Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-04-14
THE WILL FOR BETTERMENT
CAN BE MADE EFFECTIVE
II Begins to Look as II Organizations
for Reform OF Local Government
Were in a Healthy State

| time for the rest of us to sit up and take
| notice
Something new and splendid is hap
pcning in this city. There is a whole
| some and salutary spirit Of discomfort
abroad and the people themselves have
| apparently begun to take matters into
! their own hands. They are not attacking
any political faction or organization, but
they are making it clear that they want
something different from that which they
have had. The Rotary Club. for exam
pie. is convinced that 'it isn't politics to
want clean streets, clean police, clean
government-it's just common sense"
This is the ideal that is to be held up
in the view of all the peoplc-the ideal
of clean and efficient government.
You who read this want that sort of
government. And so does your ncighbor
and your neighbor's neighbor. The man
with little store on the corner wants it.
The cobbler who earns his living repair
ing your shoes wants it. The man who
clerks in the store and the man who
works for the cobbler also want it. The
man who lives in a two-story house and
works for wages in a shop or factory or
Office wants it
But these people have not known how
to get it. They are in the majority.
But leadership and organization have
been lacking.
It begins to look as if organization of
sentiment were beginning and as if
leadership would emerge when it was
needed.
The Chamber of Commerce began the
new m ement weeks ago when it sent
out a list of questions to its members to
discover whether there was a general
demand for certain high standard in
the character and qualifications of the
man to be nominated for Mayor next
fall and whether there was agreement on
the application of business principles to
the conduct of the city business. The
chamber is now polling the other bust
ness organizations on the same subjects
in order that there may be exhibited to
| the political leaders the state of public
sentiment.
Tie plan of the Rotary Club supple
ments that of the Chamber of Commerce
investigation, for it contemplates the
public discussion of different activities of
the local government in order that the
attention of the people may be concen
trated on the need Of improvement.
Not even the most optimistic defender
of things as they are would be so rash
as to insist that there is no need for bet
terment There may be a man now and
| then. survivor from a period the stand
ards of which have long since been out
| grown. who will say that the evils from
! which we suffer are only those inherent
| in all human institutions. But such are
few. The rest of us know that the room
| fer reform is so wide that if hetterment
were made in only a single department
il would be as lonesome as a baby sleep
,ug by itself in its great. grandmother's
big bed.
Take the school system for instance,
which is to be discussed tonight. The
Board of Public Education itself admits
that it would take millions of dollars to
proviLe modern schoolhouses for the chill
dren. Many Of the buildings in use are
old and insanitary and in bad repair.
The pay of the teachers is inadequate to
command the services of the best skill
There is not proper separation of the
experimenting and the business admins
trative functions in the school depart
ment; and the children suffer from this
fault as well as from the lack of the care
g ,,,hn f,,,,1iHoI to
This does not mean that there are not
hundreds Of worthy and faithful men
and women giving their best to the cause
of education, but only that the whole sys-
tenn is behind the times and needs a
thorough reorganization.
The proposed survey which is to be
discussed is demanded in order that the
specific defects may be discovered and
classified as preliminary to their re-
moval.
Other subjects are to be discussed be.
fore the Rotary Club campaign is ended
Just what they are to, be has not vet
been announced, but there is no one who
could not suggest several.
The physicians have been complaining
about the spread of disease because OF
the uncean streets. One has only tC
walk the streets to discover that they arc
not properly cleaned. To say that the
streets in other cities are just as dirty is
not to excuse conditions here. We dc
not care how dirty other cities are. w,
are interested in the preservation of the
health of the people of Philadelphia The
members of the organizations working
with the Rotary Club are aware of tn,
prevailing conditions and they do no
like them. .... .
Then there are the bad pavements
which wrench every vehicle passing ovel
them, delay traffic and interfere with tn,
sneedy transaction of business. Ar