Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-04-24

ers the kind of government for which
they voted when they elected him.
The present Mayor has evidently de
cided not to follow the Blankenburg
precedent He carried the primaries
on the issue of driving from power the
Wares and their associates and he was
elected GU that issue
But he has found the city Offices filled
with men who prefer to take orders
from the Wares rather than from the
Office of the Mayor. He has found men
there who would report the confidential
plans OF the administration to outsiders.
In one we'll authenticated case the con
tents of a letter dictated to a Stcnogra
pher by the chief Of a bureau were com o
municatcd to an interested outside
party. a contractor. before tho letter
was typewritt"n aud put on the desk
of thc chief for his signature.
This sort of trearhory cannot be tol
Grated
But the hos,iI" activity Of the anti ,
Moore men in Office has not been con
fined t" such things. They have beer
summoned to the headquarters of the
contractor. bosses and ordered I" work
for the defeat nf men whose election j.
favored by the city administration.
There is Il" civil service regulation
which will prevent the summary dis
misSal Of the spies. aud thero j. ar
affirmative provision in the civil service
,,.h; ,I.s
Mayor or tn" head of department tc
remove Immediately every officer, cl"rb
or cmplove in the rla>>ifiod service whC
engages in political activity Of any kind
In other words. whilc the Mayor vii
not be justified under the law in forcing
othccholderS I" work politically for hi,
side, tn" charter commands him TO dis
charge all "tfirrholdcr~ VINO work 30
litirally against him.
When the Mayor says that the Ware
Lane and Martin followers must lcav,
the service h" has power. therefore, t,
carry ont his threat.
And when h" SAYS that THESE mcr
must 20 Ii" : speaking the "uIy Ian
guagr which tu" contractor bosses IN
dcr>taud.
His plan may BE- called one VI p"liti
cal rcprsal. if one j. 50 disposed. It il
, political roDri>al. bur it i more thar
that. It i evidence Of determination
that the vcrdirt handed down by tn,
voters At the November election shal
NOT be upset by a band Of pIotters work
lug to accomplish by iudirortion wha
they fHIlpd to accomplish directly a
III" polls II is continuing the wa
begun NJ the primaries when tine con
tractor candidate was defeated.
OF course the opponents OF thc Mayor
are not pleased, Senator Ware is talk
ing about violation Of the charter an,
II ncle Dave Lane Is making SarcaSt
remarks about the ability of reformcr
10 get away with things which if don
by the machine would be condemned.
The thing which shocks and surprise
them seems ~ b" that the Mayor j
talking thew language and lighting tnrn
with their own weapons They la,
evidently expected him to lie down au,
let them walk over him, and they hay
been churkliug in private over th,i
ability thus far t" put over the sam
game which they played successful
under Mayor Blauk"uburg
No one need be surprised if they in
dulge in much violent language or &
/ they appeal TO the courts to protect tn
men who are sur" to be removed Th
! fight has only begun,
The rest Of Us can stand aside an
watch rho ,,nnt ti.f nd U.bil, -, ,,ot,.