Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-04-09
TILE CRY ELECTIONS.

has 70 property of his own to be taxed.
THE CITY ELECTIONS.
whenever a change takes place in the
political complexion Of city government
Il is heralded as great victory for that
party that succeeds to power. They say
"straws show which way the wind
blows" meaning that change in one
city Is TO be accepted as indicating the
same change Of sentiment all over the
country. But when the "straws" point in
different directions 1t Is rather hard to
say from their positions Just how
! the wind docs blow. When one city that
has been going Democratic changes and
elects Republican mayor and council,
we are told that the Republican party Is
gaining ground When a city that has
generally gone Republican tacks about
and elects Democratic officers, some
sanguIne Democrats accept II as promis-
ing better for them. When, however,
two cities insthe same state, OF equal i'm
portance, change their governments, the
one from Democratic TO Republican, the
other from Republican to Democratic, IL
would puzzle the party Daniels to inter
pref the handwriting on he wall
Except In very rare cases, there is no
political Significance attached to city cleo
lions, for partisan politics enters very
slightly into the considerations OF voters
in such elections, Hore, at least, politics
affects the pocket more directly than any
where else. Some one has said that the
most sensitive nerve IN the human anato-
my II that which centers in the pocket
book A city council that commits the
unpopular act Of advancing the rate of
taxation, even though the purpose be to
obtain the means Of making needed i'm
proyoments, will be pretty sure to come
Ia for popular condemnation, because It
has wounded the pocket-book nerve. The
political party to which the offending ma
jority belongs shares the odium Of the
party administrators, and at the first
chance that the sovereigns have TO show
their resentment, irresponsible party is
defeated and the opposition put in power.
This is called big victory for the polit.
ical class to which the successful local
politicians acknowledge allegiance But
1t Is not, in any sense, partisan Victory
or partisan defeat Very few sensible
men allow their judgment Co be set aside
by party prejudice in local contests.
They vote TO put out Of place men who
have not given satisfaction, and to put in
place men from whom they hope better
things. Whether those men are Demo
Gratis or Republicans makes little differ.
ence to them. A Democrat may vote
for Republican, and Republican for a
Democrat, without straining their partisan
relations, who in national or state clec.
ton would regard as little less than trea-
son the act of yotlng for a candidate Of the
opposition party.
This is why there are so many reyolu-
tons In city governments. Cincinnati,
st. Louis and Chicago alternate between
Democratic and Republican maiorlties at
every city election. II one of them goes
Democratic one year, st is pretty sure TO
80 Republican the next.
A certain class of Democrats said
to perceive dreadful omens in the result
OF the recent elections, Because in a few
Of the larger cities the Democratic tickets
were beaten they infer that the party is
on the down-grade all over the land. The
presidents civil-servlce reform policy Is.
In their view, the direful spring OF all
these woes. 81 told you SON They
have been predicting disaster, because
they couldn't get Offices in competition
with more intelligent men, aud the disas.
ter has come. There Is but one thing for
Mr. Cleveland to do, II he would save his
party. lie must reoaut his ciyil.serylce
reform heresies, and run the party on the
old-fashioned spoils for the-viotofs priu-
ciple, without regard to the qualifications
of the men put In office. DO this and live.
Mr. Cleveland win probably take the
senelble position that a local election has
no Significance. 1t no more baspeaks
the feeling of the country on political ques
lions than the direction Of a little stream
OF water indicates the direction OF the
great river of which It Is part. The
Democrats Of Cincinnati have been
showed under by an opposition majority
OF 5ooa or 5000, and they probably de-
served their defcrt, But on the same
day the Democrats OF Michigan elected
thelr candidates IN nearly every town
These two facts mean nothing But Il
they did mean auything, it would be
that we are losing grouud in Ohio and
gaining in Michigan aud we can very
well afford 70 make the exchange.