, 1880-09-12
Coroner,
State's-Attorney,' =,
Clerk OF. the Circuit Court,
Danc~dnr

t IWentY-0no members or the Legislature.
There are host Of candidates for all these
positions. In addition to the three State Sena
tors to be chosen in the even-numbered dis
tricts, it Is justpossible but not probable, thai
a..special election may be called in the Fifth
District represented by W. T. johnson, who
is now County Treasurer; but it Is more
likely that Mr.. Jolnson's tenure Of the State
Senatorship will be left for the Senate ia
pass upon. The vacancies which occur In
the County Board are in the places now held
by Commissioners Boese, Burltng, Spoford,
Meyer, and Wheeler. Four of these will be
filled by tile vote Of the city as a wtule, but
| two will be conceded to the West Side and
two to the North Side, to correspond to the
| residence Of the outgoing Commissioners; !;
| the fifth Commissioner must be taken from
Hyde Park.
AS we have said, the number of candidates
|. for the various positions is simply appalling:
On the Republican side this scramble for
nomination arises from the strong and gen
eral conviction that. the Republican county
ticket will be elected this fall. On the DEM
ocratic side the scramble is due mainly to
the fact that Democrats regard politics chief
ly rs vehicle to officeholdIng; but it has
been encouraged this year by the recollection
tEht Ttlden received majority Of votes in
tie county. four years ago. There is no rca-
sonab1e doubt that the Cook County vote on
the Presidential ticket this year will be COM
pletely reversed; in fact it is probable
that Garfeld's majority in this coun-
ty will be three or four = times
as large as -Tilden's majority was in
1876. 1t is not necessary to repeat at this
time the reasons that have led most observ-
ing persons to this conviction. But 1t. does
not necessarily follow that the local ticket
will be elected to correspond with the senti-
ment Of the county on National affairs It
will be remembered. .tf1at four years aigb some
of the successful candidates for the local Of
fees were Republicans and others were Dem
ocrats. The only surety Of success for the
Republican local ticket lies in the nomina-
tlon Of men who shall universally be admit
ted to be Of equal ability and fitness with
their opponents; if not actually superior.
The offices of greatest Importance to the
people are those which usually attract the
smallest share Of public attention. We refer
particularly to the County Commissioners
and members Of the Legislature. The Re-
publicans Of Cook County succeeded, when !
they were once fairly aroused on the subject, |
i'll work ing pretty thorough reform In the |
County Board. That institution has been !
free from scandal, and general appear
ances indicate an honest and tole1ably
economical administration Of county affairs
But eternal vigilance is the price Of honesty
and capabflity in the County Board, and it Is
only through a representative convention of |
the best classes that a nomination Of good
men for Commissioners can be assured. The
same is largely true Of the nominations for
the Legislature. It is a suspicious circum-
stance that large number of obscure men,
and, IN some instances, characterless men,
IRE seeking nominations for. the Legislature
rom both parties. The Democratic party
eems to be more seriously threatened in this
'egard than the Republican party. The
aloonkeepers Of the South Division seem to
lave discovered in their business some mys-
erious qualification for making State laws.
There are many reforms needed in the laws
Il the State, and particularly those affecting
lineage and other large cities, that can only
"a worked out through the Legislature, and
erhaps the chief consideration Of the county I
lection should be to secure the services Of !
apable and honest men in that body, The
arty that shall escape the bummers and
ring forward the best legislative material
ill have decided advantage oyer its COM
etitor. ..:-:-@-