Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-10-11
SORT OF MAN NEEDED
FOR COUNTY TREASURER

The Milan Independent, which is in
politics what its name indicates, this
week has the following significant dis
cussion of the situation as to the
county treasurership:
! IF not-Why not ?-The application
of this question to the election of our
county treasurer is deemed not only
pertinent. but timely and opportune
under existing conditions. \ proper
consideration of the management of
county finances and an efficient faith
ful discharge of the business of the
Office demands something more than
Il merely perfunctory rendering of an
account of receipts and disburse
ments: it's duties and responsibilities
should he clearly and fully under
stood: the gravity and Importance
Of faithful and honest administra-
ton. conscientiously and under
Istandingly performed should be fully
realized and Il characteristic personal
trait of the incumbent; and not only
in the selection. of candidates but in
the final choice of the people at the
polls. the merits and qualifications
of the respective candidates should
have the voters honest and thought
full consideration unfettered by the
claims of partisan fealty and entire
ly free from the assumed authority of
party leadership. Whatever its po-
litical significance may be, it is worse
than Indifference to the public wei
fare to feel and believe that a nomi-
nation to an office is equivalent to an
election whatever the nominees fit
ness and qualifications may be, or
however less suitable and inferior he
may be in capacity TO a worthy COM
petitor, who. aside from his political
and better man.
The well known status of this pa
per as Il journal, independent in poll
ties, opens the way for suggestions
and the expression of broader and
more independent views, If not more
enlightened as to public policy in
local and county affairs, and more
liberal estimate of the voters rights
and privileges in the choice between
candidates, than is politically per-
missibIe to those who tactically as
sumo if they do. not openly assert
the political dogma that the poorest
specimen of candidate named by
their own party is always superior to
the best presented by the other side.
In an enlightened community of le-
gal voters such an opinion is never
true in fact, nor even approximately
true in any just and reasonable sense;
it simply enables the party leaders to
coerce and compel the weight of
numbers in their party to yield to
the dictation and political authority
of themselves regardless of personal
merit or fitness for office of those
who have forced themselves into the
line of safe succession.
ITO say nothing of national or state
administrations for whose offices the
people vote with little or no personal
knowledge of their special fitness for
the office and necessarily vote upon
the strength of their official record,
or from party prediction, within the
narrower and restricted limits of
Legislative, county and municipal af-
fairs, the rule may well be otherwise
In the case of county offices, for ex-
ample. the candidates are immedi-
ate fellow citizens; their antecedents.
political proclivities, and their gener.
al standing in the community in SOME
sort generally known; and the voter
has an opportunity and can make
choice of the one whom in his deliber-1
ate judgment is the better man for
the office. In some cases the expert
ences of the past times has brought
this principle notably into view The
duties of our circuit and county
judges are such that the political
views of the candidate are seldom
brought into question; who is best
qualified for the position is for the
most part the only issue made; the