Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-02-28
TRY BOOSTING THE OLD TOWN
AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS
chamber OF Commences Mayoralty Ques.
tionnaire Can Work Wonders, Provided
YOU Pull for Progress

| II goes without saying is a signally
| healthy feature of the QUESTIONABLE on
| civic betterment circulated by the Chamber
! Of Commerce. To deny the excellence of
the program outlined it is necessary for
| the disputant TO be either a boob or n
rogue
or course, the referendum will produce
! a broadsde Of affirmative replies. No
| honest man in his senses can venture to
| contradict the fact that the progress of
! Philadelphia must be greatly fostered by
a capable Mayor and an efficient, business.
Ike and energetic municipal administra.
tion. To brand the whole campaign as a
trumpeting Of the obvious is exceedingly
easy. And in the same degree it is stulti.
flying.
Perfectly patent truths have a way of
sinking into quagmires in this rich,
resourceful and venerable American city,
and only the most energetic salvaging can
make their message fruitful.
Sophstication is IA perilous mental atti.
tude for Philadelphians. II begets the tor.
pid, half-ironic indifference that is abso.
lutely fatal to progress. Very little indeed,
in this community goes without saying"
Platitudes proclaimed from the housetops
are spiritual necessity. Ingenuousness
would be virtue
There are cities i'm this country which
possess it to the full which are unafraid
of the trite when it is helpful, and the de.
velopment gait of these communities is
among the American miracles
Certain Philadelphians smiled conde.
| scendingly at the spectacle. They had a
hnor In,
| the zenith City of the Unsalted Seas"
| Florid was that epithet and naive. But It
is not exactly funny today that Duluth is
one of the great fresh-water ports of the
world. Ingenuousness, however fragrant,
proved a powerful stimulant
The kind of enthusiasm which prevails
| in Cleveland. Detroit, Minneapolis and
many other fast-growing American cities
| is also amusing to the chronic ironist. But
| some of the humor evaporates when Cleve.
| land jumps to sixth place among our popu-
| laton centers, while Philadelphia remains
stationed at third for a generation.
| There is a deal of lusty constructive
| energy to be derived from the inspiration
| of the most incontestable commonplaces.
| Put your shoulder to the wheel" is a
stock bromide" but the man who rejects
| it's message will not go far.
| The Chamber of Commerce is hot after
that individual. and in a sense he typifes
Philadelphia The very best thing that
could happen for this city would be such
| a reiteration of indestructible truisms.
which would be impregnated in the civic
consciousness and act as a spur to forth.
right action.
Lamentations on our mistakes and de-
ficiencies are hopelessly enervating. They
| have produced us nothing but a bad repu.
tatiOn. Neither contrite confession nor
blatant whitewashing is the remedy in this
plight.
What is imperatively needed is construc-
tive vision, constructive vigOr and the
courage to confront problems with action.
| The really efficacious way to wipe out the
| past is to grapple with the present while
unafraid also to envisage the tasks Of the
| future.
| The Chamber of Ccmmerce's program is
heartening beginning. Fundamentally,
| ii is grounded in those familiar civic ideals
which emphatically, however do not go
forward without saying" but, fortunately,
its proposals are far from being airy
generalzations 1t lays specific emphasis on
| an adequate water supply, real rapid transit
proper school facilities, clean streets, port
development and enlarged police and fire
protection, reorganization OF the cty's
governmental machinery and, above all.
on the selection of Mayor OF probity and
ability.
The next step. when the referendum has
won the expected Endorsement of the pro.
posals by the chambers members will
open up an even more practical field of
endeavor. Cultivation OF it should by no
means he confined to the organization
which has made this new departure in
civics. II the presumption is correct that
Philadelphans would like to see their city
secure efficient home rule, conducted on a
busiuesslike way, that they would welcome
Mayor fit and willing to govern on that
basis, an altogether refreshing kind of
redemption" may be in prospect.
Politics Of the fell partisan nature should
have nothing whatever TO do with 1t. II Is
nonsense to view Philadelphia's particular
problems from a party angle. The city is
a huge business concern which will pay
badly for all except a few rascals IL sell.
fishIy mismanaged, and very excellently for
the whole community II all its opulent
assets are sensibly developed.
tits not braggadocio to admit truth in
the assertion that Philadelphia IL one of
the major, workshops OF the world. The
real danger lies in deprecatingiy blinking
the fact and aimlessly administering a
business of superb potentiality and vast
complexity as though 1t were a corner
| notion store. The type of somnolent
modesty which represses civic conscious
| ness is fatal attribute, and Philadelphians
would do well to cease indulgence
therein
The reformation is not easily accom-