The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1865-12-19
Our CITY EIeetion.

We are gradually nearing another
charter election. The turn of the new
year VIII soon be upon Us. willing or
unwilling we must ali rouse ourselves
and go to the polls and vote. So long
As we have an election, vital to our most
immediate interests, once year, so long
must we be content to go through the
routine OF nominating and voting for
those who are to protect our lives and
property duringthe year. We can not
escape this duty by neglecting it, for the
consequences as we have often seen,
come home to US in the shape Of mall
administration, which is always expen-
sive and derogatOEy. eternal vigil
lance in the way Of eternal voting is
the price we must pay for good govern
ment, State, national or municipal
We have always believed that our char
ter elections occur too frequently. We
do not relish their constant recurrence
from year to year. We have been in
hopes that before long we should all be
willing 10 see them made biennial
still there is much TO be said in favor of
yearly elections, expensive and demon
alizing as they most assuredly are in
some respects. And until a change is
made we must do the best thing we can
TO correct whatever evil attaches to
them, by electing the best men to Office.
We mean best in all respects-morally,
politically and in point Of capacity.
We do not want man simply because
he has one OF these qualifications while
lie lacks the other two. Give us all OF
them If possible. We feel sure that this
city has many men fit to be candidates
for the chief places, who are a credit to
us in all three respects.
We are happy to know that a good
number OF leading Union citizens are
thus early in the canvass manifesting
an unusual degree OF interest in the
next charter election. They desire to
enlist the proper attention of the peo-
pie in time, and not wait until the last
hour Of the canvass arrives as they al
most did last year. 1t is in our power
10 accomplish a very different result
this time if we only do our duty in
each ward of the city. A majority of
the voters in Wheeling prefer the sue
cess OF Union men at every election,
all things being eqUnI as rupects the
personal fitness OF the candidates. But
the Union party cannot succeed with
out organization and without thorough
work, rs we have often taken occasion
To say in times past. Organization and
work are necessary and always will be
in any cause or within any party, to
get voters to the polls. With organiza-
ton and work the Union men of this
city can always succeed, AS the whole
history OF the war has shown,
1t is well for US thus early before the
election to appreciate our duty and de-
rermine upon its energetic discharge.
In this view no time should be LOST in
''organizing victory as respects every
necessary detail in each ward. And
just here we venture word of advice.
Let Us not repeat the folly OF ovcr-cou-
fdence in those wards in which we
have been accustomed to large Union
msjorities, AS WAS tho ease in the Octo-
her election. We warned our friends
then ,rs we do now. Maioritics are pro-
verbally unreliable. There i no life
tenure in them. They cz,n DC held only
by organization. While it certainly is
our duty 10 work earnestly in those
wards where we generally run behind,
it is just ms certainly NO less our duty
and our necessity 10 work where we
consider ourselves in the majority. In
the October election We could see plain
" where the work had been done
and where it had been neglected.
We fell short mainly in theVery citadels
OF our strength, while we gained in the
strongholds Of the opposition. Let us
move along the whole line this time.
So shall our victory be certain and
sweeping. Let thework be commenced
Rt once and vigorously in every ward
BY the time we are fully under way
with the canvass the day OF election
will not be far of.