The Washington times., 1932-06-11
Ready to Pay

Ready to Pay
GILBERT sELDEs "His city is administered by the
gang at the City Hall. Does he care very much now
they administer it? Not if taxes are not exceSslVe
not if his towns million and half dollar nigh scnool
it's park SYSTEM something he likes to Drag ABOUT
not if the leave him reasonably alone TO oullo up
his business and bring up his family. If they say to
him, Mr.. Wholesale Grocer, we're going to pave your
street. and it's going to cost an assessment OF oO
cents running foot for so many years. ne says IN
effect Great! l want wel-paved street to run my
car over To himself he says proudly I've got ~ Genus
80 cents to pay for the proper kind OF street. seet
fit for to live and drive my car through IL
doesn't bother him that the paving really cost only
about 80 cents; that the gang may be pocketng the
other 80 cents not long business IS good ana ne
is giving himself and his family all they want IN NE
His problem is not quite simple as the prospector
but in way it's the proben-get all you can out
cf this safe the law allows you to crack.
The Boys At Work
"Now let us have look at the gang at the City Hall
Well saw roughly that they collected million and
half for the high school and spent on it threequarters
of million. They collected 60 cents foot for the
paving Job and spent 80 cents. They solicited by
three groups who wanted transportation franchise,
and they awarded it to the men who made it most
profitable for them.
fathers of the country intended to have. 1t isn't
what democracy was ideally intended to be. Nobody
sist that the gang at the City Hall was characterized
by fervent passion for the public good.
"Whose fault is this?
A General Answer
the City Hail. They cracking their safe exactly as
the wholesale grocer is cracking his. They have not
the sanction Of law but they certainly have the sanction
of custom. They have the sanction of the community
at large. They have the sanction of the general
American conviction that is fool who doesn't
make profit out of everything he does. Service is
the most overworked and most falsely-used word in
the American language. It is ALWAYS an element in
proftmaking whether in business in public admins
tration. Public administrators not engaged in
serving the public whit than railway
grocery company serves the public, in the that
they not giving their time and energy out of
of duty or honor or love of their fellow men,
Big Business
1T is mistake not to accept and for all that
public administrators like steel manufacturers farmers
ade-unon leaders, and practically everybody else,
engaged in business and for profit Under the existing
system the gang at the City Hall sells it's services just
as lawyer or consulting engineer sells his. And
what IS more important to bear in mind, the business
communityor at rate part of it-buys those SER
vices exactly buys the services of other specialists
It may be that it has to- don't know, for am not
business man: But, so far such dealings are made
public, it looks if the business community and the
political community deal with another on AN equal
'"oung exactly as manufacturer deals with the COM
pany that supplies his materials or with the obber
who distributes his product.
When times good this kind of trading doesn't mat
ter; the public able to stand the gaff But when
business is depressed and people out of employment
than it's legitimate share of the reduced volume of bank
money in circulation, there is demand for budget con-
traction for economy for inquiry into the expenditures
OF the city departments. And it all blows over when
times are better again.
Who Wants 1t Changed9
The remedy? am not there is one. I am not
sure that it is possible to take profit of public enter
prise any than out of private enterprise Business
says to you Mr. Consumer you want this motor car? It
will cost you so dollars the price being calculated
on the basis of various costs-labor materials
power transportation advertising interest money bor
rowed etc. etc The Gang says to Mr. Citizen, you
want this school SYSTEM 1t will cost you so much the
price in this also being the resultant of various costs
and profits to be realized And for all know what the
gang charge for our water system or school NAV be- under
democracy the price, may be the price have
to pay in order to boast that We are all citizens of re-
public and not subjects of king
"But of two things | am One is that when you
vote gang out of office, you vote another gang n
The other is that the fault is mainly with the socaled
leaders of the community, who concerned with
making money themselves about the public good that
they perpetual models and coworkers for
whichever gang NAV be occunvinp the CITY Hall"