Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 6.djvu/559

 A YEAR'S MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT 545

virtue and honesty. Yet we know from our own experience that the reverse is true.

The blind and selfish partisanship which gave to New York four years of Tammany rule and defeated Seth Low gave to New York city in its comptroller one of the most vigorous and prom- ising figures in municipal life today, and likewise made possible the election of a governor a year later who has through his initiative and splendid leadership placed many wholesome laws upon the statute book. Pittsburg reformers, after several yea/s of futile effort and discouraging-defeats, have taken fresh courage and a new view of the situation. Their cooperation in the bal- lot-reform movement bids fair to open up new avenues of use- fulness. We must not forget that a desire for municipal right-doing is of slow growth. A hastily expressed wish is as quickly suppressed.

Cincinnati a year ago rebuked its ring by defeating its can- didates, but the instruments used proved inadequate to the task imposed upon them. There was a brief resentment felt, but not a deep-seated desire for reform ; consequently there was little, if any, discrimination in the selection of candidates, and the usual results followed. What an old, old story ! Disgust at long-con- tinued debauchery ; a sudden determination to change matters ; support of the first set of men who will promise relief; their election ; the subsidence of public interest and a reversion to former practices by officials and to civic indifference by the citizens. Too often the people content themselves with a mere exhibition of their power, not caring to direct that power to definite ends. Such exhibitions amount to but little in the long run.

The principal work of the Milwaukee League, now known as the Municipal Association, during the past year has been its opposition to the street-railway company in its efforts to secure undue advantages from the city for a grossly inadequate consid- eration. In this it also opposed a city government originally elected expressly to protect the city against the road's encroach- ment. An ordinance was introduced in the interest of the road granting a ten-years' extension of franchises, otherwise terminat- ing in 1924, and twelve new franchises extending to 1924 and of