The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-03-05

know shat if he is elected they can con-
troll his administration again. No better
evidence is needed of the character of the
elements that surrounded him when
Mayor than is furnished by the. conspi-
racy which was cnncocted to make him
Mayor a second time by ballot box
stuffing and false counting. 1t is said
that he did not participate in this con-
spiraoy and therefore should not be held
responsible for it. We do not propose tc
hold him personally responsible. The
fact remains, however, that it's success
for the time being was only possible
through the cooperation of officers OF
his administration, and the evidence Is
conclusive that there was cooperation
on the part of some of those officers.
While he personally was not implicated
in the frauds, his administration was;
and for several days after they were COM
mitted it was patent to every body that
there had been either ballot box stufhng
or miscounting or both, he showed no
sign of unwillingness to become the
beneficiary of them. 1t may be said that
he Welded to the demands of his party to
stick, against his own Judgment and in
cIinations, and that may be the case. But
that only shows how completely he was
in the grip of the elements that surround
ed him, and how unwise 1T will be to
place him again in the Mayors chair sur
rounded by this same element which he
has heretofore shown himself powerless
to resist Nobody would think OF turn
ing over his private business to the man
agement of a man who had SO readily
surrendered to bad advisers as he did on
this occasion. No more should any body
think of turning over the public bust
ness to such a man. Personally Mr.. In
graham may be very agreeable, we'll
meaning gentleman, but he certainly
showed during his career in Office that
he was not of the stuff that mayors ought
to be made of.
The qualities Of firmness and power to
resist malign influence which Mr. Ingra-
ham lacks, and which are SO much need
ed in the Mayors Office, Mr.. Randall has
shown that he possesses in large meas
ure He has firm convictions and strength
and courage to stand by them. He has
shown this many times during the past
year. There have been occasions where
he might have ingratiated himself with
certain elements by moo or sur
rendering his convictions, but to his
credit be it said when the choice was be-
tween what he believed was right and
for the best interests of the city and what
might have menaced his popularity
with certain elements, he has unhesita-
tingly accepted the former. He is being
opposed today by an element among the
voters because he would not pander to
religious fanatioism by refusing to ap-
point to office man in every way quail
fed, because of his religion. Mr.. Ran
dall's record is the record of a man doing
his duty in the Mayors office as he saw
it, faultlessly and firmly. Mr.. Ingra-
hams is that Of man weakly yielding
to the behests of an element of his party
against his own Judgment and his own
convictions of what was right. In the
light of these records how can any intel
ligent citizen who desires good govern
ment hesitate moment whom to choose
for chief magistrate for the coming year.