The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1904-10-27
AGAINST BIENNIAL ELECTIONS.

The factional warfare over the gov
ernor now being waged in the republic
can party in Wisconsin and New York
may result in the defeat of Roosevelt
for President.
This shows the great mistake of at
tempting to carry on state and nation
al campaign at the same time, and is
one of the strongest reasons why the
biennial election proposition now be-
fore the voters of Iowa, should be de-
feated or turned down hard.
While the factional fight among the
republicans in these two states named
will be great assistance to the demo-
Gratis in the election of Judge Parker, it
at the same time emphasizes condition
which results from having all the i'm
portant elections at the same time, and
shows that the proposition is against
good citizenship.
The people of state should be per-
mitted to settle their state grievances
in and by themselves, and this can be
done in Iowa at the present time, but it
will be impossible if the biennial cleo
tion bill passes.
The biennial election bill is not a
question of politics but one of good
citizenship, and should be considered by
democrats and republicans alike. A
state administration may become cor
rupt and the honest members of the
dominant party may wish to administer
it a rebuke at the polls, but under the
proposed system fight cannot be made
on the state ticket without endangering
the national ticket. The result may be
slime up" for the state ticket and cor
ruption, or it may mean fight all along
the line which will carry the national
ticket down to defeat. 1t makes toe
close relationship between state and
national politics, and prevents the
voter from exercising that wisdom in
the selection of candidates which he
would otherwise have.
No one would advocate at the present
time, that the cost of the spring city
elections be saved by electing mayor
and alderman at the same time that the
president and governor are selected
The people vote very independently at
city elections and they should be encour.
aged to vote independently instead of
! placing ballot before them as long as
the moral law, and which it will take
them several hours to understand and
other minutes to vote correctly.
The time and expense of annual cleo.
lions is we'll spent. 1t is the one time
when candidate is called to account
for his stewardship of his Office, and the
closer you keep the eye of the voters OF
the candidates the better government
will the people receive.
The Advertiser believes it was mis-
take to change the spring city elections
to biennial instead of annual elections
The old plan of electing a portion of TIN
aldermen each year was better than TIN
present plan whereby an entirely ney
council and mayor and complete list O
city officials come in together.
The voters of Iowa regardless of poll
tics, should vote No on the biennia
. election proposition.
The Advertiser does not consider thi
in any way political question. Dem
ocrats and republicans are divided O
it. In this county the Republica
Herald is supporting the measure Will
the Republican Secretary of the Treas
ury, Hon. L. M. Shaw, has come into tn
State and made two speeches against i
: The whole question rests on the propc
r sition that politics can be kept cleane
by frequently calling the Office holder
to an accounting rather than by infre
quent elections when the attention {
4 the voter is distracted by natfons
+ issues. Clinton Advertiser, Oct. s, 100