The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1881-03-24
E,sotinr City Omoers.

Joint stock companies owning
mills, banks, or factories of any kind,
never choose men for directors to
manage the business Of the company,
unless they own some shares of stock
in the company; because such direc-
tors, having no interest in the we'll
fare of the company, could not be
relied upon to act for the best inter.
ests of the stockholders, therefore
they always elect men for directors
who have something at stake, and con.
sequently must suffer loss IL the bus.
mess Is not well managed. Any
corporation managed by persons who
did not own any of the company
property, would soon be bankrupted
and ruined. This rule is applicable
to the management of the business
affairs Of city, as those persons
who opn the city are in effect a joint
stock company. In choosing a
Mayor or Aldermen (who are the
business directors Of the affairs of
the city,, people should be governed
by the same common sense rules that
are followed by other corporations,
or disaster and ruin will follow.
Have the people who own the city of
Mankato always been governed in
past years by such common sense
rules when electing Aldermen to
manage the city business : Emphat.
ically not. Some men have been
elected who never owned any share
or part Of the city, merely renting a
building while they remained, and
consequently had nothing to lose If
the city should be ruined.
The people are now paying the pen.
atty in the form Of high taxes, made
necessary to pay the interest on q
huge public debt, shouldered on the
city by men who never ought to have
been in the council.
1t is very important that suitable
and proper men should be chosen for
Mayor and Aldermen at the coming
election, and all property owners
ought to see the wisdom of ignoring
politics and parties, and being gov.
erned by common sense business
rules. Vote for no man whose inter.
ests are not thoroughly identified
with Mankato, and who is capable
and honest, and in deciding as to
these qualifications in any candidate,
''look into his past record" and il
you find he has been practicing sharp
tricks, or If he has belonged to any
"ring" that in past years that have
set up jobs and made money by
"milking the CITY," then be sure to
vote against him, and work to beat
him. Vote for no stranger who re.
quires a guide to find his way about
the city, nor any old political bum.
mer, or dirty dogs, who are skillful
in running caucuses, and be on the
alert to prevent the men who have
been "milking the city," until it is
almost dry. from coming in with
their "lickspittle supporters" and
running the nominating caucuses, Sc
as to elect men who will be mere
tools in their hands, and constitute q
council that can, from lack Of virtue
or lack of sense, be pulled around by
the nose and made to do the bidding
of the sharpers. The taxpayers OF
the city can find good men to serve as
officers if they try, and have the
power to elect such if they will use
it. Charles Mansfield, G. A. Payne,
and many other suitable men can be
found, who own real estate. have
lived here many years, and have
never been detected in trying to steal
anything from the city, and who. il
elected, will not be used as tools.
| CITIZEN