The herald., 1920-08-26
BEHRMAH AS AN INDIVIDUAL IS
A MERE INCIDENT IN CAMPAIGN
Will The Voters Run To The Grand Exit
On September 18th, Or Will They
CONTRIBUTED BY f.. =. GrEYN,RD,

uhder the semblance Of legality
through grey dawn" Injunction
the late arrest of the work Of the
; Probe Commission is a mauifestatio,
OF his hiSh-handed spirit. The atti-
tude described could be conceived only
IN the mind of an executive that was
suffering lamentably from ignorance
arrogance or COnceit or that desired
the lust Of Illegal power.
Hchrman has not respected the
rlShIully claimed authority Of heads
Of other departments Of municipal gov
eminent. He has interfered with the
ideas and the system Of administra-
uon. Of associates in office who were
vastly superior To him in education.
. talent. ability and efficiency. Two
! notable examples of this are sufficient
| tine, is his unvarrantcd r.eddIing
with the detailed administration Of
/ dock-board actiyities-the scandal Of
/ the last gubernatorial campaign. The
| other. IS the almost fanatical hank
erlng after control Of the police force
/ How calamitOuS this control has been
/ mas long been 4 matter of history. and
/ iater on VIII be with us a matter for
I discussion. This very CONGESTION Of
duty. responsibility and authority by
an official, is a public menace. IL
leaves the door wide open to an uncon-
trollable. dangerous autocracy. Once
/ a careless electorate approves of this
attitude by public preferment and by
re-election it fastens steel yoke
around its own neck On such auto.
/ cratic conception of authority, does
/ Prussianism thrive everywhere?
Behrman is not an administrator of
I recognized ability. He himself has on
the stump taken credit for every
municipal activity. This is huge con-
ceft. but it makes him responsible
! Tor offensive control in all directions
and for all dismal failures.
The finances of this city are in a
/ deplorable condition. Favoritism. ex-
travagance and the necessity of Civ
ing employment to an unproductive
parasitical horde of political tools, has
made ii impossible to meet expenses
with adequate revenues. II has made
it impossible TO grant increased COM
pensation TO deserving employees, such
as the tiremen and policemen, or TO in
crease the force, or to improve the
equipment.
II has caused the streets of the CITY.
paved and unpaved, to be left in such
a deplorable condition that they are
an eye-sOre to resident and visitor
alike. 1t has forced the Mayor to re-
fuse cooperation to State Health au-
thorities and caused him to treat them
with fiippant sarcasm and transpar-
emily thin ridicule, when they called
attention to the filthy, dangerous and
disgraceful condition Of the public
markets. For a supposedly serious
executive to ward off confession of
negligence, by sneers was puerile and
unfair
This bankrupt condition has also
crippled the school system, through
Lack of safe suitable buildings:
through want of necessary equipment:
or the maintenance of an efficient
teaching staff. Behrman, in the first
years of his administration. showed
some interest, some zeal for the school
system. But when he saw an anaemic
tubercular city treasury; when se saw
the city's revenues swallowed up by
a burdensome and profitless payroll,
he became helpless. his ardor cooled.
his zeal fell to artic temperatures and
school improvements ceased.
The Sewerage and Water Board is
just now singing a lamentation of
Jeremiah in the financial wilderness;
and the Industrial Canal is slowly re-
covering from financial apoplexy,
brought on by Behrman's methods
In almost every department of pub
lie service, improvements are stag
nant, efficiency motiOnless, the wheels
Of progress idle, except in the wild
OF the Head Of the Ticket,
From whorl all blessings flow" Nee
essary impy ScA:o-ts 70 rake the city
not only attractive but habitable are
because a profligately pro-
ligal partisan city government can
lot make its revenues meet legitimate
necessary expenses. And yet. taxa
ion, assessment, contribution have
'ecome distressingly, almost crush
ngly burdensome.
Is Behrman an administrator of
ability? With what mis-
wings, what doubts, what resentment
must even the residents of Algiers,
hink Of Behrman's administrative
bility, when they cross on the ferries
n one direction, and try to cross the
iaduct in the other.
"Behrman Ideal Type Of Mayor
ill be continued with special side
ghts on Behrman's Labor Record"
nd his estimate of Parker Governor
nd McShane rival candidate.