Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-03-07
MUST STREET REPAIRS
BE DEPENDENT ON PULL? L?
Chief Dunlap Has smilinely Consented
TO a Plan That Would Turn Every
thlna Over 70 the Politicians


continue to run in the old sOrdid ruts worn
by machine politicians of tn" past
The city Council is grasping after power
and there Sc"mS I" be no protest raised.
II appropriated II lump sum for street re-.
pairs last December. This money is 70 be
spent by the Department Of Public Works.
the department in which the care. man.
agem"nt and administration Of all such
repairs j. placed by the charter. n juriSdir.
tion protected by another provision that the
Council shall not pass any ordinances III.
rrrtlng or interfering with the executive
functions of heads Of depart
mcntS.
Vet Chief Dunlap, 0f tho Highway r..
rrau, has been before u committee Of the
Council asking authority to make S2O0,O00
worth Of repairs to the pavemcnts between
the Stre"t car tracks. The necessity for
going 10 tn" Council for such permit -
doubtful when the money for such work
has been appropriated aud put AT tn" dis.
poSal nf the director of public works But
this need not be insisted on. The diSCon-
ccrtng thing happened when President Veg
lcn asked Chief Dunlap what streets were
/ 10 be repaired. The chief did not have tn"
list with him. Thprcupon MIR. Weglcin
offered an amendment to the proposed ordi-
nance which would empower the Council 10
designate the streets.
Mr.. Duninp failed to see the significance
Of this proposition. He even said with
smile that ne didn't see that it made great
deal of difference how the streets were desg
mated. and he suggested If the councm"n
wished to divide the work among their dis
trlCts they would better draft a new ord
nance altogether,
Does not Mr. Dunlap know what this
sort of thing means? Does he really think
! j, does not make anv difference whether the
streets to be repaired are designated in
accordance with n general plan of highway
Improvement for the good of the whole city
or whether they are designated by group Ot
| men who do not care anything about n gen.
| era, plan OF improvements but nre inter
osred solely in the effect on their pohti"a,
fortunes of improvements in their diStrirtSt
The Council is playing politics and it j.
doing little else. It's members are up TO
/ their ears in dickprs and deals The ma
iority j. eNcrting itself night and day TO
hamstriug the Mayor l. is laying wiroS
and lighting SLOW fuses and attaching to
| itself every influence. good or bad. which can
| be induced 10 work with il. II has no in
| trreSt in street repairs Sav" As they can b"
capitalized for political ends. And yet the
| Mayors chief Of the Bureau Of Highways
plays into the hands of this combination rs
though he woro dealing with men whose
interest was the same nS that ot the Mayor,
If he mas done it deliberately i've ought I"
be removed from office forthwith. II h" has
done il because he does not know any better
the Mayor should summon him 10 his pres.
cn"c and tell him some plain truths. and
then warn him against repetition uf SUrn
Gu unintOlhgeut surrender - the pow CrS
| thar doing their utmost I" prevent tn"
d"liycrano" ot .lh" "ity into the hands Of
those who would drSpoi it
|, cannot b" thar ia" Mavor = ignorant
Of what all this means There are Other
men in thc City Hall vino were surprised
when the rgu' of tho Council 70 designate
tn" streets 20 b" repaired vas questioned.
1t iS the way II has always been done,
they said A. if that mad" i right.
II has been done in this way brrGdSr tnc
city administration has been. with f"w "N -
c"pl.onS in the hands Of m"n VINO u,cd It
a. political asset. tn" purpose of r"n-
uari@ was ~ strengthen the bosses. TIE
purpoSC Of pub,iC ofiC" was 30 reward 'ur
mon vino did the dirty work Of politics
Sewers w"rr often laid and streets opened
~ enrich politicians who We're sNeculatiu4
IN real estate while bulir I'M districts were
| aIowrd 10 60 srwori"Ss. No attCmpt ~ q
, comprehensive logical plan Of public I'm
proyrm"nts ""d'd be carried out because II
vas regarded uS NOR" important that spcrja
districts >nou!d b" favored
This happened under III" system by vu.'I
'a" old Councils were allowed 20 Sp"rit,
.Nar',y where the publir money should b
spent. This system j. pcrnirlnuS political /,
, and u j. destructive Of all efficiency. Tn
/, proper system and tnc system on wnirh IN.
administration should insist wru all j.
y onorgy demand, thar tn" details Of str"c
lmDruvrnrnr, Of new sewers, Uf III" "Nrru
- ~'uu Of N" lghtng Of to" streets ami .
{ forth .nou'd be under n" uircr, "onlro' nm
p Supervision uf the "xr,ItIyc department
Y In no orh"r way can "" nav" an 0rdcri
aud ,oEra' development ami in no otu,
,.tl,l