Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-11-17
I|REMEN overlook
|(aANCE TO 'LEX0W'
|b.v.l,r's Suggestion About
.M,ll,on Dollar Loss" In
ys.tlgatlon Is Passed Up
nusMIrH CASE IS CITED

| Probably the most interesting topic
a. hest budget circles In City Hall
-, IA the failure Of Councilman Hall,
..,o,itv leader Of City Council, to ac-
~ Councilman Develin's suggestion
~. a thoroughsoing investigation be
ssde Of the alleged misdeeds and cir.
-m,eutions Of the civil service law BY
=. Moore Administration.
There are those who say that this
. chance, placed in his lap, for Mr..
ri, TO "show up" the city Admins.
.,,tiou In its true colors and prove
sssther or not It is as bad as the
c.mbine artists paint It. Mr.. Hall
...M nsrt a "Lexow" investigation.
ss,.b IN the manner Of some "Lexows,
.,rM AZ on certain isolated instances
: p,tty graft. favoritism and what:
~ ana thus make a bold attempt at
sutting the whole city Administration
D p"t st"fi the probabilities are that the
mssov' ~eu!a DO what the Hall at.
.ssfs in the course Of the budget hear.
~ ~ are doing: show up the possibilities
H. fsctional politics and for the bene.
AZ SI.riss OF factional politics. And It
= not certain that the Combine. no
..ttsr how bitterly its members hate
~ Mnyor. want to tie the hands of
No. ~ - who may be able to benefit under
xture tu organization Mayors. For, once
. ,hs people, in the crisp phraseology OF
~ I politicians. get the slow down. on
sov notifies may cripple administration
"a civil service, and vet keep within
Il. ~ law. % It will DO exceedingly difficult
= n back TO the old order Of things.
Al IN the old order Of things Is
tsvor,tism of all kinds in short, all the
socils ~ Office It Is possible to get and
~ remain out Of trouble and in Office.
ii sny rate, these are among the rea.
ssns advanced today to explain why the
Combine ignored Mr.. Develin's proposal
icr an Investigation.
"Skipping Around the Law"
In the course Of the budget hearing
,nterday. Mr.. Hall, among other
;hinss, said that If Council elected the
Purchasing Agent, who is now ap.
scinted BY the Mayor, a million dollars
Z wear could be saved. Mr.. Develin.
vho is Interested IN administrative and
legislative economy and efficiency, no
matter who Is hit, at once proposed that
the Committee on Law and Municipal
Government, of which Mr.. Hall Is
chairman, make an investigat ton to sec
where losses were being sustained and
where savings could be made. The sug-
eestion, however, passed into the thin
Sir Of Combine Oratory.
The Combine charges. for instance,
that the Moore Administration is agile
in skipping around the civil service
laws. In those cases on which the
charges are based. It Is explained that
the real facts are that to follow the
civil service list in every instance would
often result In men getting into Office
Who, politically speaking, would be ab.
solutely disloyal to the Administration {;
.. that such men. while nble to pass
the civil service examination, are not
practically competent for the special
work In hand.
Il was charged in the case of the Ru.
fsau Of Charities and Correction that
he Administration had declined to fill
the post Of tinsmith from the civil serv.
Ice roll and had evadcd the civil service
BY appointing a man from the more
flexible labor roll. 1t appears further.
more that the man SO appointed does
the work and does It Mt less cost to the
city,. A Lexow could make case of
this kind look bad" but maybe the
Organization would like to play even
more subtle tricks with the civil service
law; certainly the record Of the Organ.
isat!on for the past contains much
promise Of "skullduggery" for the fu.
ture.
Throughout tho budget discussions.
with reference to departments under the
Mayor, the Combine has been trying to
% two things: First. "shOw up the
Mayor" and second. s0Ye money. And.