Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-09-27
THE PROTEST AGAINST
GOVERNMENT BY MURDER

WV EINlNMLlNl ID mChDEN
FTHE Mayor yesterday issued a state
ment. with his averments relative to
his good intentions and his endeavor to
give the city "a clean and orderly Ad-
ministration" the public need not CON
eern itself. II his intentions were what |
he says they were, he is revealed as the
most colossal blunderer that ever guided |
the de5t-iies Of the town. They built a |
fine courthouse at West Chester a half |
century ago and a learned lawyer looked |
at the notices engraved on it, which |
told of the majesty of the law and how |
much of it would be dispensed from within |
the newly raised walls. Yes" observed
the gentleman in question, plenty of law,
but damned little Justice" Possibly
of intent, but damned little performance
But, in order that the people may not
be deceived by sanctimonious phrases, It
may he just as well to examine the
Mayors intent" as revealed in public
accounts of his activities in the days
preceding the tragedy. We do not under.
take to say just what this Intent" was,
since that is impossible, but we may be
able to gather something of the workings
OF his mind. He says, for instance, in the
statement issued yesterday. 81 took no
part in the election, exerted no influence
in favor of any candidate or any fac
ton"
We quote from the Public Ledger of
August %:
Mayor Smith announced last night
from his Atlantic City residence follow
ing a busy day of conferences in Phia-
delphia, that the harmony program was
going along most satisfactorily" The
Mayor put i'm much Of his time in ar
ranging for a councimanic ticket which,
when elected, would support the pro-
Eressive measures to be placed before
Councils by the Administration"
In short. the Mayor acted like a real
political boss" and had ward leaders
who ordinarily report TO Senators Nc
Nichol and Ware hurrying in and out of
his office. His final piece of political
McNichol
We quote from the Public Ledger of
August 2S
Mayor Smith yesterday caused a special
y, Endorsement of the McNichol candidates
for Common Council in the Twenty-fourth
Ward to be issued by his secretary. The
Endorsement was as follows:
The Mayor is going to support the fol-
lowing candidates in the Twenty-fourth
Ward: Stacy II. White, Peter j. Gal
lagher and Charles w Mcconnell.
We quote from the Public Ledger of
August 25:
AS for the Fifth Ward. Mayor Smith
will support Select Councilman Deutsch,
Ware choice, against James A. Carey. the
McNichol candidate. In virtually all
other instances the Mayor has worked
out harmony tickets
We quote from the North American Of
August %:
With Mayor Smith acting as the me-
dium between the Penrose- McN Nichol and
Ware factions, the contractor bosses have
about completed a hfty-ifty harmony
deal. and agreed upon slate for the
county offices. AS usual. II smells very
much OF Organization politics.
We quote from the North American Of
August 22;
While city business took care Of itself
Mayor Smith yesterday spent a perfect
day applying harmony ointment to the
factonal wounds of Republican ward
organizations. The healing balm goes by
the trade name OF "ifty-hfty" and judg-
Ing by the results obtained yesterday II
has marvellous curative powers.
We could go on quoting for columns
The unquestionable facts in the case are
that Mayor Smith has played politics
since he took ONCE, that he has openly
and wantonly used the power Of his Office
20 determine candidates and force their
election, that he has been as brazen
about it as he has been about his profits
from bond fees, that he made his high
Office a political club and that he turned
the police force of the city over to a
notorious dictionary who with equal ar
rogance used it as the Mayor let him
use Il, for political purposes. II this
man did not exert his influence in favor
OF any candidate or any faction. then
ruth is a lie and purity is vice and black
is white and everything that is so is not
40. II he did not exert his influence in
favor Of any candidate. then the public
has been fed lies about him for months
ana lies have been issued from HIS once
~ olBcial communications and -partisans
have been induced TO give him credit
for uuholy practices which they sp-
.fnt.t ulthout hls deserving the az.