The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-11-01
ELECTION NEXT TUESDAY.

1
Elections occur next Tuesday throughout
thus state for county treasurers and surveyors,
purely local offices, and whatever the result
| in the different counties outside Of Chicago
may be, it will have no political significance
and Justify no differences as to the relative
strength of parties in this state IL is true that
in most counties the candidates have been
brought out through the ordinary political or
CARNATIONS: but this has been done AS a sheer
matter of convenience and not because of any
imaginary political issues or consequences in
VOWED.
At least this has been the predominant idea
and practice for the last ten or twelve years in
this county, Mr.. Williams, republican, has
term after term been reelected as supernten-
dent of schools, without regard to his politics;
Mr. Brumbach IA republican, term after Term
rs county surveyor; and Mr.. Raymond, demo
crat, for three terms as county treasurer The
county no doubt feels all the more comfortable
over this practice as it had been unfortunate
in the selection of some of the predecessors Of
these officers on strictly party grounds, and
would feel still more comfortable, we doubt
could be filled as well by men chosen solely
with reference to their fitness rather than as
political leaders or bummers.
There ls however, this year Il violent effort
being made to break up this rare era of good
feeling and to force the conduct of our purely
local election on great national issues" The
plan is the common resort of political trick
sters when good men are to be sacrificed and
questionable men put in their place; but in
the present case the scallawagery at the bottom
of the movement appears to look to future rath
er than immediate results.
1t has its origin in local organization
known as the Young Mems Republican Club
of Ottawa. They are young law students, Of
flee clerks, counter hoppers, high school stu
dents &c. Many Of them are barely weaned,
others too young to vote, but all chock full of
impudence and ambition to grow into prom.
nent political leaders, and, as they get dry be.
hind their ears, to feather their nests in COM
Portable Offices as rewards for their Conspicuous
party services and more conspicuous want of
qualification or fitness.
As, however, these risky younkers know
little about politics or how 10 conduct cam
paign, they drop into the natural tactics of the
ward bummers and inaugurate a campaign of
bulldozlng, lying and abuse. Mr.. Raymond
is accused of all sorts of imaginary faults and
delnqucncies, his friends are lied about and
abused, and the hundreds of intelligent, honest
republicans throughout the county who have
heretofore been in the habit of voting for HIM
as the best and most useful officer in the county
are being pull-haued and bulled as If they
were cattle to be driven under the party yoke
like oxen with a CAD And the drivers are
this calow Ottawa clique of unweaned states
men, The thing might be more bearabe if
il could boast any respectable admixture. But
there is not one prominent or influential repub-
lican of character and standing in Ottawa that
takes the least part or interest IN the move
ment.
We do not believe that the honest voters of
this county who lay claim to common manhood,
whatever their party affiliations or preferences,
are to he bulldozed into the party harness, or
into the support of this candidate or the other,
by such IA squad of intantlle swashbucklers as
we have described Voters who lay claim to
ordinary manhood will only despise such pol
itlcal skullduggery and feel that instead of be-
ing meekly obeyed such political lmpertinence
should be rebuked and its youthful authors
spanked.