The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1894-02-22
A Republican Trick.

n hSPNOllSclIl I'M
That the Republicans would sacrifice
good deal to obtain complete control
of this municipal government, is very
manifest, They realize too that their
only hope. Of, eaching the, end so de.
sired lies in noise, bmster, sham. farce
AND lrsaq' r y y - i'Ne ~.
/ The town-ioVtng, phiianthropic tray.
all, which. resulti9 che bleh .',i theif
municipal Platform, Is a deI1sioti!SSd
ssnare -Whe Gyerhe&da @t the; Re.
pubhcans wanting Ia cut down any
thirg except the Dennocr&tjcrms J6fity?
j. Ihas retiring board has already
fixed ERe salary q the officers fQrsthe
next year, and the PLATFORM does pot
exact K pledgeSftomA It's 'n6iEihe6E'if
ePcteG to accept any. or none 1tass
fthe'pfatftfm hints at and What
they will do, if'elected, are ty6 differ
ent things. After they get in it is easy
to cay S'Oh, the old board has fixediit,
so we will hayeto take it." e a..
Any man with half an eye is not
going te-se guided by this trick. What
the mayor, aldermen and superintend-'
ent of schools get, if turned into the
treasury, would not reduce the taxes
one per cent. The Republicans would
like mighty we'll to get the Democrats
to pledge themselves to work for moth
ing, knowing that they (the Republi-
cans) cannot be elected. We are in
favor of retrenchment and reform, bnt
but do not believe in three Of four
thousand people saying that these
eight or nine people shall work for
nothing. It is not honest. So
The Republican candidates ate'wilI-
ing to contribute their salaries to the
campaign fund This is an easy CON
tribution 1t don't have to be paid un.
less they are elected. If defeated, they
have laid the trick so that the Demo.
Gratis would have to pay it, thinking
the Democrats would 60 one better
and agree to serve tor nothing.
The Republicans of this town could
afford to give years salary to get
into Office. Some plan would be laid
| to get it all back iii a short while. No
Republican ever lets loose of dollar
for political purposes unless he sees
two more coming.
They want, or pretend to want, to
stab to death our public schools by
chopping off the head of the superin-
tendent. We believe they are in earn.
est about this thing. Darkness and
ignorance are the hotbeds of Republi-
canism The more ignorant the more
Republican. What do they care about
schools as long as they can bay regis
tration certificates?
1t is all right to want economy and
retrencement, but it's very poor econ
omy to destroy our public schools and
compel eight Or nine of our fellow
citizens to do our bidding on half pay.
We are for public servants, not public
slaves.
Don't be fooled by all this gust of
philanthropy. No Republican or Dem
ocrat, for that matter, is going to give
his time and talent to a lot of tax
payers for nothing. 1t is all Republi-
can campaign thunder and love of
pomp and display. They have no love
for the poor man. They can't be
elected if they would agree to pay the
whole taxes Of the corporation for a
year.
johnson City is not pauper, but,
if the Republicans are elected and 90
to turning their salaries into the treas
ury, it won't be long until she is a
pauper of the worst sort. A goody,
goody man in politics is the heavy
villain OF the play. We advise every
taxpayer to drop the Republican
ticket as he would hot potato-it's
meanest when it smiles its sweetest.
The Democratic platform says spe-