The Portland daily press., 1898-03-07
ronAY,S ELECTION.

The voters today are asked to de-
ternine by their ballots who shall Ill
the Mayors chair for the year to come
and who shall compose the city coun'
Gil. In order to settle these questions
intelligently and wisely it is neces-
/ sary for the voter to be informed as tc
the character and capacities of the differ
ent candidates and also as to the char
acter OF the influences. which will be
likely to guide them if elected. Both
quest ions are important. 1t is important
to nave men of good character and good
capacity in office and it is important
I that the influences behind them should
be good also. We have already fully dis
cussed the characteristics of the principal
candidates and it is unnecessary to re-
peat what has been said at this time.
Suffice it to say on this point that the
voders have already once pronounced
Judgment upon the Democratic candi.
date after his trial in the Mayors chair,
when the facts were fresh in their minds,
and that that Judgment was unfavor.
able. His administration did not meet
the wishes OF the majority of the people
OF Portland then, and there is no rea-
son to believe that if tried again he
will be more satisfactory than he was
before.
We wish to speak particularly at this
time of the CT aracter Of the support of the
two candidat g, as that tends to show the
character of the influences that would
| be behind them if elected. Speaking
in q general way Mr.. Randall is supported
by the. Republican party, and Mr.. Ingra-
ham by the Democratic party. 1t is not
our intention to claim that all the virtue
or capacity for administration are tc
be found in the Republican party; but
we do claim that taken as whole the
| Republican party Of this town is superior
in point OF capacity for administering
city affairs to the Democratic. Its
average is higher Bat il this case
the comparison is to be made not
between the Republican and Demo
cratic parties as whole, but the Repub.
lican party ane the worst element OF the
Democratic party: for this element prac'
ticaIly selected Mr.. Ingranam as candl'
date and to it he will owe in very large
measure his success, if successful be
should be. 1t is this element he would
be under special obligation to, and it is
this element that would dictate his selec,
tions for office and control his municipal
policy. Therefore one question to be
decided by the voters today is whether
they will commit the administration Of
the city affairs to the Republican party OF
to the worst element of the Democratic
party. What an administration controlled
by that element will bring forth we neeo
| not guess, because we know what 1t die
bring forth when Mr.. Ingraham was
Mayor before. To large extent that ele
nent then controlled him, and the out
| c,me was q succession of scandals wind
ing I'D with corrupt attempt to keeE
possession of the municipal government by
ballot box stuffiing and false counting.
If the people of Portland want dupli
cate of the administration of 1922 in al
probability it can get it by placing the
| the control of municipal affairs in the
hands of the Hon. Darius II. lngrahan
and the men who are his war1nest polltl
cal supporters and friends.