Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-09-30
THE PRICE TO BE PAID FOR
THREE VOTES IN COUNCIL
The Loan Ordinance Cannot Be Passed
Without Making Concessions to
the Minority Faction

the Minority Faction
THE failure of the Council to pass the
L $40. .OOO. 600 loan ordinance on Tuesday
delays but does not defeat the project.
The men in charge Of the city government
know that it is their business to carry on.
None Of them is SO blind TO his own inter
cSts as to block public work on the
importance of which all are agreed
But they are all human and each wishes
something done in his own way and at his
own time 1t was disagreement as to the
manner and time of doing certain things that
caused the tying up of the loan ordinance.
The Mayor charges the men who disagreed
with him with Legislative sabotage. This
is not a conciliatOry expression. Whether
it is descriptive Is a matter of opinion.
There is a disposition to regard it more as
the product Of the rhetorical exuberanCe of
the Mayor than Of his settled convictions.
He Is practical man and he knows very
we'll that he must face the facts and adjust
his course to them if he Is to get things
done. When tho time for action comes he
will doubtless be as ready as any one else
to meet the issues which confront him and
to shape his course as circumstances dictate.
There are two facts that must be reckonod
with The first is that the charter provides
that two thirds majority is needed to pass
n loan ordinance. There are twenty mem
bers Of the Council at the present time with
one vacant seat. Two thirds Of twenty as
we'll as twenty one is fourteen.
The second fact Is that there are only
eleven Of the twenty members Of Council
who will follow the lead of tGe Mayor. II
any loan ordinance is to be passed it must
receive the votes of three Councimen who
i 4
hest to prevent the nomination of Mr.. Moore.
They supported him in the election because
he was the successful candidate in the pr
marcs. but after his election they returned
to the faCtiOnal alignment.
We have in effect two parties in the Coun-
ell. although all the CounCilmen are nomi-
nally Republicans.
As the minority party Is aware that no
loan ordinance can be passed without the
support of at least three of its adherents.
it is not at all surprising that its leaders
have asked that certain provisions satisfaC
tory to them be made by the ordinance. 1t
is waste Of breath to use it in discussing
whether they ought or ought not to seek to
have something to say about the uses to
which the money raised by the loan is to be
put They do seek it and are pot likely to
provide the necessary votes until some con-
CcssiOns have been made to them.
The concessions which they asked on
Tuesday cannot be defended in the form in
which they were made. The ordinance pro-
vidp< for borrowing lump sum for sewer
extensions. The plan Of the administration
is to spend this money for sewers where
they are most needed. 1t is the function Of
the director of public works to decide where.
in accordance with a general plan Of public
improvements. il is most important that new
sewers be laid. This is task for the ad-
ministrativo rather than for tho legislative
branch of tho city government For the city
legislature to interfere is as indefcnsibIc as
il would be for it TO attempt TO tell the
director Of public safety how many police
men he should assign to any given district.
II is the business of the director Of public
safety 10 SOC to it that the city il properly
policcd, and it is the business Of the director
Of public works TO see to it that the city is
properly severed.
Yet the Ware councilmcn wish 10 have a
certain part of the loan specifically ear
marked for the proposed Packer and Bigler
streets sewer. They ask this, too, In spite
Of the fact that Director Cavcn has let II be
known that his plans contemplate the build
ing Of that sewer. Thor attitude indicates
either a lack Of confidence in the fair mind
odnoSS and efficiency Of Director Cavrn or n
desire to get the Packer and BigIor streets
project under way regardless of the needs Of
other parts Of the city.
Further, If every councilman interested
in a specific project should insist On oarmark-
ing a part Of loan we should have a sys-
TEN Of log rolling appropriations which
would max" any uniform and comprehensive
plan Of public improvements impossible Each
loan bill would be- a pork barrel packed by
-. l-.y IL
tcrost Of real estate spectators or what not
The plan is perniciouS in theory and
would be destructive Of a uniform develop.
mcnt Of the city in practice
Not only Is the carmarkng of money for
the Packer and Biglor streets sewer asked,
but it is sought to curnark part uf the loan
for Fairgrounds so us to compel It's cxpendi-
turo within the area bounded by Columbia
| and Washington avenues. Broad street and
the Delaware river.
One is just as indrfcnsiblr as the other.
The ordinance provides for money for
| Fairgrounds. 1t ia to be spent according
| to the judgment Of Director Tustin of the
Department of Public Welfare. slpDorted
| by tho advice of experts in the needs of the
| city. The directors plans doubtless include
Fairgrounds in tho district in question. 1t
may be that the greater pRrt of the sum TO
| be raised will be spent there, for il Is n dis
| trirt in which population is congcstcd and in
which there are altogether TOO few omen
spaces. But it il inexpedicnt TO tic the
hands Of any Of the executive departments.
We do not know on wnat basis the com
promise between the supporters Of the
| Mayor and the opposition faction will be
made But that there will be a compromise
is morally certain. II it can be reached this
week, then the voters can pass upon the
| proposed loan at the November election. If
negotiations are prolonged there will have
to be special election If the money is to be
| borrowed this year.
Such disagreement as exists is not over
the expenditure of the money. 1t is over
the amounts to be spent in some cases and
over earmarking certain sums in other cases
i L...... ........-i -iL.......