The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-05-08
ON SECOND THOUGHT
BY JAY z. HOUSE.
tFroh Philadelphia Public Leds.r.)


Our fatuous attempt to plug the
fountain in Rittenheuse SQUARE re-
minds us of another story of the flat
country. The story is ''on'' the old
town and concerns chief of police
whose name is now buried in the OBJ
scurity of the yesteryears. A reform
city administration had been elected
and had come into being. Its adver-
tised object was to clean up the tewn.
That is ever the object of a reform ad-
minisaation- The fact that no town
ever is cleaned up is Cue to the fun
stream rises higher than its source
No town is ever better than its active
citizenry. The active citizenry of a
community seldom reaches the heights
but that is a depression entirely UNI
warranted by the scenario of this doc
umept.
For a way station located in the
middle of the prairie country it was
telerably lively municipality. In a
somewhat more subdued way. it still
is. There was ''bootlegging," also
tions in cards and dice, white slav-
cry in its less revolving phases, and
many 'small-time' resorts where
booze and petticoats, eonviviality and
the dollar, sophisticated and unso-
phisticated, into waiting till. OBJ
viously, the first step in the regener-
alton of the community was a chief
of police who would do his duty. The
reform administration looked about
for one such. What was required in
the situation was a stern. fearless in
diyidual imbued with a deep regard
for the sanctity of law, enthusiastic if
not fanatical in his opposition to the
fayerite indoor sports of the town. suf-
fieiently willy to eutwit the forces of
evil and honest enough to spurn its
dirty money The reform administra-
ton looked over all the material at
hand and discarded it. Then it went
out into the rural precincts, far from
the madding crowd and the conven-
lions of evil, and picked its man. He
filled the Bill and was up to the spec
ifications. He had all the qualities de-
maHded in the architects drawings.
In addition. he had been, in his COM
munity, a flaming sword in the fight
against liquor. a pillar of fire in every
crusade against evil. Having installed
its new chief, the reform administra-
ton went away and left him alone
with vice and crime. Which is the
way of reform administrations.
Now, the good. outstanding citizens
of town infrequently know what is
going on in il. They seldom come
downtown nights. They almost never
ramble thru the infected sections after
the friendly cover of night has yelled
their cheap and repulsives aspect. And
so, for a year or more, the better citi-
zenship of the town believed either
that it had been cleaned up or that
the disinfectant was in process of be-
ing applied. AS proof thereof the tri-
umph of the reform ticket and the in
compatibility of the chief of police
were cited. The newspapers. which
had all ehampiened the cleanup idea
and the instruments thereof. assisted
in maintaining the illusion. Finally a
reporter who knew the town by night.
and who knew the better citizenship
was in process of being "puneoed. Of
fered to lead his chief who was one
OF the leading good men, and two 9TH
ers, thru the mazes of the towns
wickedness as il was revealed by the
glare of electric glirns They accepted
and made a night OF it. The reporter
showed them a town that was rotten
and reckless-one in which vice had
apparently cast its last shackle.
The three good men came out of
their experience amazed and revolted.
The next day they called the chief en-
the carpet and made their revelation.
He acknowledged it's truth. But" he
explained by way of self-justification,
81 have told them to step a dozen
times. They don't pay the slightest
attention to anything 1 say"
If il occurs to you that we may have
overwritten this crude and simple an
nal of democracy-if you have sus-
picion we may have padded the Incl
dent out of all proportion TO it's pres
ent signifieaHoe-we ask you to hear
our alibi. With less than an hour left
in which to write the daily stint, it
was the only thing in the world we
could think of.
We are no judge of statesman, but
1t seems to us too much cannot be
made of Mr.. Hoover's act eff abnega-
ton. With the opportunity of a life
time confronting him in Philadelphia
on Saturday night, he not only de-
clined to wrap himself in the old flag
but actually refused to wave t..
The Leonard Wood presidential
campaign continues to intrigue US. In
the Illinois primaries today General
Wood will contest with Governor Low
den, the states favorite son, for the