Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-02-06
Let it be Non, Partisan.

The following is taken from the Mer-
rill Advocate and what it says applies
to our city. The cry from the Wiscon-
sin valley cities is to drop politics from
their municipal affairs and pull to-.
gether. Let there be harmony and
strong pull all along the valley
From the Merrill Advocate.
The above headlines are not coined
by The Advocate, but by the Wausau
PILOT, and undoubtedly expresses the
feeling of the leading men of Wau-
sau, and we reproduce them here
only to show that the people of
the country are waking up to the
necessity of abandoning politics in
municipal affairs, and to call at
tention to this matter that no retorgrade
movement may be undertaken in this
city this spring. Wausau, like nearly
all American communities of its size,
has heretofore drawn party lines but
an effort is being made, and we believe
it will succeed, this spring to do what
Merrill inaugurated last spring, to do
away with partisan politics. The Waa-
sau PILOT last week published express
sious of opinions of some sixty of the
most influential business men of Wau-
sau, Democrats and Republicans, and
all expressed themselves as favorable
to the movement. Fifty
five other leading Wausau business and
professional men expressed themselves
in the same vein as these whose utter
ances have just been read. The people
of Wausau have come to see that party
politics should not enterin municipal af-
fairs The people of this city made an
suspicious beginning last spring and
we believe are all well pleased with the
result. For one The Advocate wants
to see no retrograde step taken but this
policy adhered to. This city has pros
pered under non bipartisan rule and will
continue to. As a result of the non
partisan election last spring an era of
good feeling has been established.
Mayor Thielman has given the city a
businesSlike administration and he has
certainly carried out his part of the nom
partisan principle. No Republican can
find any fault with any of his acts. The
method of selecting the ticket next
spring can be improved upon perhaps
Let mass convention be held and give
everybody, and every interest an OPP
portunity to be heard In passing we
give our idea of partisanship. When it
comes down to national and state poll
ties we believe everyone should line
himself or herself up on one side or an-
other When it comes down to nation
al questions the only possible way to
get coherent popular action is
through parties. and so. on national
questions every American citizen should
be partisan la our opinion the only
danger to republican institutions is
through lack of party zeal OF through
too many parties But this does not APP
ply 10 municipal affairs. Ii is an easy
matter To get the will of the people of
this city as TO whom they want 20 con-
duct the eity's affairs and what policy to
pursue We can all meeti in hall or on
vacant lot and give an expression to
our opinions The business of the city
is purely business proposition. Wheth-
or the men who are selected 10 admins
ter the affairs of the city are Democrats
or Republicans as long as they are ca
pable and representative men cuts no
figure whatever. Their influence up
on the tariff, currency. expansion, anti
expansion. or whatever question, or
questions that divide the American peo-
pie can have no bearing As said be.
fore the administration of city's affairs
is purely business proposition, and
party politics should not enter into it,
The Advocate sincerely hopes that the
non-partisan idea wiz prevail in this
in this city again this spring. Let there
be harmony all along the line. As said
upon another occasion let us all boom
Merrill.