimes one
= terrible mistake--they began to muir
der American citizens. Mayor Smith and
the association of community debauchers
who surround him managed to commit
virtually every outrage known to govern
ment and were able to get by with 1t very
nicely. The city was too busy being
patriotic to pay much attention to cote
rie of misfits who happened to control
local affairs. But when this Mayor Smith
and his followers began to bring thugs
!, to town and these thugs began to murder
citizens his Kaiserism ran against the
same kind Of barrier that German Kaiser
ism encountered when it undertook to bluff
the United States and apply the principles
of frizhtfulness with Americans as the
victims.
We doubt very much if it will be pos
sible to convict the Mayor on the charge
of conspiring to commit murder. Con-
spiracy is very difficult to prove. But
the great public has way Of arriving at
the truth without employing the cumber-
some processes Of the courts. 1t can tell
a criminal when it sees one, and it does
not require rules of evidence to reach
conclusions. Most people have known in
a general way that the Mayor permitted
the police to be used as a partisan instru-
ment from the very beginning of his ad-
ministration. They knew, in fact that he
had pledged himself before election to put
q notorious factionary in command of the
entire police force. He set about the pros
titution of government openly and with.
out concealment. To be sure, he uttered
,some pious words now and then, for cant
has always been popular with politicians,
but the public understood as well as he did
that the words did not mean anything. He
wore a high hat and managed to gather
about him some atmosphere of decency,
Dul ilSll WIN lilliih hliSN hlAll LOl Nlioh
he was.
Let him resign cries one newspaper,
and others demand that he throw Director
Wilson out of office. How is he going to
throw Wilson out of Office unless the Wares
let him? AS we'll ask Brumbaugh to fire
his Attorney General. OF course, If it
becomes absolutely necessary to save his
own skin, the Mayor will go to any ex-
treme. But this thing of one partner in
an adventure firing another partner for
participating in the partnership does not
seem entirely fair. Mr.. Wilson ought not
to be catapulted into the highway unless
the Mayor goes with him, and the streets
are not properly cleaned, anyhow.
BY all means let the citizens gather
together and make plans for the re-
demption Of the city. But it is Mr.
Rotan who must be the champion of de.
ceney in this crisis, The Wares do not
control him. He is not obligated to them
He and he alone is free to take the bull
by the horns He has the authority to
act. the intelligence to know how to act,
and. II we are not mistaken, plenty Of evil
dence on which to act. Let him put the
culprits in Jail. But why stop at murder
charges? Isn't the Mayor growing rich
from participation in city contracts, and
is It not against the law for him to profit
therefrom?
X IS provided, we understand, that mis-
nagagement Of the city's affairs is a just
and proper cause for the impeachment Of
= Mayor. We imagine that there is vir.
tually universal agreement that the Mayor
Is guilty OF mismanagement. To throw
him out Of Office. where he belongs. all the
people have TO do is TO elect honest Coun.
eilmen insNoyember. That is what they
WIN do, we suspect
How smugly his Honor sits, in the mean
tlme. with no rewards offered for the con.
Flction OF the murcesers and nothing
whatever being done to atone for the
tragedy Of Wednesday The man ought
10 be German gene1ll or Governor Of
Belgium. But the Ksissr requires, we be-
l|e4e. that his subardlnates publish no
paeclamatiops unless they mean them.