The Nome nugget., 1902-02-26
THE NEXT MUNICIPAL ElECTlON.

It is to be hoped that the voters of Nome, at the forthcoming municipal election. will exercise due care and discretion in the selection of members of the council and school board The NUGGET has no axe 10 grind avors to ask but it will insist that capable and honest men be elected. In communities of Uni, kind there is always tendency eXh blted to ''tt things drift; ;' and any man if he be what is known az good fellow" but without any special ii ness fill public office is almost 10 receive sub-tan.
 ia vote that will! probably elect him. This is wrong If a man have no other qualification for public office than that of being free and easy" it is the duty of the people to turn him down.
 Nome has had a corporate existence of nearly year. The government which the people, by their votes provided for it may be set down as having given fair satisfaction. It mg ght have been improved upon but when the conditions which the first city council had to meet and contend with are considered we feel like withholding criticism. The successor of the present council will have the experiences sue cesses and failures of its predecessor to guide it. Valuable lessons taught therein, and mistake.
 that were made by the present council will hardly be repeated by the one to come.
 The NUGGET has stated repeatedly that Nome has been governed too elaborate plan the coat made
 for it by unsklled municipal tailors wa too large for it. In other words, the system adopted was altogether too expensive Its pad official roster would have been sufficient for .own of four times the popula ton of Nome Notwithstanding this however we inclined to the belief that the trial of municipal government has not been a failure Had we not had incorporated town it is hard to tell what the con- ditions would have been today.
 Care in the selection of the timber for the council and school board is urged by the NUGGET bccauS, Nome will be permanent camp for years to come. nfu orI I administration of it's affairs becomes of vital import ance It is the part of wisdom 10 build wisely: it is the duty of the people to take of the structure so builded.
 The next city council and school boa ard should be so constituted that harmonious action at all timc will De had. The crass ohstnacv and indifference to public sentiment that has been shown during the past year, on the part of both council and school board, should not be permitted again apppar When an individual is elected to office it IS not sole, for the purpose of giving him opportunity to de- veop latent peculiar propensites and act in drf- ance of all public opinion He IS the servant, and not the master. And this lesson shonld be well learned. Alaskans are critical. Their surrounding, and isolation tend to make them so but We have noticed that the honest and upright public official does not meet with condemnation It is the cL.ai, incompetent, the grafter and the inefficient ina, arouses the spirit of denunciation And SO he shorld
 There is another phase of the local munic.ral situation that merits attention. It is the belief tha, seems to prevail that each and every interest so4cial or general. should be represented at the council board. This is mistake There s in our op, ion but one interest to be subserved and that is that of the whole people. When it is attempted to make Especial interest" machine of any public body dis. aster is the result.
 Nome needs in the council and on the school board honest and competent men, who will do their whole duty simply by doing that winch will bring the greatest good to the greatest number Economy IS needed in the administration of muniri,al affairs not an economy born of parsimonousuess. but the spirit of thrift and efficiency that makes a private business success.