Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1884-03-28

sonal views nearest comport with his
own and whose record and standing in
the community are guaranty that he
will carry them out in his official admin
istration. The good citizen will moi
sacrifice principle to personal friendship.
The personal relations Of people are theil
private affairs IN which the public has nc
right to interfere, but every man who
casts vote exercises an influence upon
the public and is responsible to the pub
lie for its consequences. Therefore we
assert that social relations have no legit-
innate claims upon PERSONS vote. In
the former persons act for themselves; in
the latter, for the public.
In the contest for the mayoralty in
this city at the approaching city election
the citizen voters are brought face to
face with their moral obligation to the
public, and their duty to vote for the
man whose record and views are best
calculated to subserye the interests of the
city, as the voter himself may be given
to see them, cannot be relieved by social
or personal considerations. The Alert
has NO disposition to do Mr.. Flint the
slightest injustice because it opposes his
reelection and will not descend to such
reprehensible means of electloneering
under any consideration. If unpleasant
facts are developed during the canvass 1t
will be with view to subscribing the
public interests and not from any feeling
of pers onal antipathy. We believe the
candidacy of MIR. Flint is Ill advised un
der the circumstances, and that he has
made mistake in the obvious part he
has taken to secure reelection, for 1t
necessarily involves and invites the dis
cussion and criticism of his past admin
istration which will not very we'll bear
it. After his election year ago the Alert
deemed it best, as the people had thought
proper to install him into Office, to sus-
tain and support his administration 50
far as his policy seemed to be in the in
terests of the city, and pass. silently by
some things which appeared to be detri-
mental to those interests for the reason
that he was immovably intrenched in
office and the agitation of his errors or
shortcomings would only aggravate their
evil effects.
His reelection would now be bad for
the city for the simple reason alone
that an inharmonlous antagonism has been
engendered between him and the men,
bers of the council, and we believe all the
aldermen holding over, and at least some
of those who will be elected, are opposed
to his line of policy as pursued last year
and which would doubtless be pursued
another year, the consequence Of which
would be "a house divided against ITSELF y
and such contention could not other
wise than result IN damage TO the peace,
quietude and progress Of the city. Even
If he was right and the entire aldermanic
body of the council wrong-which IS moi
supposable case--it would be almos,
suicidal upon the part of the people to
re-e elect him and thereby entail upon the
city year of ,rrepressiole conflict in its
legislative body. The causes which led
to this disagreement, together with Other
matters of record in Mr.. Flint's admins.
tration, will be discussed hereafter. In
view of this antagonism IN the council II
is matter of surprise that he should
desire reelection, and we believe that II
he had acted upon his better judgmen,
he would have quietly ''stepped down
and out'' ana patrlotically surrendered
the reins of executive government to Z
successor IN the interests of harmony and
the prosperity of the city.
The election of T. 3. Lloyd, who is an
old and esteemed citizen, not mixed uI
or identified IN any way with the dis.
agreements and contentious of the past
year, would reconcile these distracting
and antagonistlc elements and commence
the year with q harmonious council
united in advancing the developing in
terests and growing prosperity of the
city. Such condition of things is Ger
tainly to be desired by every good citizen
and We believe every citizen who has the
interests Of the city at heart will vote
with view of securing that end regard
less of personal friendship or social re
lations.