The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-02-14
FOR PURITY OF ELECTIONS

On Friday next the voters of this city
will be called upon to express their will
as to the approval of the proposed charter
amendments. These amendments con-
tain many provisions, which, should they
be adopted, will work great benefit to the
city, and among them are some which
are so. particularly desirable and which
would enhance the welfare of the city to
such a degree as to make their attain
ment amply sufficient reason for the
adoption of the amendments, no matter
what trivial faults may be found in other
parts thereof by caviling critics.
First among such is that separating
municipal elections from all others, and
the importance of this measure and the
good which will accompany its adoption
cannot be overestimated. AS this matter
now stands, city elections are separated
from state and national elections by a
period of less than one month, and
the latter are always fought out on
party lines and are usually decidedly
favorable to one party or another, by
which the voters of the community are
distinctly divided into political classes,
where they are compactly united, for the
American voter is a reading, thinking,
reasoning being who gives careful study
to the issues of the day, and from such
study forms an opinion which seems rea-
sonable and logical to himself and which,
once formed, quickly and easily becomes
settled conviction. Through this process
he becomes, for the time being at least, an
intense and consistent partisan, and the
OF fbA, Ill g !. ,n1,
he has pinned his faith so tends to in
tensify and encourage his adherence
thereto that he is prone to overlook just
and logical reasons for action outside of
party lines, and it requires the lapse of
time to remove or abate the partisan in
fuence under which he has acted.
With majority of the voters in this
condition of mind, brought about by par
ticipation in a state or national election,
the occurrence of a city election can be
attended by but one result, the sue
cess OF the party which has been victor
ious in the election Immediately preced
ing, utterly regardless of considerations
affecting the welfare and prosperity of the
municipality. This is the weak point in
the government of American cities. 1t is
here that the political manipulation gains
control of municipal affairs. If he can
keep the city election near enough to the
general election to bring the strong par
tisan influence of the latter to bear upon
the former he can control city's govern
ment with all its patronage and profits,
Tor 1T is an easy enough matter to
manage a convention and make it nomi-
nate men who will do his bidding after
they are elected to office. So long as our
city elections follow closely upon the
heels of general elections, just so long will
our city government be in the hands
of political manipulators, just so
long will extravaganza, incompetency and
excessive taxation prevail, and Just so
long will the servants of the city be Sc
lected from the ranks of the political
henchmen, ward heelers and wire-pullers,
regardless of all considerations of integ-
rity and competency. Change this by
placing the date of the city election a suf-
ticient length of time from all others in
which to permit this intense partisan feel
ing to subside and this vicious condition
OF affairs will be greatly altered, for the
same intelligent inquiry and Judgment
which enables the average voter to act
thoughfully in general election when the
influence of his partisan feeling has been
removed will cause him to act thought
fully in local affairs, and he will be care
full that the help of his vote is given to
the election of men whose history and
antecedents guarantee that they will serve
the best interests of the people instead of
following party lines blindly, as is too
much the custom at present.
By this means the power of the boss
politician will be greatly curtailed, if not
entirely broken; the offices of the city
will be filled by men of intelligence, COM
petence and integrity; taxes will be re-
duced; the people will get full value for
the money they spend, and it will be i'm
possible for an obscure man, whose abilities
are rather below than above medocrity,
and whose record and antecedents are not
1awless, to be thrust upon the people in
an official capacity where he may run
career of extravaganza and Incompetence
at their expense.
Ii there were no other commendable
feature whatever in these amendments
(and there are many this separation of
the elections would be ample reason for
fJair