The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-01-30
Well Ranble
by j. Il

j The gentleman who thourhtrpIJv re.
marked that politics makes strange
oedteliows said a lot In a fey words
IoHtlcs not only makes strange bed.
LeuoWs, but It also makes the bed
Hut after you have looked carefulIy
INTO the political game you ind bu,
! ono motive: Self-interest. selfshness
! There are lot Of emlnentlv high.
minded earnest persons in this city
who are sincerely concerned for the
municipal welfare. They devote a
little time to Investigating the CITY
government machinery and listen to q
4ot ef advice from friends who, they
think know some thing about the way
the city should be run and then make
up their minds to tinker with the
works.
Sometimes they even consult experts
/ oefore tinkering same as the Civic -
socla ion did when II engaged the New
: YORK bureau of municipal res arch o.
/ ten us what w-as the matter with our
cit~ government. The New York bu
req made a pretty fair fob of It,
wrote out loo pages Of type ana col
! iected $4,000.
Later on. three merr bers IF tcs city
council, convinced that It wac high
time The council paid heed to the tn
s4stent clamor for improved city gov
81 1ment. held II my executive sessions
ard wrought a plan that would save
the city n. oney and simplify thu ma
chinery. The best they got for their
efforts WAC criticism, except from thoae
who understood that ia subcommittee
mete ely DID. In q squars, open-rninded
sort OK wsy. what others had 7dvo-
Gated and demanded. They risked their
pol tical future for everyone effected
by their report would stir MP trouble
for Ehem--which is human nature
NJ this being tho political bed self
interest, selfshne - soon provided the
bed-fellows. Many who had elouuently
advocated reform and retrenohmert
and consolidation and coordination in
the city sovernnent suddenly saw n
great light.
Friends came to them and sid.
Hey, II you 20 voting for the charter
changes report you'u be hitting me"
Others come and said. "Eev. don't
you know my friend Bill will get # in
the neck II those charter changes are
adopted Let up'
From the sournside the friends Of
the officeholdsrs over there arose and
they so thoroughly convinced Doubt
ing councilman that somebody would
tions IL the council disturbed them thnt
the council saw ut once that h~re was
a reform that was not needed, The
suuthHids made IL perfectly clear 10
them. Left theTn IN no doubt Con-
otnoed them that TO retain the offices
on the 3quthside wac 81 civic duty. You
can oos~ipce most any councilman
about what ia the proper thing 10 40
II You care to make noise enough end
intimate something about what the
voters will do II they don't get what
they want.
by the Same token o@cauRe the m ISM
bers OF the board, with one exception.
remain 90 inactive, the council appears
TO have become convinced tina board
I has few friends. Yet this idea is
absurd.
4.3%o names has been nat out by the
speaks for Itself. the board has
friends. The board has been 81 great
improvement over the old method OF
conducting the business of the CITY
The board has given the city a. bust
ness administration. IT has expedited
the affairs OF the city. II has speed
sd up the war, so TO speak.
''"l1e sole reason that the comm or
council voted to abolish thu admin
istra we board, while voting to rave
The ssouthside Offices, Is TITS:
Tho counciimea, who come up For
aiection this year, figured that thu
Southside had more friends and
votes than the administrative board,
rrhrt Ia an thare IN to IT, II is not
g. question Of civic Improvement, civic
reform. II ia a question Of politics.
The men with the yo&es, or the blufT.
win.
II It Ia Theoretically correct 20 oen-
tralize ard consolidate the machinery
Of city government. why abolish the
administrative board, which has
sous l,t 10 consolidate, and oontranze
/ offices, end AT the same time vote 70
hold Offices which DO not tend to oen-
tralize and consolidate. That Is a
question which would puzzle az al
| II we did not realize politics makes
strange bedfsIlovs
High minded gentlemen might sa~
II II UP TO the city council TO explain.
| But we know better. We know that
the CITY covncfi only, see expedien o'es
md they de m ed 1t expedient co vote
| for tho abolition of the administrative
/ board, the board OF fire commission
ers. tn save the Southslde Offices ard
10 leave tne htgh oonseaole's office
alone.
Why
! Racause n they d49vr't some coun-
cilmen would find themselves among
the lame Ducks 40 the nert election.
Which means defeat.
The couaci4rnen who voted 10 Save
the Eoutfrstie Offices dtd not do so
because they thought they were bone
! fitting the city government. They
| ala n 70 vnwe tnefr own hiden- The
men VINO voted 70 abolish tAe admin
'strattve board die so because they
think eae board is unpopular enough
to meet defeat ut the polls.
Which remains to he seem.
When It comes TO show -do~'-
somebody Is going 10 be surprised.
council or administrative board--tRke
your choics.
Here is a little tip from an old
timer: The Legislature viii not adopt
any charter changes, even II request
ed nv the city council, as long as
there Is "a petition for charter cleo
ton before the city. The legislature,
IF true TO precedent with say that the
rnattar in sill IN court: that the city
has not decided: that the petition -
IN accordance with The law and win
throw out, in tho meantime, any pro-
posed charter changes
This NAV 30 subject 70 change but
At leart Il ia according 70 Hoy.e.
And. as You and I know, II Isn't the
administrative board which rs un-