1 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:07,080 Speaker 1: On this episode of news World, I want to explore 2 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:12,320 Speaker 1: the question of where are the reformers? You know, I 3 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:18,760 Speaker 1: look at Baltimore, extraordinarily bad schools, very high level of violence, 4 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:24,120 Speaker 1: whole neighborhoods that have no jobs, and yet people are passive. 5 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:30,480 Speaker 1: There's no great reform movement. Chicago a weekend ago, one 6 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:35,320 Speaker 1: hundred people shot a four month old in the hospital recovering. 7 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:39,360 Speaker 1: The South side of Chicago has problems with drugs, problems 8 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:43,640 Speaker 1: with bad schools, problems with no jobs, and where's the 9 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:48,680 Speaker 1: reform movement? Look at Portland. I mean, Portland has Antifa 10 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:54,400 Speaker 1: almost every single night, breaking the law in substantial numbers, 11 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:59,240 Speaker 1: and yet law abiding citizens just seemed totally passive. But 12 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:04,120 Speaker 1: to me, looking at a long American tradition of cleaning 13 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 1: things up, and this is a tradition that goes back, 14 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 1: probably to the very beginning of the United States as 15 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:15,920 Speaker 1: a country, a willingness for honest citizens to come together 16 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:19,640 Speaker 1: to take on the machine or to take on corruption, 17 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:24,679 Speaker 1: to force dramatic change. And now it's not true everywhere, 18 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:27,040 Speaker 1: it's not true all the time, but there has been 19 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: a remarkably consistent pattern. And so I thought I would 20 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:33,560 Speaker 1: take a handful of these and give you a taste 21 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:38,440 Speaker 1: of American history as it relates to reforms. And I 22 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: think you'll understand my own sense of being perplexed because 23 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 1: I don't understand why we don't have an entire, healthy 24 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:52,800 Speaker 1: generation of honest, courageous people out here reforming systems that 25 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:57,200 Speaker 1: are clearly destructive of freedom, destructive of human beings, destructive 26 00:01:57,240 --> 00:01:59,800 Speaker 1: of children. So bear with me for a few minutes, 27 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 1: and I'm going to share with you some of the 28 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:07,120 Speaker 1: great examples. This is a long way from a complete story, 29 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 1: but it gives your taste. I mean, one of the 30 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 1: most amazing is the Battle of Athens, not Athens, Greece, Athens, Tennessee. 31 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:26,160 Speaker 1: In nineteen forty six, there was a powerful, powerful machine 32 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:30,480 Speaker 1: in Memphis headed up by Edward Hall. Boss Crump is 33 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:34,520 Speaker 1: known as Boss Crumpton. He appointed Paul Cantrell as the 34 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:39,160 Speaker 1: candidate for sheriff in nineteen thirty six. Contrell won the 35 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 1: election and what became known as the vote Grab of 36 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty six, And from that point on, a system 37 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:49,080 Speaker 1: of fees was introduced in the Sheriff's office, which meant 38 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 1: the officers were paid per arrest. So if you arrested 39 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 1: somebody you had more money, so shady arrest are made, 40 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:59,720 Speaker 1: often without substantial evidence, which included fines for drunkenness, fee 41 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 1: grab being from tourists travelers you drove through their chance, 42 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 1: the police going to pull you over and get some 43 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:09,920 Speaker 1: money out of you. In meantime, the sheriff ran for 44 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:14,240 Speaker 1: the state Senate, leaving his deputy Pat Mansfield in charge, 45 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 1: and everything got worse and the local population became increasingly angry. 46 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:25,000 Speaker 1: When World War Two ended, about three thousand soldiers returned 47 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:28,400 Speaker 1: home only to find that the corrupt local government was 48 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:32,639 Speaker 1: stronger than ever. Apart from the sheriff's office, the corrupt click, 49 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:37,520 Speaker 1: controlled by Boss Crump, held the local media, schools and 50 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 1: pretty much all of the government institutions. During the nineteen 51 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 1: forty six local elections, the veterans formed a nonpartisan political 52 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:50,400 Speaker 1: option stating their candidates. Knox Henry, a decorative veteran of 53 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:54,040 Speaker 1: the North Africa campaign, was elected by the GI Party 54 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: as it was called to run against Cantrell, who was 55 00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 1: once again running for sheriff. His former deputy Mansfield, was 56 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:06,400 Speaker 1: holding the chair. Another veteran, Bill White, organized a militia 57 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:09,880 Speaker 1: to observe the voting process in case Cantrello Mansfield tried 58 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 1: to ring it again. The veteran militia adopted the name 59 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 1: the Fighting Bunch and pistols were handed out to around 60 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:20,920 Speaker 1: sixty men who joined it. The county election Paul opened 61 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:25,120 Speaker 1: on August first, nineteen forty six, and had a whole 62 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:28,480 Speaker 1: series of incidents. At one of the polling places in Athens, 63 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 1: an elderly African American farmer called Tom Gillespie was refused 64 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:37,800 Speaker 1: permission to cast his vote by Sheriff Mansfield patrolman CM 65 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:42,359 Speaker 1: Windy Wise. When Gillespie tried to run away, the deputy 66 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:45,159 Speaker 1: shot him in the back. The events sparked a few 67 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 1: standoffs between Sheriff Mansfield's deputies and the GI militia. The 68 00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:53,919 Speaker 1: final straw was the arrest and brutal beating of Bob Harrow, 69 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:57,680 Speaker 1: who was one of the pole watchers. Harold protested when 70 00:04:57,680 --> 00:04:59,760 Speaker 1: a girl was brought in by the deputies to cast 71 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:02,880 Speaker 1: her ballot, despite the fact that she had no poll 72 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:06,200 Speaker 1: tax receipt and was not listed in the voter registration. 73 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:09,640 Speaker 1: The girl also seemed to be underage. On hearing this, 74 00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:13,320 Speaker 1: Bill White ordered his men to break into the National 75 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:18,240 Speaker 1: Guard armory to steal weapons. After looting the armory, White's 76 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:23,160 Speaker 1: fighting bunch prepared for combat. When the poles closed, all 77 00:05:23,279 --> 00:05:27,240 Speaker 1: ballot boxes were transported to Athen's Jail. A siege began 78 00:05:27,279 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 1: on the county jail. Paul Cantrell, Pat Mansfield and around 79 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:35,680 Speaker 1: fifty or more deputies were caught red handed while counting 80 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:39,000 Speaker 1: the votes without the presence of a second party. Some 81 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 1: deputies who were outside the jail tried to lift the siege, 82 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:45,159 Speaker 1: but without success. A few of the captives within the 83 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:48,520 Speaker 1: building ran out the back door, leaving their weapons behind. 84 00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:52,920 Speaker 1: White ordered that any escapee should be allowed to pass, 85 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:57,640 Speaker 1: but some deputies, together with Cantrell and Mansfield, refused to surrender. 86 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:01,320 Speaker 1: Then the militia through molotov cocktails at the building, but 87 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:04,520 Speaker 1: failed to create any substantial damage. At one point an 88 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:07,839 Speaker 1: ambulance arrived. White and his men held their fire as 89 00:06:07,839 --> 00:06:10,920 Speaker 1: they expected it was to evacuate the wounded from the jail. 90 00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:15,599 Speaker 1: An immediate ceasefaar was in effect. To everyone's surprise, the 91 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:18,880 Speaker 1: ambulance drove off with cantrello Mansfield, who had slipped out 92 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:23,080 Speaker 1: while leaving the men behind. White Stop priority now was 93 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:27,440 Speaker 1: to secure the ballot boxes. Rumors of reinforcements were circling 94 00:06:27,480 --> 00:06:30,120 Speaker 1: them on the gis, and time was of the essence. 95 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:33,640 Speaker 1: Several dynamite sticks were thrown on the jail, each of 96 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:37,159 Speaker 1: them causing damage to the building and its surroundings. Eventually, 97 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:39,840 Speaker 1: the doors were breached and the rest of the deputies 98 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:43,480 Speaker 1: surrendered In front of the jail. An angry mob gathered 99 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:47,719 Speaker 1: and several of Mansfild's men were badly beaten, including Wise, 100 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:51,440 Speaker 1: who had shot Tom Gillespie earlier that day. Riots ensued, 101 00:06:51,839 --> 00:06:55,080 Speaker 1: causing material damage all over the town. The mob mainly 102 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:59,040 Speaker 1: targeted police cars and the deputy's private vehicles. In the 103 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 1: aftermath of the yots, the votes were finally counted and 104 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:07,279 Speaker 1: the GI Party candidate, Knox Henry, was elected sheriff of 105 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:12,360 Speaker 1: McMinn County. Now wouldn't that be an amazing movie? And 106 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:15,200 Speaker 1: it was a true story, and it involved American veterans 107 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:17,119 Speaker 1: who came home from war and said, wait a second, 108 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:20,160 Speaker 1: I'm not going to some crook take over my county, 109 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:24,360 Speaker 1: and they were prepared to fight for it. Another example 110 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:31,200 Speaker 1: which became quite famous was Beauford Pusser. Beaufort ultimately became 111 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:36,560 Speaker 1: the figure for three different movies Walking Tall nineteen seventy three, 112 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:41,080 Speaker 1: Walking Tall two nineteen seventy six, and Walking Tall three 113 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:45,600 Speaker 1: the Final Chapter nineteen seventy seven. He was a remarkable 114 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:49,120 Speaker 1: person and physically very very strong, had been on the 115 00:07:49,440 --> 00:07:54,680 Speaker 1: semi professional wrestling circuit, and they went to McNairy County 116 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:58,800 Speaker 1: and in the process he ran for constable, upset the 117 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:02,680 Speaker 1: incumbent by over one hundred votes. Taking his job seriously, 118 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:07,280 Speaker 1: he made a crusade under crushing the local illegal whiskey trade. 119 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:11,360 Speaker 1: The McNairy County Sheriff, James Dickie, was in cahoots with 120 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:14,280 Speaker 1: the Moonshine Ring, which operated along the state lines of 121 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:18,720 Speaker 1: Tennessee in Mississippi. Andcensed by the collusion of local authorities 122 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:21,840 Speaker 1: in supporting criminal activity, Pussa decided to run against Dickie 123 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:24,720 Speaker 1: for sheriff, choosing to run as a Republican and a 124 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:29,200 Speaker 1: staunchly democratic county. His election was assured when Dickie died 125 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:33,800 Speaker 1: in an automobile accident in November sixty four. He suffered 126 00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:37,520 Speaker 1: his first assault by members of the Moonshine Ring, ambushed 127 00:08:37,559 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 1: by assailants who stabbed him seven times and left him 128 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:44,439 Speaker 1: to die. Pussa survived and made war on the ring 129 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:47,400 Speaker 1: with a vengeance. In his first year as sheriff, he 130 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:53,120 Speaker 1: rated forty two stills arrested seventy five moonshiners. In subsequent years, 131 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:55,800 Speaker 1: he expanded his attempts to clean up the crime ridden 132 00:08:55,800 --> 00:08:59,520 Speaker 1: state Line area by prosecuting prostitution rings in a legal 133 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:05,160 Speaker 1: gambling houses. On February first, nineteen sixty six, Louise Hathcock 134 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:08,440 Speaker 1: attempted to kill Pooser during an on site investigation of 135 00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:12,360 Speaker 1: a robbery complaint at the Shamrock. Hathcot fired on Pooser. 136 00:09:12,559 --> 00:09:16,760 Speaker 1: Poosser returned fire and killed Hathcock. On January second, nineteen 137 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:20,679 Speaker 1: sixty seven, Poosser was shot three times by an unknown gunman. 138 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:25,680 Speaker 1: August twelfth, nineteen sixty seven, Poster's wife was killed during 139 00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:30,120 Speaker 1: an assassination ambush intended for Poosher. According to Poosher, the 140 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:33,319 Speaker 1: phone rang informing him of a disturbance on New Hope 141 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:38,040 Speaker 1: Road in McNairy County. Booster responded and his wife rode along. 142 00:09:38,520 --> 00:09:41,600 Speaker 1: Shortly after they passed New Hope Methodist Church, a car 143 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:45,319 Speaker 1: came alongside them and opened fire, killing Pauli and Pooser 144 00:09:45,320 --> 00:09:48,200 Speaker 1: and wounding Buford. Buford was shot on the left side 145 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:51,400 Speaker 1: of his jaw at least three times with a thirty 146 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:54,960 Speaker 1: caliber carby. He spent eighteen days in the hospital and 147 00:09:55,040 --> 00:09:59,400 Speaker 1: needed several more surgeries to restore his appearance. Pusser named 148 00:09:59,559 --> 00:10:04,080 Speaker 1: Kersey McCord Knicks Junior as the contractor of his wife's killers, 149 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:06,839 Speaker 1: although neither Nicks nor anyone else was ever charge of 150 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:10,240 Speaker 1: the crime. Nicks was later sentenced for the Eastern Saturday 151 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:15,040 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy one murder of grocer Frank K. Corso, and 152 00:10:15,280 --> 00:10:18,240 Speaker 1: later for the nineteen eighty seven murder for hire of 153 00:10:18,360 --> 00:10:21,720 Speaker 1: Judge Vincent Sherry and his wife. He denied being involved 154 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:24,960 Speaker 1: with the ambush of the Posters. In nineteen sixty nine, 155 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:29,720 Speaker 1: the Tennessee General Assembly recognized Poster for his accomplishments and 156 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:32,640 Speaker 1: made him an honorary Sergeant of Arms. Hussa was an 157 00:10:32,640 --> 00:10:35,280 Speaker 1: eligible to run for re election in nineteen seventy due 158 00:10:35,280 --> 00:10:38,559 Speaker 1: to term limits. He was reelected as Constable of Adamsville 159 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:40,880 Speaker 1: by a majority of voters who wrote his name of 160 00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:44,760 Speaker 1: the ballot. He served as constable from nineteen seventy to 161 00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:48,480 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy two, and then he signed a contract with 162 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:52,560 Speaker 1: bing Crosbie Productions. In nineteen seventy two to film his 163 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:56,959 Speaker 1: life story Walking Tall. Walking Tall became a huge box 164 00:10:56,960 --> 00:11:01,280 Speaker 1: office smash, leading to three movies, but sadly, Puster died 165 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:22,319 Speaker 1: in a car wreck in nineteen seventy four. Now, these 166 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:24,959 Speaker 1: first two examples I've given you involved a lot more 167 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:29,080 Speaker 1: violence than most of the reformers. So let's switch heres 168 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:32,280 Speaker 1: and go to our biggest city and a man who 169 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:36,640 Speaker 1: ultimately became president, but who was a reformer his entire career, 170 00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:42,400 Speaker 1: Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt was in a city, New York, which 171 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:47,280 Speaker 1: had been notorious for serious corruption. The Luxel Committee in 172 00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:51,560 Speaker 1: eighteen ninety four investigated the New York Police Department, and 173 00:11:51,679 --> 00:11:56,200 Speaker 1: in eighteen ninety five Theodore Roosevelt became the president of 174 00:11:56,240 --> 00:11:59,760 Speaker 1: the New York Police Department Police Commission and adopted a 175 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:03,960 Speaker 1: series of reforms against corruption. We have to remember with 176 00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:09,439 Speaker 1: Teddy Roosevelt, nothing was halfway. Somebody once said of Roosevelt 177 00:12:09,559 --> 00:12:13,680 Speaker 1: that he walked along the shore and thought every single 178 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:18,400 Speaker 1: rock or shell was a brand new thing for a museum, 179 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:22,120 Speaker 1: and that he wanted to be the bride at every 180 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:25,200 Speaker 1: wedding and the corpse at every funeral. This was a 181 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:29,120 Speaker 1: guy of enormous energy who basically really liked to be 182 00:12:29,200 --> 00:12:31,839 Speaker 1: at the center of things. To give you some sense 183 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:37,760 Speaker 1: of Roosevelt's efforts at combating corruption, let me sit Roosevelt himself. 184 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:41,520 Speaker 1: This is a quote from Theodore Roosevelt, but in eighteen 185 00:12:41,559 --> 00:12:46,320 Speaker 1: ninety seven, describing his earlier efforts. Quote. In May eighteen 186 00:12:46,400 --> 00:12:49,280 Speaker 1: ninety five, I was made president of the newly appointed 187 00:12:49,280 --> 00:12:51,960 Speaker 1: Police Board, whose duty it was to cut out the 188 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:55,880 Speaker 1: chief source of civic corruption in New York by cleansing 189 00:12:55,920 --> 00:12:59,520 Speaker 1: the police department. The Police Board consisted of four members. 190 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:02,960 Speaker 1: All four of the new men were appointed by Mayor Strong, 191 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:07,080 Speaker 1: the reform mayor who had taken office in January. With me, 192 00:13:07,559 --> 00:13:11,800 Speaker 1: was associated as Treasurer of Lord mister Avery D. Andrews. 193 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:14,800 Speaker 1: He was a Democrat and I a Republican, and there 194 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:18,319 Speaker 1: were questions of national politics on which we disagreed widely, 195 00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:21,640 Speaker 1: but such questions could not enter into the administration of 196 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:24,679 Speaker 1: the New York Police if that administration was to be 197 00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:27,280 Speaker 1: both honest and efficient. And as a matter of fact, 198 00:13:27,520 --> 00:13:30,120 Speaker 1: during my two years service, mister Andrews and I worked 199 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:33,920 Speaker 1: an absolute harmony on every important question of policy which 200 00:13:33,920 --> 00:13:37,840 Speaker 1: arose the prevention of blackmail and corruption, the repression of 201 00:13:37,880 --> 00:13:41,920 Speaker 1: crime and violence, the safeguarding of life and property, securing 202 00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:46,840 Speaker 1: honest elections, and rewarding efficient and punishing inefficient police service 203 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:51,240 Speaker 1: are not and cannot properly be made questions of party difference. 204 00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:54,800 Speaker 1: In other words, such a body as the police Force 205 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:58,600 Speaker 1: of New York can be wisely and properly administered only 206 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:02,000 Speaker 1: upon a non partis and basis, and both mister Andrews 207 00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:05,720 Speaker 1: and myself were quite incapable of managing it any other. 208 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:09,800 Speaker 1: And administering the police force, we found, as might be expected, 209 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:12,760 Speaker 1: that there was no need of genius, nor indeed of 210 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:16,840 Speaker 1: any very unusual qualities. What was required was the exercise 211 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:20,840 Speaker 1: of the plain ordinary virtues of a rather commonplace type, 212 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:26,200 Speaker 1: which all good citizens should be expected to possess. Common sense, 213 00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:31,800 Speaker 1: common honest, courage, energy, resolution, readiness to learn, and a 214 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:35,440 Speaker 1: desire to be as pleasant with everybody as was compatible 215 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:40,440 Speaker 1: with a strict performance of duty. These were the qualities 216 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:42,880 Speaker 1: most called for. We soon found that, in spite of 217 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:46,280 Speaker 1: the widespread corruption which had obtained the New York Police Department, 218 00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:49,440 Speaker 1: most of the men were hardily desirous of being honest. 219 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:53,200 Speaker 1: There were some who were incurably dishonest, just as there 220 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:56,160 Speaker 1: were some who had remained decent in spite of terrific 221 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:59,120 Speaker 1: temptation and pressure. But the great mass came in between. 222 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:03,400 Speaker 1: Although not possessing the stamina to war against corruption, when 223 00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:07,040 Speaker 1: the odds seemed well nigh hopeless, they were nevertheless heartily 224 00:15:07,080 --> 00:15:10,560 Speaker 1: glad to be decent, and they welcomed the change to 225 00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:13,480 Speaker 1: a system under which they were rewarded for doing well 226 00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:17,160 Speaker 1: and punished for doing ill. Our methods for restoring order 227 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:19,840 Speaker 1: and discipline were simple, and hardly less there were our 228 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:25,600 Speaker 1: methods for securing efficiency. We made frequent personal inspections, especially 229 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:29,400 Speaker 1: at night, going anywhere at any time. In this way 230 00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:31,680 Speaker 1: we soon got an idea of whom among our upper 231 00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:34,640 Speaker 1: subordinates we could trust and whom we could not. We 232 00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:38,200 Speaker 1: then proceeded to punish those who were guilty of shortcomings, 233 00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:41,440 Speaker 1: and to reward those who did well, refusing to pay 234 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:45,120 Speaker 1: any heed whatever to anything except the man's own character 235 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:49,480 Speaker 1: and record. A very few promotions and dismissals sufficed to 236 00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:52,960 Speaker 1: show our subordinates that at last they were dealing with 237 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:56,120 Speaker 1: superiors who meant what they said, and that the days 238 00:15:56,120 --> 00:15:59,640 Speaker 1: of political pool were over. While we had the power. 239 00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:03,840 Speaker 1: The effect was immediate. The decent men took heart, and 240 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:07,760 Speaker 1: those who were not decent feared longer to offend. The 241 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:12,880 Speaker 1: morale of the entire force improved steadily. A similar course 242 00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:15,640 Speaker 1: was followed in reference to the relations between the police 243 00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:19,520 Speaker 1: and citizens. Generally. There had formerly been much complaint of 244 00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:22,840 Speaker 1: the brutal treatment by police of innocent citizens. This was 245 00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:27,280 Speaker 1: stopped peremptorily by the obvious expedient of dismissing from the 246 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:29,960 Speaker 1: force the first two or three men who were found 247 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:33,120 Speaker 1: guilty of brutality. On the other hand, we made the 248 00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:37,080 Speaker 1: force understand that in the event of any emergency requiring 249 00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:40,120 Speaker 1: them to use their weapons against either a mob or 250 00:16:40,160 --> 00:16:44,760 Speaker 1: an individual criminal, the police Board backed them up without reservation. 251 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:47,920 Speaker 1: Our sympathy was for the friends and not the foes 252 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:51,160 Speaker 1: of order. If a mob threatened violence, we were glad 253 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:53,920 Speaker 1: to have the mob hurt. If a criminal showed fight, 254 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:56,280 Speaker 1: we expected the officer to use any weapon that was 255 00:16:56,320 --> 00:16:59,760 Speaker 1: requisite to overcome him on the instant, and even if 256 00:16:59,800 --> 00:17:03,000 Speaker 1: it became needful to take life. All that the board 257 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:06,600 Speaker 1: required was to be convinced that the necessity really existed. 258 00:17:07,240 --> 00:17:10,960 Speaker 1: We did not possess a particle of that Maudlin sympathy 259 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:15,160 Speaker 1: for the criminal, disorderly and lawless classes, which is such 260 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:19,160 Speaker 1: a particularly unhealthy sign of social development. And we were 261 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:22,040 Speaker 1: determined that the improvement and the fighting efficiency of the 262 00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:25,320 Speaker 1: police should keep pace with the improvement of their moral tone. 263 00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:30,320 Speaker 1: Let me say that that's Theodore Roosevelt telling you in detail. 264 00:17:30,880 --> 00:17:32,760 Speaker 1: And it reminded me that if you want to look 265 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:37,120 Speaker 1: at a great example of dramatic urban reform in New 266 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:40,840 Speaker 1: York City, there is nothing better than to look at 267 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:44,520 Speaker 1: the job that was done by Rudy Giuliani starting in 268 00:17:44,600 --> 00:17:50,199 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety three. Giuliani's book Leadership is remarkable and is 269 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:55,560 Speaker 1: a great example of how a leader can profoundly change 270 00:17:55,560 --> 00:18:02,240 Speaker 1: a city, literally almost overnight. In addition, Leani brilliantly hired 271 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:06,560 Speaker 1: probably the greatest police chief in the twentieth century, Bill Bratton, who, 272 00:18:06,640 --> 00:18:09,800 Speaker 1: by the way, also wrote a book called Turnaround. And 273 00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:12,639 Speaker 1: the two books, if you put them together, Leadership by 274 00:18:12,640 --> 00:18:17,320 Speaker 1: Giuliani what the politician does and Turnaround by Bratton, what 275 00:18:17,440 --> 00:18:21,000 Speaker 1: the professional police officer does. It makes you wonder, how 276 00:18:21,040 --> 00:18:24,240 Speaker 1: can these other cities be so stupid? I mean, here 277 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:26,959 Speaker 1: it is, it's a formula. And we know Bratton works 278 00:18:27,119 --> 00:18:30,679 Speaker 1: because Bratton's techniques worked in Boston, his techniques worked in 279 00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:33,639 Speaker 1: New York. His techniques worked in Los Angeles. I personally 280 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:36,080 Speaker 1: went out and visited with him in Los Angeles and 281 00:18:36,119 --> 00:18:38,760 Speaker 1: watched how it operated. He just wrote a new book, 282 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:41,159 Speaker 1: by the Way, which is a memoir of his career, 283 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:43,960 Speaker 1: and we're going to have all of those books available 284 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:47,320 Speaker 1: on the show page. But again, Teddy's talking about the 285 00:18:47,359 --> 00:18:50,439 Speaker 1: eighteen nineties. Here we are a hundred years later, and 286 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:54,200 Speaker 1: New York once again has decayed, crime has gotten terrible, 287 00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:58,520 Speaker 1: and along comes Giuliani and Bratton, and they literally within 288 00:18:58,640 --> 00:19:01,840 Speaker 1: two months had begun to change the whole tone of 289 00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:05,680 Speaker 1: the city and had brought about a peaceful city, and ultimately, 290 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:08,480 Speaker 1: over time, with policies which were also by the way, 291 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:13,480 Speaker 1: followed by Bloomberg, reduced the murder rate by eighty five percent. 292 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:16,560 Speaker 1: I look at a place like Chicago and you just 293 00:19:16,640 --> 00:19:19,200 Speaker 1: think to yourself, you know, what is it they can't 294 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:22,040 Speaker 1: get And the answer is, frankly, they don't want to 295 00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:27,000 Speaker 1: get it. The Chicago power structure prefers to be the 296 00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:29,840 Speaker 1: city it is, even at the cost to normal everyday 297 00:19:29,880 --> 00:19:32,439 Speaker 1: people of being killed. But let me go back to 298 00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:36,280 Speaker 1: Teddy for a second. In his autobiography, Teddy Roosevelt talked 299 00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:39,080 Speaker 1: about his time as police commissioner. He says, quote, while 300 00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:43,000 Speaker 1: police commissioner, we punished any brutality by the police with 301 00:19:43,040 --> 00:19:47,280 Speaker 1: such immediate severity that all cases of brutality practically came 302 00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:51,280 Speaker 1: to an end. No decent citizen had anything to fear 303 00:19:51,320 --> 00:19:53,479 Speaker 1: from the police during the two years of my service. 304 00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:56,879 Speaker 1: But we consistently encourage the police to prove that the 305 00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:01,760 Speaker 1: violent criminal who endeavored to molest them or to resist arrest, 306 00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:04,320 Speaker 1: or to interfere with them in the discharge of their duty, 307 00:20:04,800 --> 00:20:08,320 Speaker 1: was himself in grave jeopardy. And we had every gang 308 00:20:08,359 --> 00:20:12,480 Speaker 1: broken up and the members punished with whatever severity was necessary. 309 00:20:12,760 --> 00:20:16,320 Speaker 1: Of course, when possible, the officer merely crippled the criminal 310 00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:20,560 Speaker 1: who was violent clothes. That was Teddy Roosevelt's idea of 311 00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:23,000 Speaker 1: being sentimental, and we're not going to kill you, We're 312 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:25,560 Speaker 1: just going to cripple you. Now, this was an era 313 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:28,600 Speaker 1: when people realize that corruption was all over the place, 314 00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:30,879 Speaker 1: and if you really want to get a feel for it, 315 00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:34,240 Speaker 1: one of the great productive reform prairies in American history. 316 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:37,120 Speaker 1: You can read The Shame of the Cities, written by 317 00:20:37,119 --> 00:20:41,639 Speaker 1: Lincoln Stephen's published nineteen o four. It's a remarkable series 318 00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:44,760 Speaker 1: of essays on corruption. In the case of Stephen's, he 319 00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:50,640 Speaker 1: looks at Saint Louis, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York. 320 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:55,080 Speaker 1: I think you'd find that that period was one of 321 00:20:55,200 --> 00:21:17,040 Speaker 1: dramatic effort to reform the cities. At the statewide level, 322 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:20,800 Speaker 1: there were other kinds of reformers, and they faced brutal, 323 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:26,600 Speaker 1: tough fights. Robert Lafalla took on the railroads in Wisconsin. 324 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:31,720 Speaker 1: The railroads kept beating him, and so he kept coming 325 00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:34,840 Speaker 1: back and running, and every time they'd beat him, he'd 326 00:21:34,840 --> 00:21:40,160 Speaker 1: become more radical, more reformist, more anti corruption. He took 327 00:21:40,200 --> 00:21:44,639 Speaker 1: on the Republican Party and described quote corrupt, graft ridden 328 00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:48,119 Speaker 1: system of bosses and special privilege. Said that in his 329 00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:52,199 Speaker 1: autobiography he ran in eighteen ninety six and lost. In 330 00:21:52,320 --> 00:21:55,880 Speaker 1: eighteen ninety seven. He bought a Country weekly, then published 331 00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:59,240 Speaker 1: at Madison, cording his autobiography, as we now had a 332 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:01,480 Speaker 1: medium through which to maintain from week to week, a 333 00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:05,360 Speaker 1: campaign of education. The time seemed at hand to propose 334 00:22:05,359 --> 00:22:08,960 Speaker 1: a constructive program, and let me emphasize this line of Lafalla, 335 00:22:09,359 --> 00:22:13,400 Speaker 1: a campaign of education. I would say to everybody who 336 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:19,440 Speaker 1: wants to re establish a safe, prosperous, healthy America. What 337 00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:22,720 Speaker 1: we need more than politics as usual, more than thirty 338 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:26,280 Speaker 1: second commercials, more than the usual garbage. We need a 339 00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:29,400 Speaker 1: campaign of education. It's a grade line. And by the way, 340 00:22:29,480 --> 00:22:32,760 Speaker 1: it's also what the Jacksonians did in the eighteen twenties, 341 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:35,840 Speaker 1: reaching out to the country not just to talk in 342 00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:40,280 Speaker 1: purely partisan bologna, but to actually teach people, to give 343 00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:42,480 Speaker 1: them things, to let them know about what's going on. 344 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:47,080 Speaker 1: As La Fallot's paper was educating people, their circulation went 345 00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:49,920 Speaker 1: up because it was kind of fascinating. The bosses got 346 00:22:50,040 --> 00:22:53,399 Speaker 1: so alarmed that they wanted to have the Post Office 347 00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:57,240 Speaker 1: denied the paper. Second class mail privilege sounds a little 348 00:22:57,240 --> 00:23:01,919 Speaker 1: bit like Twitter or Facebook or Google, or all the 349 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:06,640 Speaker 1: efforts to block Americans from talking to themselves. Despite the oligarchs, 350 00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:11,560 Speaker 1: inspectors from Washington, Axey took possession of Lafalllet's books and 351 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:15,320 Speaker 1: investigated the matter. However, in the end, the Post Office 352 00:23:15,359 --> 00:23:18,280 Speaker 1: backed down. He ran for governor again in eighteen ninety eight, 353 00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:21,560 Speaker 1: but he was beaten again. In nineteen hundred, he ran 354 00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:25,840 Speaker 1: for governor again and won the Republican nomination. He actually 355 00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:28,639 Speaker 1: won the general election with almost sixty percent of the 356 00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:32,360 Speaker 1: vote forty eight hours after he took office. Quote the 357 00:23:32,359 --> 00:23:36,280 Speaker 1: newspapers on the morning of January ninth contained the startling 358 00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:40,600 Speaker 1: announcement that the stalwart Republicans, as the machine element of 359 00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:43,600 Speaker 1: the party now for the first time called themselves, were 360 00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:46,399 Speaker 1: in control of the Senate and that they proposed to 361 00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:50,119 Speaker 1: fight the administration measures. This was the first animation we 362 00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:53,159 Speaker 1: had that the old leaders were secretly planning to defeat 363 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:56,560 Speaker 1: the legislation pledged in the platform. It was a great 364 00:23:56,600 --> 00:23:59,560 Speaker 1: shock to us. I found it hard to believe that 365 00:23:59,720 --> 00:24:02,800 Speaker 1: men elected upon issues so clearly presented would have the 366 00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:06,520 Speaker 1: hardihood to turn about so quickly. From that point on, 367 00:24:06,920 --> 00:24:10,679 Speaker 1: you had a war in Wisconsin between Lafallatt and the 368 00:24:10,760 --> 00:24:16,840 Speaker 1: old power structure, and it was just amazing, and just 369 00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:19,919 Speaker 1: kept going back to the public and he kept winning. 370 00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:23,959 Speaker 1: The railroads in many ways played the role that Twitter 371 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:27,520 Speaker 1: and Facebook, Apple and Google are playing right now. And 372 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:32,280 Speaker 1: the result is that Lafolla took him on, did an 373 00:24:32,280 --> 00:24:36,040 Speaker 1: immense amount of research, took his research presented to Congress, 374 00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:41,719 Speaker 1: and members of Congress protested and threatened, but they couldn't 375 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:45,720 Speaker 1: ignore the facts, and so ultimately the whole base of 376 00:24:45,840 --> 00:24:50,280 Speaker 1: what became the progressive movement was basically a war between 377 00:24:50,359 --> 00:24:55,480 Speaker 1: lafallat losing several times coming back winning, and the railroads, 378 00:24:55,720 --> 00:24:59,240 Speaker 1: who thought that money and lobbyists and bribery could overcome 379 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:04,880 Speaker 1: popular will. In parallel, while Lafalla was doing that in Wisconsin, 380 00:25:05,359 --> 00:25:10,040 Speaker 1: he was setting the stage for Hiram Johnson to come 381 00:25:10,080 --> 00:25:13,960 Speaker 1: along in California. Johnson was the twenty third governor of 382 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:18,920 Speaker 1: California from nineteen eleven to nineteen seventy. He was part 383 00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:23,280 Speaker 1: of the Lincoln Roosevelt League, whose platform opposed the Southern 384 00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:27,439 Speaker 1: Pacific Railroad, and it's exactly the same kind of model. 385 00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:33,000 Speaker 1: The railroad was an oligarchy, very powerful and extraordinary, with 386 00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:37,520 Speaker 1: rampant corruption. One of the things that Johnson did he 387 00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:39,919 Speaker 1: got in an automobile and he went out and visited 388 00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:42,840 Speaker 1: all the small towns in California that the railroads had 389 00:25:42,880 --> 00:25:45,800 Speaker 1: refused to serve. So everywhere where you couldn't get to 390 00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:48,760 Speaker 1: a railroad, you could get to see Hiram Johnson in 391 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:52,359 Speaker 1: a car. And as a result, he has kept building momentum. 392 00:25:52,440 --> 00:25:56,720 Speaker 1: If you go read his inaugural address January third, nineteen eleven, 393 00:25:57,200 --> 00:26:02,439 Speaker 1: Hiram Johnson took on othern Pacific companies corruption and the 394 00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:05,960 Speaker 1: way in which they operated and just went straight at him. 395 00:26:06,080 --> 00:26:09,240 Speaker 1: I mean, this was an all our war over pure power, 396 00:26:09,720 --> 00:26:12,960 Speaker 1: and in the end Hiram Johnson won and in the 397 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:16,959 Speaker 1: process created much of the referendum model that we now 398 00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:20,439 Speaker 1: associate with California. One or two other examples on the 399 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:25,119 Speaker 1: other coast. Tammany Hall was famous as a machine, and 400 00:26:25,160 --> 00:26:28,439 Speaker 1: in fact I always recommend to people a wonderful small 401 00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:32,080 Speaker 1: book called Plunkett of Tammany Hall. Plunkett had been a 402 00:26:32,080 --> 00:26:35,320 Speaker 1: member of the Tammany Machine and late in his career 403 00:26:35,680 --> 00:26:38,159 Speaker 1: he talked to a reporter as somebody who thought it 404 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:41,200 Speaker 1: was a good deal. He said, luck, you know, you're poor, 405 00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:44,879 Speaker 1: it's winter, you have no call. The machine brings you 406 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:48,640 Speaker 1: some coal. All the machine asks you vote for it. Now, 407 00:26:48,800 --> 00:26:51,200 Speaker 1: he said, government doesn't do any of these services we do. 408 00:26:51,680 --> 00:26:54,120 Speaker 1: And it's a great little book. But it also told 409 00:26:54,160 --> 00:26:58,040 Speaker 1: you how absolutely totally corrupt the system was. Well, there 410 00:26:58,040 --> 00:27:02,000 Speaker 1: were a number of people who just couldn't stand the corruption. 411 00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:04,879 Speaker 1: One of the most famous was Samuel Tilden, who almost 412 00:27:04,920 --> 00:27:10,240 Speaker 1: became president and who really went after Tammany Hall and 413 00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:13,720 Speaker 1: indicted Boss Tweed, who was the head of Tammany, on 414 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:17,080 Speaker 1: a hundred and twenty counts of fraud. Because of his 415 00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:20,639 Speaker 1: popularity taking down Tweed, Tilden was elected Governor of New 416 00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:24,920 Speaker 1: York almost became President United States. The Village Independent Democrats 417 00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:28,119 Speaker 1: was one of the best known reformed Democrat clubs based 418 00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:32,720 Speaker 1: in Greenwich Village, which helped topple Carmine Desappio and Tammany Hall. 419 00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:36,560 Speaker 1: And that was back in nineteen sixty one. Remember Tilton's 420 00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:42,160 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy one. The Village Democrats is nineteen sixty one. Meanwhile, 421 00:27:42,160 --> 00:27:46,080 Speaker 1: in the middle of the country, a brilliant leader named 422 00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:49,960 Speaker 1: Paul Douglas, who ultimately became a US Senator, was determined 423 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:54,040 Speaker 1: to reform the system. He ran for the Chicago City 424 00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:58,119 Speaker 1: Council as an independent Democrat in nineteen thirty nine. He won, 425 00:27:58,760 --> 00:28:01,760 Speaker 1: and he served as ultimant till nineteen forty two, when 426 00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:04,920 Speaker 1: he sought the Democratic nomination for you a Senate. He 427 00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:07,800 Speaker 1: was a registered independent. This was great who felt that 428 00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:11,399 Speaker 1: the Democratic Party was too corrupt and the Republican Party 429 00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:14,440 Speaker 1: was too reactionary, and wrote a book in nineteen thirty 430 00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:17,760 Speaker 1: two called the coming of a new party. Douglas sought 431 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:20,879 Speaker 1: the Republican endorsement for mayor in thirty three, but didn't 432 00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:24,320 Speaker 1: get it. In nineteen thirty nine, Douglas and a group 433 00:28:24,359 --> 00:28:28,000 Speaker 1: of independents looked to challenge Democrat Joseph Alderman. For Alderman, 434 00:28:28,520 --> 00:28:31,320 Speaker 1: Douglas became their candidate, and with the endorsement of the 435 00:28:31,320 --> 00:28:34,960 Speaker 1: Democratic mayor at Kelly, he won. After a winning in 436 00:28:35,080 --> 00:28:38,680 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty nine, Douglas found himself in the minority and 437 00:28:38,880 --> 00:28:42,680 Speaker 1: often lost forty nine to one on the City Council 438 00:28:43,040 --> 00:28:46,280 Speaker 1: on reforms for the public school system and lowering public 439 00:28:46,280 --> 00:28:49,680 Speaker 1: transportation fees, but he never backed off. He ultimately wont 440 00:28:49,680 --> 00:28:52,880 Speaker 1: a U a Senate seat and was actually instrumental in 441 00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:57,240 Speaker 1: the election of Harry Truman in nineteen forty eight. Meanwhile, 442 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:02,280 Speaker 1: not very far from Chicago and Minneapolis, Minnesota, and his 443 00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:06,880 Speaker 1: story people don't really remember very well. Hubert Humphrey ran 444 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:11,520 Speaker 1: for mayor of Minneapolis, had ran a pharmacy. His poorly 445 00:29:11,520 --> 00:29:15,400 Speaker 1: funded campaign got forty seven percent of the vote. In fact, 446 00:29:15,480 --> 00:29:18,240 Speaker 1: when they got to the runoff, he only got six 447 00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:21,719 Speaker 1: thousand out of one hundred and fifteen thousand votes. By 448 00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:25,400 Speaker 1: nineteen forty four, he was a key figure and bringing 449 00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:29,560 Speaker 1: together what had been a reform rural party called the 450 00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:32,800 Speaker 1: Farmer Labor Party and the Democratic Party, which had been 451 00:29:32,800 --> 00:29:35,640 Speaker 1: the urban Party, and they created what still exists today, 452 00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:39,560 Speaker 1: the Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor Party. And here's where it 453 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:43,760 Speaker 1: gets interested communists tried to take over the party genuine communist. 454 00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:48,360 Speaker 1: As an anti communist, Hubert Humphrey pulled together a group 455 00:29:48,720 --> 00:29:52,040 Speaker 1: and managed to throw them out. In nineteen forty five, 456 00:29:52,560 --> 00:29:55,080 Speaker 1: he ran again and won with sixty percent of the vote. 457 00:29:55,360 --> 00:29:58,600 Speaker 1: And by the way, in his campaign, one of the 458 00:29:58,600 --> 00:30:01,960 Speaker 1: people who ran commercials for him was a Hollywood star 459 00:30:02,040 --> 00:30:05,720 Speaker 1: named Ronald Reagan. And it's because Humphrey was clearly the 460 00:30:05,760 --> 00:30:10,640 Speaker 1: anti communist, and Reagan was very deeply committed to defeating communism. 461 00:30:11,320 --> 00:30:15,520 Speaker 1: So Humphrey became a real reformer, went through taking out 462 00:30:15,560 --> 00:30:21,360 Speaker 1: corruption after corruption after corruption, and really did a great job. 463 00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:24,960 Speaker 1: In fact, even though the city was growing dramatically, murders 464 00:30:24,960 --> 00:30:28,560 Speaker 1: and aggravated assaults declined during his last two years as mayor. 465 00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:34,200 Speaker 1: And so Humphrey really was a remarkable reform leader. And 466 00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:36,560 Speaker 1: he went on, of course to become both the US 467 00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:39,840 Speaker 1: Senator and then the vice President United States and came 468 00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:43,160 Speaker 1: very close to becoming president. So I gave you these 469 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:46,960 Speaker 1: stories because we do have a history in America of 470 00:30:47,080 --> 00:30:50,160 Speaker 1: taking on corruption, we do have a history of taking 471 00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:53,800 Speaker 1: on violence. We do have a history of reforming. And 472 00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:57,640 Speaker 1: I think it's important. I cannot tell you when I 473 00:30:57,680 --> 00:31:00,480 Speaker 1: wake up on a Monday and I see that one 474 00:31:00,560 --> 00:31:04,160 Speaker 1: hundred of my fellow Americans have been shot in Chicago, 475 00:31:04,760 --> 00:31:06,920 Speaker 1: that a four month old is in the hospital trying 476 00:31:06,960 --> 00:31:11,160 Speaker 1: to recover, that the schools are teaching nothing, that the 477 00:31:11,240 --> 00:31:15,160 Speaker 1: local jobs are destroyed, that the elements of violence, crime, 478 00:31:15,200 --> 00:31:18,920 Speaker 1: and drugs dominate. This is not what America should be. 479 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:21,560 Speaker 1: And so I just wanted to share with you. Yes, 480 00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:24,440 Speaker 1: we have a history of cleaning things up. We have 481 00:31:24,480 --> 00:31:26,960 Speaker 1: a history of courage and we have a history of 482 00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:31,640 Speaker 1: taking places that look hopeless, and because we find courageous patriots, 483 00:31:32,040 --> 00:31:34,920 Speaker 1: we turn it around. And I hope that you will 484 00:31:34,960 --> 00:31:37,240 Speaker 1: take this, think about it, and the next time you 485 00:31:37,280 --> 00:31:41,440 Speaker 1: see something you can't stand, go fix it. Don't just 486 00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:44,640 Speaker 1: complain about it and be passive. And I hope this 487 00:31:44,720 --> 00:31:48,479 Speaker 1: is helpful as a starting point towards creating a reform 488 00:31:48,560 --> 00:31:55,520 Speaker 1: movement once again in the US. Thank you for listening. 489 00:31:55,960 --> 00:31:58,840 Speaker 1: You can learn more about where are the Big City 490 00:31:58,920 --> 00:32:03,400 Speaker 1: Reformers on our showpage at newtsworld dot com. Newts World 491 00:32:03,520 --> 00:32:07,720 Speaker 1: is produced by Gingwish three sixty and iHeartMedia. Our executive 492 00:32:07,760 --> 00:32:12,000 Speaker 1: producer is Debbie Myers, our producer is Garnsey Sloan, and 493 00:32:12,120 --> 00:32:16,120 Speaker 1: our researcher is Rachel Peterson. The artwork for the show 494 00:32:16,560 --> 00:32:20,320 Speaker 1: was created by Steve Penley. Special thanks to the team 495 00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:23,880 Speaker 1: at Gingwish three sixty. If you've been enjoying Newtsworld, I 496 00:32:23,920 --> 00:32:26,760 Speaker 1: hope you'll go to Apple Podcast and both rate us 497 00:32:26,800 --> 00:32:30,000 Speaker 1: with five stars and give us a review so others 498 00:32:30,080 --> 00:32:33,240 Speaker 1: can learn what it's all about. Right now, listeners of 499 00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:37,520 Speaker 1: Newtsworld can sign up for my three free weekly columns 500 00:32:37,800 --> 00:32:42,680 Speaker 1: at Gingwish three sixty dot com slash newsletter. I'm Newt Gingrich. 501 00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:44,240 Speaker 1: This is Newtsworld.