Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-09-04


prove it he would not propose it in his
own newspapers What could be palmer?
"Too Busy Making Money"
These are "bon mots" too often retold.
To get one from which the gloss had not
been rubbed, 1 called upon one of the
heads of one of the greatest steel con-
Germs in Pittsburgh. He was too canny
humorist to allow the use of his name,
but his persinage was genuine even
though it must remain anonymous.
"The administration of Pittsburgh
under Mayor Armstrong, just ending his
term. is one of the most disgraceful in
Fittsburgh's history" said he. THE can
didate who will have the support of the
Penrose-Armstrong machine in the pres
ent election is business man of the
highest ability in the management OF his
private affairs. But If he is elected Mayor
he will be child in the hands of the
machine. They'll play with him.
Business men of equal ability and
who are Independent of machine domi-
nation could give Pittsburgh clean ad-
minist"ation. But we are all too busy
making money. And why should any
man who has built up character of
honesty and acumen sacrifice 1t to the in
evltable blackening with which the enc
mics of any political candidate, no matter
how clean he may be, will besmirch him?
No, thank you; no! Wen stick to our
steel mills"
He asserted in so many words that the
force OF the Mellon banking interests
would be thrown against the candidacy of
former Public Service Commissioner vii.
liam a. Magee, whose platform for ex-
tensive municipal undertakings is said
to give uneasness TO them. He declared
that gambling graft and the social evil
were rampant in Pittsburgh. And then
he dismissed with a laugh the idea that |
any public sentiment could be aroused to
clean up the city by competent leader F!
ship.
"Apathetic? Certainly" he chuckled. |
Even the women who are our social lead |
ers and who once attacked vice condi- |
tions are too busy now with Red Cross |
work to pay any attention to this cam |
paiSn. Frankly, | can conceive of no |
circumstance which could arouse the |
public from its apathy"
He made these observations in the |
calmest of tones, and IL they could not be
classed as humor, they do form an ronic
comment on Pittsburgh which is not de-
void of humor.
Even Mrs. Rinehart Is Cynical
Precisely the same attitude was taken
by Mary Roberts Rinehart, probably
known to more people in the United
States than any other resident of Pitts
ourgh. Mrs. Rinehart, a keen student of
as well as Of national affairs,
asserted without reservation that Pitts.
Ourgh,s citizens are not being given a
clean city, either morally or physically.
Nor could she express any confidence
that the conditions which she denounced
would be bettered to any adequate de-
gree, whatever the outcome of the pres
ent mayoralty contest. "Only a miracle
could awaken the public to force clean
government upon the city," said she,
and frankly. I cannot see how such a
miracle could happen.
You think that sounds cynical? Well,
am cynical! Pittsburgh is too old
city, too habtuated to wearing it's chains
without protest, ever to be awakened"
A humorous situation? Possibly so, to
he residents Of Pittsburgh; but how in
-ensely richer In humor to certain citizens
Of Philadelphia! And who may those
citizens be?
Well, they stand in two groups, look
ing at each other across the PROSTATE
body of the city in the Allegheny hills.
In one group are Boes Penrose, James
T. McNichol and their lieutenants and
IN the other are William S. Ware, a Gov
ernor of Pennsylvania named Brumbaugh
and his Attorney General. Francis Skunk
Brown.
1t has been a good many years since a
chap named Mast drew a picture of n
monster tiger which stood over the body
Of supine goddess and snarled vic
toriously while the hosts of those who
had loosed the fearful animal into the
arena looked down on the scene and cried
applause. Tweed, whose rule of New
York the tiger typified. is gone Tam
many is lean shadow But Pennsylva.
mans today are seated about an amphi- |
theatre overlooking an arena in which !
not one but two tigers are loose. "Who |
cares which one wins?" chuckle the wits |
of Pittsburgh.
But II one conquers the other. the |
victor will make the old tiger Of Tam |
many look by comparison like a tame
housecat.
Measured by 1917 standards in Penn |
sylvania, Tammany was a piker. Tam
many owned one city. The tigers Of to- |
day will be content with not less than |
two. For with these two the victor will |
count an empire Commonwealth as its |
untrammeled hunting ground.
The second article on the Pittsburgh DO. |
Htical situation, "A Great City Put Up at
Auction; HoW Much Is Bid for Phtsburghv
tHl appear on this page tomorroto.
pure milk. many to summer heat More
than $4,000 of these babies could be saved
to the country II they we're given right food
and proper care And the country is going