Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-06-14
InvIsjbje Government

To The Editor o. the Evening Public Ledoer;,,
Sir-'Cities are ruled. said an eur.
turial in the ENfNlNG rtbiiE '.Ep"hk
ct June q, by Invisible g"v'rnnier' gI
directed by and for the politicai uhucr,
world ward under war"
boss Is feudal holding.
The' very day after that appearrn
there we're thrown up 10 us IN 'he neMe
column OF the rress the names W Ior
ty-eight ward autocratS CHOSEN 10 [ep'
resent these feudal holdings IN tne ne
publican -ity committee tnt orsdniSsn
In this rs in other cities wnlch hoios
the political caste hrmly IN me scar VI
patronage nnd the protts or ruoI' oinye'
Public ONCE being the ne that pihGs,
1t was but natural TO notice mat lunE
half the number OF the forty -cisht war"
oliSarchs were themselves cohSclen-
tious'y in possession OF rcmunera'ise
public positions. Three hoia mniln,
Gently salarled count! 0'hceS WIN ialse
encourages OF placeholdcrs under them.
Among others arc hoteu n'e "!
Councilmen. three state Senators. Two
Congressman. two Real Estate .\S,es-
scrs, two Mercantile AppralseTS. 10;
lice Magistrate. STATE oiiciai WIN
salary and responsible omccr OF me
Federal Treasury department IN l'niia-
deiphia. paradlng oetore thc eyes Vi tne
government civil service MS pronriencS
In the party political management ot
West Philadelphia ward.
All except the police magistrate aD-
sorb from SoOOo to $40 ooo annuai'v
each from the reservoir OF pup!ic tunds.
Three In the list are oihceho!dcrS
emeritus. retired in orulence ont sun
In sympathetlc toucn WIN the senerai
autonomy OF officeholding;,
We hear much now ana theh OF CLASS
government; what can surno's tne
unity OF class CONSCIOUSNESS IN ths
o'hceholdlng sect! securely mlrenchen
IN the machinery OF thc pa''9t ana IN
body of election laws that adro!t'y, per,
petuate the germ OF partisan polltica,
control. they look upon the unorganized
masses OF citizenry with ABOUT III" same
shade OF hostillty ana dcnahce that
community might ieel Tor puohc
enemy.
Even the personal registration ace
keeps consistently to the oeatcn pain
OF party regularity. ietitions VIII De
filed by July ~ with the Registration
Commission for the appointment OF tour
registrars IN each or me lfoo eiectlon
distrlctS Oh this Guy: thc APPOINTMENTS
are made annually IN August WIN
wv S"'' '!'.'',' ''"'t"'"''' - eNs'
Bile, one-hait the cNlrr NUMBER are the
patronage OF the organlzation machinery
OF the wards. ie,itions "itnout hmlt
may be hled. but the ukase or the wara
committecmen will determine, without
controversy those that Will he approved.
The appointments as rule are III rec,
ognition OF party aid or sympathy WIN
those In control OF the machinery or
organization.
Some day in the far of future there
may be non-partis isan framework OF
the ballot in Pennsylvania under new
or revised State Constitution. But the
horizon Is as yet very DIM, i
f. Lawrence Fell. chairman OF
the Philadelphia Registration. Commis'
sion. In statement IN the EVENING
PUBLIC LEDGER of May Is. undcr the
heading. Now My Idea Is This :. ON.
phasized as one OF tn" advantages OF
the registration act the extinction OF the
so-called phantom vote, No one
would be so rude as TO challenge Mr.
Fell's view. and certainly no one bold
enough without PROOF: b"t IN the
heavily enrolled machine wards one