Barbour County index., 1901-10-30
THE REAL ISSUE.
EDITORS INDEX:

EDITORS INDEX:
Judging from what we read in the
| Cresset, Mr.. Iorton seems TO have the
wrong idea of The. issue in this cam.
paign. He gets after Mr.. Herr with the
charge that at some time in the past he
was in favor of the county printer law.
| and went SO far as 10 write Senator Ii.
tus regarding the matter. L believe at
| the time the Harper county act was be
ing considered. Now it seems to me
| that this. even If true. has nothing in
the world 10 do with the question now
at issue. The question for the voters 10
decide at the next election is not what
MIR. Herr or Mr.. Locton may have
thought. or may think now. but is sim
ply question as to whether we endorse
the present law or not. Mr.. Heirs Iri.
| vate opinlon has no more tG do with the
matter than does the private opinion of
some person residing in Oklahoma He
may have been and even now may be in
favo: of some kind of county printer
law, and has the privilege of believing
such law is good if he thinks so, but
| as he is now placed on a ticket that is
opposed to the law, and has accepted
the nomination on that ticket, his pri-
vate views have nothing to do with it in
the least. He is there as a representa-
tive of those opposing the law, and has
pledged himself. if elected, to use his in
fuence to have the law repealed, and
haye enough faith in his honor to be
! lleve he will live up to that pledge. In
fact have enough faith in the honor of
either of the candidates. To believe that
whatever either of them promises, they
viii try TO perform. Now when Mr..
! Lorton or any other person undertakes
to side track the main issue by bringing
III some matter entirely foreign to the
question. it looks little like they were
afraid to face the issue. l do not think
any side shows will lead the people off
from the question this fall, and l am
satisfied that most of them when they
cast their votes, will do so knowing that
1t doesn't make any difference what the
private views of the candidates are,
that their votes will either count for or
against the new printer law. Would it
not be better plan if those favoring
the law would devote some of their
time toward showing where, if any, it
benefits the tax payers? They are the
ones that are most directly and person
ally interested in the matter. and |
don't think they care one penny wbeth.
er MIR. Lorton or Mr.. Herr are in favor
OF free trade or a high tariff, whether
they ere III favor of the policy of the
present administration or against it.
Such questions might and probably
would be proper to discuss in nation a
campaign, but we are now up against
an entirely different proposition and
one that has no politics in it. 1t is sim
ply question of higher or lower taxes:
and what we want is for the parties
representing the two different tickets
to give us all the light possible on this
question, and we, the voters, will try
and do the rest. Then if it appears that
the new law is .to, the best interest of
the tax payers of Barber county, cer-
talnly think it would be our. duty. to
vote for the law.,9r ip other, words vote
for Mr.. Lorton, as, this would be a vote
for the law. 1t don't make bit of diff
ference whether you like M7. Lorton as
man or not, if you like the new law.
you should vote for him. Neither does
it matter what your personal feelings
are toward Mr.. Herr. If you are oppos.
ed TO the law, you cannot express that
opposition in any other effective way
but by voting for Mr.. Herr. 1t certain.
ly seems that this proposition is so clear
that Mr.. Lorton ought to be able to keep
within the bounds of the real question,
and discuss the question upon its mer-
its. Both of the parties, so far as we
know. are friends of OURS; both are, we
believe, honest; and either will do his
duty If elected, and neither will need to
employ an attorney to advise him as to
what his duty consists of. All of us
have no doubt voted for much worse
men in the past than either of them, so
that personally we would hardly know
which to choose. But in a matter of
this kind we can very readily take our
cholce as to which side of the issue we
are for, and by that means we can. ms
readily decide which ticket we will vote
AN INTERESTED TAXPAYER.