El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-11-25

were current IN political circles through
out Raymond. The Crawford system of
balloting for nominations was not In
use in the state, and the primary was
/ called for public meeting at the court
| house.
| The citizens of Raymond will never
! forget that meeting. It was so unlike
any political meeting ever held in Ray
mond before that there was no attempt
! at comparison. The special officers to
be nominated were mayor, city council,
chief of police. city clerk and city
| treasurer.
The Evening News in its Saturday
edition gave full account of the pri
maries, and in an editorial column Ed
ward Norman spoke with a directness
and conviction that the Christian peo-
pie of Raymond were learning to re-
spect deeply because so evidently sincere
and unselfish. A part of that editorial
is also part of this history:
eft is safe to say that never before in
the history of Raymond was there a
primary like the one in the courthouse
last night 1t was, first of all, a COM
plete surprise to the city politicians.
who have been in the habit of carrying
on the affairs of the city as if they
IMPLY tool or a cipher. The over
whelming surprise of the wire puller
last night consisted in the fact that a
large number of the citizens Of Ray
mond who have heretofore taken no
part in the city's affairs entered the pri-
mary and controlled it, nominating
some of the best men for all the offices
to be filled at the coming election.
eft 1oScor, II, erco1
citizenship. President Marsh of Lincoln
college, who never before entered a city
primary and whose face even was not
known to many of the ward politicians,
made one of the best speeches ever
heard in Raymond 1t was almost III
dicrous to see the faces of the men
who for years have done as they pleased
when President Marsh rose to speak
Many of them asked. Who is hep TIL
CONSERVATION deepened as the primary
proceeded and it became evident tina
the old time ring of city rulers, was on
numbered. Henry Maxwell, pastor @.
the First church Milton Wright. Alex
ander Powers, Professors Brown. VIZ
lard and Park of Lincoln college. Rev
John West, Dr.. George Maine Of IL
Pilgrim church, Dean Ward of the T1Glv
Trinity and scores of we'll known bus
ness and professional men, most of them
church members, were present. and il |
did not take long to see that they had |
all come with the direct and definite
purpose of nominating the best n,cr
possible Most of these men had neveI |
been seen in a primary They weTr
complete strangers to the politicians |
but they had evidently profted by the
politicians methods and We're able bv
and united effort to nominate
the entire ticket.
LAS soon as it became plain that the
primary was out Of their control the
regular ring withdrew in disgust end
nominated another ticket. The News
simply calls the attention of all decent
citizens to the fact that this last. ticket
contains the names of whisky men. and
the line is distinctly and sharply drawn
between the machine and corrupt city
government. such as we have known
for years, and a clean. honestJ capable
businesslike city administration. such
as every good citizen ought to want
It Is not necessary TO remind the people
IF Raymond that the question of local
option comes up at the election That
will be the most important question
IN the ticket The crisis of our CITY
lffairs has been reached. The issue
s squarely before US Shall we con
inue the rule of rum and Doodle and
hameless incompetsncy. or shall we
Us President Marsh said in his noble
peech. rise as good citizens and be
lin new order of things. cleansin.
'ur city of the worst enemy known to
honesty and doing what lies
n our power to do with the ballot-to ,
'urify our civic life2
The News is positively and without
eservation on the side of the new
movement We shall henceforth do all {
n our power to drive out the saloon {
nd destroy its political strength. We
hall advocate the election of men nom 1
mated by the majority of citizens met
n the first primary. and we call upon i
Ii Christians. church members and low t
rs of right. purity, temperance and c
ONE to stand by President Marsh and 8
ne rest of the citizens who have thus
egun long needed reform in our i
ity' b
President Marsh read this editorial 2
nd thanked God for Edward Norman. b
t the same time he understood well i
1ough that every other paper in Ray d
lond was on the other side. He did not t.
the Importance and seri- p
lsness of the fight which was only just
egun- 1t was no secret that The News j,
Id lost enormously since it had been a
overned by the standard of what %
ould Jesus dor The question now ii
as, Would the Christian people of q
aymond stand by it2'' Would they ST
axe it possible for Norman to conduct b.
daily Christian paper, or would their b
sire for what is called news in tt
e way of crime. scandal, political
of the regular sort and a W