Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-06-07

mat Is the situation at the end OF this
exciting week of moves and counter
moves on the most important legisla-
tion affecting the destinies of this city
which has been considered at Harrisburg
in a generation.
Chairman Winston and his steering
committee have been proceeding on
wrong theory when they identified their
interests solely with the power of Sena
tor Penrose. Perhaps they have not been
nexcusabe. Quite contrarily, they have
probably been led into the situation by
their very zeal to serve the city best,
because they have played upon Senator
Penrose's determination to overthrow
the power of the Ware faction in control
ling city affairs.
Help in obtaining beneficent legislation
like the charter bills is not to be spurned
| lightly, whatever the source. Reform
| sometimes has to use unaccustomed
tools. Often it finds opportunity in the
uuarrels of factionalists. There was
nothing inherently wrong in engaging
| the aid of Senator Penrose. But this
could be true only so long as it did not
suggest that the lion had swallowed the
| lamb; that the program was still the
! charter committees and not Senator
| Penroses.'
If this be admitted however, the same
must apply with equal force to enlisting
the aid of the Governor, who has pledged
| himself and his administration to an
equitable solution of the charter prob
! lens. And, unfortunately, the charter
| steering committeeman seemed to lose
| their heads this week when they invoked
! the Penrose steam roller to incorporate
amendments which were subversive of
the principles under which charter revi-
sion was undertaken. This is where they
made their mistake.
While it Is legitimate and may be
| really helpful to play the animosities and
ambitions of one political faction against
another, it cannot be so where it involves
any sacrifice Of principle. Expedency is
the watchword of the machine politician,
but it is frequently stultifying for the
sincere reformer.
The cardinal principle of the charter
plan was a smaller gle-chambered
council, where responsibility could be
concentrated on a few members who
would be paid sufficient salary to war
rant their undivided attention and la
bors on the business of running the city,
This was in accordance with the best
thought of municipal refcrmers and
could not be attacked except for selfish
interest. So the original charter schemes
called for council variously of from
nine to fifteen.
Under pressure of criticism from many
practical" gentlemen who feared that
such a body would never meet the sane
ton of either practical" faction, the
method Of representation was changed
so as to allow one member for 20 .OOC
voters in each of the eight state sena.
torial districts Of the city, with the re.
suit that the first council under present
assessment figures would number twenty
one. Such a number should have beer
the limit, but, without adequate publ,
explanation or notice, the little group o.
leaders, acting presumably on the be
lief that Senator Penrose's authority wa,
all-potent, boosted the number to twenty
seven by cutting the represented groul
to $4,000. Then they had the amend
ment inserted willy nilly.
There are other similar changes whicl
: need not be discussed in detail, but whic
] call them concessions, compromises o
} sops as you will-cannot be regarded a
anything but departures from the mai
; principles, and are therefore weakenin
e in the eyes of adherents of nonpartisa
: reform.
r 1t would be oyerstating the truth I
declare that Governor Sproul views tn
: charter problem in the same light q
! many of the revisionists, who undoubi
, edly would like to go very much farths