The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-02-18
About TomorrOw's Elections.


desirable nominations for councilmanic
responsibilities have been made by
both parties. For these the people are
TO be congratulated; and it is to be
hoped that the residents of such wards
will elect the best of these nominees,
by large pluralities If they should do
this, it would help along the movement
to divorce the purely business problem
OF municipal government from its pres
ent entanglement not only in Scranton,
but in American cities generally, with
partisan politics. If there could be
had, today, an agreement among the
great majority of the voters Of Scran-
ton, or any other city, to ignore party
in the choosing of city officials, and if
this agreement could be kept in good
faith, we should hail it as a distinct
step forward. Inasmuch, however, as
neither of these suppOsitions is yet pos
sible of realization in this city. it will,
for practical purposes, be a victory for
good government if the unfit men on
either ticket shall be rejected by the
people, as a notification to the party
leaders that the placing of unfit names
on a party ticket for responsible local
Office is bad politics not less than it is
bad business all round.
The level of American public opinion
elevates slowly, but surely. We do not
think that we are far out of the way
when We say that the trend of that
opinion today is away from the habit,
once almost wholly uncriticised, of re-
garding the important offices of NUM-
cipal government as merely so many
tokens of reward, to be parceled out
by the party leaders to good bad or
Indifferent subordinates willing, when
elected, to take orders without refer
ence to the public welfare. Much of
this habit yet prevails, and is regarded
as a necessary evil; but we neverthe-
less suspect that it Is doomed, sooner
or later, to disrepute if not to entire
eradication. Our own locality is not
different from other cities in this par
ticular, unless the difference be one Of
age Hence we indulge in no large
iDpt VI d Sptthy anu liulNdi iFN''N-
tion, but as a Republican journal be-
leving in the superiority of Republi-
can principles and in the abundance,
within that party, of good political
timber" we shall have no sympathy
for any unworthy candidate on that
ticket should such candidate be re-
jected by discriminating voters, be-
cause of the manifest superiority Of the
opposing contestant for office; nor shall
we hail as a praiseworthy victory the
election of an Indifferent Republican
over an equally Objectionable Demo-
crat. The kind of victory which counts.
in these days of growing independence
of civic opinion, is that kind which ex-
ats personal fitness along the line of
necessary party organization, and not
that which prostitutes public Office to
partisan exigency or greed.
If the councilmen who will be elected
tomorrow shall not strengthen the leg
islative department of the city gov
ernment by bringing into that depart
ment q greater representation of hon
tSly, DIdluo anu Cldi dItti tHil IL III"
enjoys, the fault will rest directly with
the taxpayers OF Scranton, and those
taxpayers will have to pay for their
fault in dollars and cents. The ques-
ton is purely a business question. The
casting of ballot in a municipal cleo
tion Is like the casting of vote among
the stockholders Of corporation when
they select administrative officers. The
citizen who is Indifferent whether his
taxes be high or low, whether his city
be reputably or disreputably governed,
or whether the agents whom he clothes
for time with delegated authority be
gentlemen or rascals will tomorrow en-
ter the booth with a party ticket and
will vote 1t without glance at the
names printed on that ticket. Upon
the other hand, the citizen who is hon
estly concerned in his city's welfare
will cast his ballot refiectively and con-
scientiously, being careful not to place
cross opposite the name of any
chronic boodler, lawbreaker, character