Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-11-23
rY-MAYOR WILLIAM B. SMITH
DIES AT LAUREL SPRINGS HOME,

departments and the Gas Trust. lie re-
Nealed himself as a parliamentarian and n
u,sclpllnarlan that attracted attention to
nHn as coming man. In the meantime he
had decided TO be the coming man.
81, Then' in his whirlwind campaign for
tne nomination for Mayor. came one of the
most exciting and remarkable political cam
p"'sns that ever had been witnessed i'm
this city up to that time. Every night
thc candidate was to he found in the clubs
and barrooms, where he came in touch with
the men who brought results on election
DAY. That he was able TO withstand the
strain spoke favorahly for his Scottish
physique. lie did not smoke but he was
forced to take so many cigars that he came
home every night with his pockets bulging
These all went into cigar box irrespec-
tive of their quality, the two fers,' the
nickel cigars and the perfectos that were
handed from Il box that bore an imported
stamp, all went together--and were Fcncr-
ously handed out to friends who came daily
to visit the coming man.
BECOMES MAYOR or CITY.
He was invited to speak before the fra
ternal and benevolent organizations ana
the societies of which he was "a member
he was speaking night after night fSld the
result was he captured the nomination for
Mayor. The election which followed in
February. 1884. showed that he had de-
Samuel q. King, by about 5000 votes. and
in April Of the same year William Il,
Smith was inauguratcd Mayor
As Mayor he was the first who lid
things" 1t was so very novel for Il
Mayor to do anything but boss the police
that the people welcomed the new admins.
tratiou. lie placed the police on more
modern basis than ever It had experienced
He introduced the patrol wagons and the
street telephone stations for the patrolmen
leave his beat uncovered while he took a
captive TO the station or called an ambu
lance to take an injured person to one OF
the hospitals.
The new Mayor also introduced the
Mayors secretary and other Office assist.
ants that were needed, but had never been
suggested before. lie appointed police sur
geons, provided for the instruction of the
patrolmen i'm the first aid to the injured
and also took to reforming various depart
ments of the city that came under his con
troll lie was then working under the old
| charter and did not have either the organi
| zation or the authority which is now vested
| in Mayor Yet he in his metcoric way
! kept up an interest in his office which
never lessened while he occupied 1t.
Another Of his Innovations was the after
dinner speech. Almost nightly while III
was Mayor he was the honOrcd guest a
| one banquet or another, always making
| speech which took the crowd" He vel
coined the various visitors from time Il
| time in his affable, delightful manner
| which made his friends even more numcr
| Gus than before. But just while his popu
| larity was on the rising tide there cam
| the charges against him and his administra
! ton, chiefly founded, it seems. by the pub
( lcation under his sanction of history q
| che Philadelphia police The volume wa
| iIN itself novelty, as it contained the rec