The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-03-01
ToDAY,S ELECTION.


the next chief magistrate of the city, and
who are to compose the legislative branch
es of the city governments. 1t is an import
ant matter which they are called upon to
decide, and one which calls for careful
sumed that every Republican voter
desires to see the CITY well gov
erned. and that his course tnday will
be determined by what he thinks will
tend most To that end. 1t is admitted
that both candidates for Mayor are re-
putable men, men of capacity. mon who
desire to give the city good government.
If there were nothing involved but q
choice between these two men the voter
might well be puzzled. But experience
has shown that the chief executive officer
is controlled and directed to very large
extent by the clements that elected him,
by the party that he represents Good
upon the character of the men who fill
the Offices of mayor and councilmeD, but
ALSO and more especially, upon the
character of the elements of the popula-
tfon which they represent. Democratic
administrations have never besn success
full in this city, not because they have
| never contained good men, for they fire.
duentIy have, but because the elements
that elected them have insisted on con-
| trolling them and directing their conduct
and have succeeded to greater or less
extent No Democratic administration
| in this city las been given second term
| for great many years. for the simple
| reason that one years experience mas
been sufficient to convince. the voters that
SO good results could not DO had from
government under the auspices of the
| Democratic party as under those of the
| Republican. 1t has occasionally happened
that Republican administr ton has
| been turnad out of Office and democratic
one substituted in this city, but every
Republican who helped bring about the
change has soon regretted it. Those
Republicans who aru meditating now the
cutting of the Republican ticket, If their
CHI ba nj n
the Democratic ticket. would be sorry for
it in very few weeks. a Democratic adj
ministration mems wild scramble for
spoils, the upheaval Of all the offices,
| the turning out of competent men and
the filing their places with men whose
chief aim is that they have rendered
party service and helped elect the sue
cessful candidate. MIR. Winslow is good
man, nc doubt, but he could not resist
the pressure of the flood of Democratic
claimants that would pour in upon him
if be were elected Mayor, even il he
should try, and in view Of his perform
ances in the fall campaign, it is exceed
ingly doubtful il be would make more
than feint at opposition. The people of
Portland have not forgotten the last
Democratic administration in this city.
They have not forgotten the class of men
it brought to the front nor the many
scandals that it brought upon the city.
They have not forgotten the attempts it
| made to perpetuate itself in office, hrst
by gerrymandering the city and second
by corruptly miscounting the votes In
one of the wards. It saw at that time the
respectable wing of the party borne down
by the disreputable elements and COM
pletly cowed into silence, right in the
presence of the most glaring corruption
lesson is to be ignored, and that the
| respectable people of Portland are so soon
| ready to entrust the city's interests to
party which proved itself 80 utterly I'M
mindful of honesty aud decency? Four
years have not changed the Democratic
party. Its controlling elements are the
same today as they were then. In an
Democratic administration, those ele-
ments will quickly come to the front and
stay their. Alter election if the Demo-
Gratis are successful Mi talk of business
administration will disappear, and the
''boys'' will appear and demand their re-
| wards, and what Is more they will get
them. The real question to be decided
today is not a personal one. Mr.. Randall
and MIR. Winslow stand for two parties,
one of them progressive and shown by OK
perience to be capable of giving US good
government; the other unprogressive and
reactionary, and shown by experience to
l - +ha oif mi alr