Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-01
Restoration Plan at Chicago
Upheld as Permanent Remedy

Charge that Silas Strawn, head of the
Chicago committee which has come to
the rescue of the city, is dictator"
and the latter's reply that in the re-
Mobilization he is doing the work OF
"a jackass" have attracted the atten-
ton of the country. Sentiment is in
favor of rigid measures in dealing with
the bankrupt condition and in under
taking crime cleanup. The citizens
committee has provided aid to the ex-
tent of $75,000,000.
Mayor Thompson had to accept the
help" says the Kansas City Times,
with the condition that the committee
should Superintend the expenditure of
the millions. For this condition Mr.
Strawn has been called a dictator
He is not dictator. he says, but a
'jackass' If this Characterization is
correct, then 1t attainS responsibility in
this application. If Mr.. Strawn had po-
itical aspirations, he might assume that
he would lose more than he can gain
by giving the Thompson machine help
with string to it. But as he is not
politically ambitious, he has everything
to gain and, as we see it, nothing to
lose by coming to the city's rescue
What we hope is that Mr. Strawn will
do such big mules job in pulling Chi
cago out of the hole and in demon
strating how public money should be
handled that in one way or another the
city may replace its disastrous admin
istration with one operated by a COM
plete staff of 'jackaSses' of the Strawn
type"
Agreeing that Mr.. Strawn is right
when he complains that he docs the
work and gets the kicks the Dayton
Daily News calls the city reform leader
merely the trouble shooter, the banker
who undertakes the job of rehabilitating
the rundown corporation which will go
broke, cheat its creditors and lose lot
of people their jobs if he doesn't
straighten it out" and that paper con-
tinues: Chicago ought not need a die
tator, but it should be able to draw
some useful differences from the
muddle it is, in. When Chicago was in
health, 1t permitted a Big Bill Thomp-
son to govern it. When Chicago was
sick, unto death. it invoked the services
of Silas Strawn. Now why on earth
should Chicago wait till it lies sick of
fever before availing itself of the
services of its ablest men? What's
wrong with politics that it habitually
falls for the Big Bills and finds no use
for the SilaS Strawns? This isn't Chi
cago only; it is the general rule almost
everywhere. Why should government
be the one enterprise not TO search as
siduously for the best available man to
serve it? What other result can there
be, in the end, of this failure but the
catastrophe which has befallen Chi
cage? And what is quite as important
as these questions for American citi-
zens, burdenec by taxes and bad gov
eminent, to try their wits on?"
X X 4 X
"It is required" in the opinion of the
Scranton Times, that the spending
shall be supervised by or for the men
who put up the cash. There must be a
guaranty that it is honestly used to pay
honest debts. Many foreign nations
have had to agree to such a service of
the loan when they borrowed American
money to get back on their feet, but
Chicago city officials have protested
that such an attitude on the part of
the lenders would indicate lack of
confidence in public officers and might
arouse the people to sense of distrust.
The looting of public funds has
caused the deficits, and political iobbery
in the assessments has caused the delay
In the collection of taxes. The three
have produced the situation. The causes
had to bring the consequences. They
were unacceptable"
"Strawn is neither politician nor an
omceholder," declares the Port Huron
Times Herald HE has no selfish pur-
pose to serve, but is simply doing his
duty as he sees it. OF course, there are
lot OF persons who will refuse to be-