Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-09-03
The Selection of Candidates.


must have candidates who are not only
worthy and competent but they must
have candidates who on account Of
their moral worth and irreproachable
conduct in private life will command
the respect and confidence of the
people. The people not only expect
but they demand higher standard of
personal, political and official integrity
in republican candidates than they do
in those Of any other party. Other pol
itical organizations may, as was fully
demonstrated last fall, place in nomi-
nation candidates wholly incompetent
and unfit for the offices which they
seek, yet their party machine is 50
perfect and their party discipline so
rigid that the question of personal
worth and fitness of the candidate is
lost sight of. Not so with republicans.
The masses of the republican party are
reading, thinking, Intelligent, moral
class of people, who believe in personal
morality and integrity in those who
aspire to conduct affairs for the public.
Most of the instances of republican
defeats in this state prior to 1890 may
be traced to an abuse of the nominal
ing power in which candidates not
satisfactory have been preferred to
those that were so. By this, resent
ment has been excited and party defeat
has followed. There never has been
time when it was more incumbent
upon republicans to choose satisfactory
candidates than now.
1t should be understood at the start
that republicans will not achieve an
easy victory. 1t is true they have
many factors in their favor. They are
united. well organized, and alive to the
Importance of the campaign. The
fact that they are lighting for the res
toration of the credit and the protec-
ton of the good name of the state
must bring back into their ranks the
opponents Of the sub-treasury land
loan and government ownership of
railroads schemes, to which political
heresises the peoples party is hopelessly
committed. By judicial selection of
candidates the republicans may derive
all the advantages of this desertion
from the ranks Of the peoples party.
The situation demands the most ear
nest efforts on the part of republicans.
Republicans in most of the precincts
of this county are alive to the impor-
tance of placing in the field candidates
against whom no personal accusation
can be brought-candidates who will
command the united support of every
element and factor of the party-can-
didates of an unblemished private
character. No other kind of a ticket
will satisfy the people; no other kind
of ticket can be elected. If the re
publicans of this county place upon
their ticket those who have been
VIGOROUSLY engaged in disreputable
enterprises they not only invite, but
deserve defeat at the hands of the
people, We have hundreds of hOnOra-
bic and upright citizens who will gladly
accept the nominations. There is no
excuse and no apology that the people
will accept for the placing of
disreputable candidates upon
the republican ticket and if by
any unfortunate circumstance such a
calamity should befall the ticket, re-
publicans may well be alarmed as to
the success of their campaign.
We are not going to champion any
particular candidate for the nominal
tion to any Office on the republican
ticket.
We have watched with much inter-
est the progress of the campaign. We
believe that it is going to result in the
selection of ticket which will COM
mand the support of all those who
desire the restoration of the credit of
our state from the unfortunate condi-
tion to which we have been brought by
the senseless calamity rantingS and
INSCRIPTIONS falsehoods circulated by
such irresponsible political shysters as
PETER, Simpson and Lease; but we
have been induced to give this note of
warning, lest through carelessness
some unworthy man might be foisted
upon the ticket and thus endanger the
success which now is so promising.
Let every republican go the polls on
Thursday, September 10, between 2
and o'clock and see that his delegates
are instructed for good, honest, upright
and law abiding citizens, who are fully
equipped for the duties of the offices
which they seek and triumphant victory
will crown our efforts in November
next.
No Third Party.