Show Why L LaGuardia Says He Cannot Be Mayor Again By T BRUCE CATTON Probably the most significant single thing about Mayor LaGuardIa's in inaugural in augural In New York was his blunt blun prediction I never shall be he re re- elected That brief remark taken In conJunction conjunction con con- on junction with the new mayors mayor's policies pol pol- ides iciest contains a whole volume of commentary com corn on municipal politics as it Is 15 practiced in America The reasons for the new mayors mayor's pessimistic prediction are simple He aims to give New York a clean and efficient administration He Is 15 going to reduce the number of city by approximately He is 15 going to cut salaries abolish useless boards and commissions consolidate con con consolidate consolidate city departments end the reign of graft in the letting of contracts contracts contracts con con- tracts and the thc buying of supplies remove remove re re- re move politics from rom the police poUce department depart depart- ment inert mentHe He Is going in short short to do those simple Dimple things which obviously and indisputably in disputably are proper for fot- fota a mayor to tt do But we have built up the kind of system in our municipal politics which makes mikes it very unlikely that any administration can do those very proper and necessary things and win reelection To succeed in American municipal politics as a general thing a mayor must consent to a certain mount amount of inefficiency a certain amount of ot favoritism favoritism fa fa- fa and a a certain amount of cutright cut cut- right corruption in Ia his hI government The extent to which he puts up with those things varies from city to city naturally but the man who like LaGuardia LaGuardi boldly pr proposes po es to abolish abol abol- ish them entirely is a great rarity and he takes it for granted at the start that that-he cannot be We have had a a great deal of talk taUt in inthe inthe inthe the last year about a new deal about a new spirit that is 15 entering our conduct of national affairs Nowhere do we wc need such change any anymore more than in our our system of local government govern govern- ment meat We need not only who are arc courageous enough to put principle prin prIn- prInciple principle ciple above the success of their own careers are r. r we need a public opinion that will support such men when they do appear and give them the backing they must have The piping times in which money was so plentiful that we could afford to support and wasteful and grafting city governments have gone now and there i. i is Is' not much chance that they will wm return soon It is up to us ta to cut our cloth to suit our purse to hunt for and support support sup sup- support port politicians willing to take takeoff office Ice with the prediction I never shall be reelected |