Cleveland Turnover

Last November Cleveland junked city managership, decided to return to a mayor-&-council form of municipal government. After eight years' trial voters liked the city manager idea well enough in theory, but objected to the practical fact that Maurice Maschke, G. O. P. boss of Cuyahoga County and Ohio's Republican National Committeeman, controlled managers as well as mayors. Last week, Clevelanders definitely broke Boss Maschke's 16-year rule over City Hall by electing a Democratic mayor for the first time since the pre-War days of Newton Diehl Baker.

It was a straight political fight, with only two names on the short ballot and no side issues. Boss Maschke's Republicans ran Daniel Edgar Morgan, an honest, able administrator who succeeded William Rowland Hopkins as city manager in 1930. The Democratic candidate was 38-year-old Ray T. Miller, brisk, red-faced Cuyahoga County prosecutor. At Notre Dame Ray Miller played one end on the football team in 1913 while Knute Rockne was playing the other. His brother, Don Miller, was one of the "Four Horsemen" in Notre Dame's famed 1924 backfield. In his campaign Democrat Miller ignored Republican Morgan, impetuously flayed Boss Maschke as the real dictator of City Hall, charged a G. O. P. police alliance with gangsters.

On election day Secretary of State Clarence J. Brown and 30 aides scattered over Cleveland to help keep the peace. Their presence was not enough to stop scores of beatings while one bystander was accidentally shot in a poll quarrel. Cleveland's Negroes got free rides to the election booths in return for their votes for Boss Maschke's candidate. But their massed strength was not enough to stop the Democratic sweep. Ray Miller was elected Mayor of Cleveland by 102,632 to 94,929. Never before had citizens turned out in such numbers for a municipal contest.

Other mayors who made other news:

In Atlanta. Whenever 25% of the voters of Atlanta become disgruntled with their mayor, they can force an election for his recall. Last week 5,366 disgruntled Atlantans, more than the requisite number, petitioned the recall of Mayor James

L. Key, a Wet in a Dry job, who, they charged, had brought Atlanta to "financial ruin and disrepute by permitting a wide open town."

In Los Angeles. Under a similar provision in the city charter 100,790 voters of Los Angeles asked for the recall of Mayor John C. Porter, a Dry in a Wet job, whom they charged with incompetence.

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