The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1904-04-08
An Anomalous Condition .


Paw Paw elected democratic super
visor and justice of the peace Monday,
and barely escaped adding democratic
treasurer to the list.
And yet Paw Paw is republican
town.
On school commissioner to fill vacan-
CIV, Roy Tuttle republican, had ma
jority of ~ over M. II. Pugsley demo
craft. Both are estmable gentlemen.
Neither made any effort to secure votes,
and there was practically no splitting
on this place. so it Is the fairest one to
use in figuring on the party majority,
although it was a little under the real
republican strength, as the vote was less
than on the head of the ticket. While
the vote cast was large one for aspiring
election, it was IS to 100 short of full
vote, and on a straight party lineup and
a full vote the republicans have I'D ma
jorty In Paw Paw township, and the re-
turns in the fall election will surely
show it.
Such being the case, why is it that we
elect democrat supervisor year after
year?
The anomaly is explainable In only
one of two ways: Either the democrats
are better politicians than are we, or
else the democrats are truer to their
party in local elections than are the re-
publicans- we are of the opinion
that the latter is the case. Paw Paw
republicans permit themselves to be led
sstray on their votes for all local offices
that have dollar in money or particle
OF political prestige in them, and show
their party fealty by voting for their
own candidates for minor positions only,
electing them by big majorities, as was
evidenced on the constabes and school
inspectors Monday, while the democrats
walk off with some of the paying plums.
What is to be thought of man who,
by voting in the circle under the Tepub
lican head, shows his party allegiance,
and then casts his ballot for democrats
for supervisor clerk, treasurer and JUS
tice, while his own ticket receives his
suffrage on member of the board of re-
view, constables and school inspectors?
And yet such is not an extreme case,
and such ballots were not scarce in Paw
Paw, Monday. Ballots crossed under the
democratic heading and similarly mutt
l. L. l..
saused by inferiority of republican nom
inees, it would not be alarming; but it
was not. We have no fight for instance,
with Mr.. Shepard, the successful demo
cratic candidate for supervisor. He is
an estimable and capable gentleman and
one of the writer's best friends, and will
doubtless make good supervisor. But
Mr.. Thomas, the republican nominee, is
also all this, aod the full equal of the
other man in every way. And so we
night 60 on down through the tickets.
Both tickets were made up of good men,
we'll qualified for the duties of the offices
to which they were nominated, and it
them on the ground of personal fitness.
Such being the case, political considera
tions alone should rule The gentlemen
on both tickets had a right to expect the
full vote of their parties. They were en-
titled to it, and by their party's strength
they should have been forced to stand
or fall. Measured by such a standard,
all the republican nominees should have
been elected.
The merciless cutting on the lest and
most important offices by republican
voters, and that against the cleanest and
most capable men in the party, is dis
couraging to the party workers and de-
moralizing to the party organization.
Ii the present republican majority is to
be sustained IN this township and the
party enthusiasm kept on fire, the repub-
licans of Paw Paw must get together,
cease cutting their tickets at the request
of every willy democratic worker, and de-
termine as one man to reap the Just re-
ward of big majority by filling the pay
ing offices with republicans, unless by
some unfortunate chance a manifestly
unfit man be nominated, which is not a
frequent occurrence in this township.
IL this is not done, it will soon be an
impossbility to get suitable republican
TO accept a nomination for supervisor in
Paw Paw, only to be beaten at the polls
by republican ballots, split at the very
head of the township ticket.
D., D., CoIoaI Noxo,