, 1885-03-21
THE SPOKANE FALLS
SmEEBLYREVIEM.*
--.-5.ss. :, - :, 30.


Onite a hubbub was kicked up
Thursday hy The report circulated
taai q secret convention was held
Wcduesday night and o city ticket
nominated. The objects and aims Of
the men who have found It neces-
aary to band together clandestlnely
~ order to accomplish a given pur-
pose has been discussed, commented
upon and exaggerated beyond meas
ure. Rumor grows with what II
feeds upon, and a commonplace word
dropped here and there Is added
untn Il gathers mammoth pnapOr-
tionA Who are members OF this
new Organization that proposes To
rule the city election, we know not.
II 4 composed Of large body, that
Aas been forming quietly for some
sine, and numbers upon Its rolls
many good citizens In a eonversa-
ton with one Of the members, who
wns perfectly honest in expressing
his Views, we were given TO under
stand that he was not at liberty to
state a. length the real motives Of
the order, or clique, or combination,
OF whatever Il may be termed, but
was emphatic In his representation
that the chief ain was 70 nominate
god men for Office. We do not
gsiinsay the inallenable right Of
body OF men meeting iorthe purpose
Of choslng candidates for an Office.
They do so facing the chances Of a
victory or defeat. Neither do we
believe lu bandylng harsh names
because such a mode Is followed out
r. l. thought that a system Of that
kInd IS IN accordance with, or has a
tendency to Improve the great funda-
mental principles Of this land-frec
speech, a free ballot and an untran-
meled elective fnnchise-all well
and good, but there Is one ohjectlona-
lie and unfortunate feature that no
man VII attempt to deny, It splits
asunder the happy relations between
man and man that should exist In
city, now only IN lis infancy, with a
bright prospect before It, and for the
success OF which there rAn be, must
be, only unity and combined labor
for one common purpose. When
the step is once taken OF splitting up
small community into factions,
rings, secret combinations, confusion
ensues, bitterness engendered, a con-
fllci Of interests inaugurated, and
such o smaelstrom Of discord stirred
~ that the good work Of years Is
thrown away and the very fabric Of
our hoasted social. political and fnan-
eial superiority Is thrown down and
ruined. Can Spokane Falls afford 10
be relegated to a rear place In this
race for supremacy that it has main
lained with such praiseworihy zeal
IN past yearsa What effects the city
IN tho aggregate effects equally
the single individual. Can we
aiIord to ieopardlze the great
strength that only exists in union,
harm my and united eouncil9 No one
can question the fact that an attempt
to orranize a city government under
a system that requires the cloak Of
secree.- the fellowship Of passwords,
Is Injurious In the extreme. 1t is
impolItlc, and while those who have
encouraged 1t with their presence
and their voices may be perfectly
honest, desire nothing that can be
Injurious, have no objects but those
Of the pnrest kind, yet It Is readily
perceived that Ii creates just that Bit
terness that should be avoided. "a
house divided against itself must
fall" and the most guileless member
Of the secret council cannot remain
blind to the startling fact that the
movements look like a desire to
force the community to accept Just
whatever terms the body may see ct
20 dictate, and that such an action
ran create but one feeling, and that
a feeling, considering the grave
questions Involved in the future Of
the city, which cannot help being
most seriously injurious.