The Nome nugget. (Nome, Alaska) 1901-1904, 1904-03-26
Of the Good Government
Club.
Music, Red Fire and Able Speech
eS Marked the Eyent.-LaSt
Rally Next Thursday.

The municipal campaign was formal
ly opened Thursday night by an enthu-
siastic rally of the Good Government
Club at Golden Gate hall. which was
packed, probably 800 citizens being
present. The speeches were good and
to the point, and were couched in con-
sentative but plain language and were
received with marked attention and
were frequently punctuated by APP
plause. Nice-President G. +. Kelly of
the club presided, and the speakers of
the evening were James w. Bell, who
made the principal address. +. f. F'lem-
ing, w. A. Gilmore. candidate for mu-
nicipal magistrate. G.. p. Goggin, can
didate for councilman, J. +. Hines and
H. A. Ingalls,.
The next and final rally of the club
will be held on Thursday evening next,
March 81, at Golden Gate hall, and it is
expected that this will be one of the
most interesting political meetings ever
held in Nome.
Mr.. Bell began his address Thursday
night by stating that at a democratic
convention held in that hall last fall,
Mr.. George Murphy had suggested the
drawing of party lines in municipal af-
fairs so as to ensure good government
for the town: by drawing party lines,
he argued, the party could be held re-
sponsible for the acts of its members
elected to Office.
The plan, said Mr.. Bell had not been
found feasible, but out of the suggestion
had grown the Good Government Club.
with membership of nearly 800, which
had been solely organized for the better
ment of conditions in the municipality.
1t had been particularly specified that
no man should be pledged to anything
except to secure good government for
Nome. 1t was decided that the only
way to secure good government was to
elect men VINO would apply the same
business principles to the city's affairs
that they apply to their own. That
kind of men would have more interest
in municipal affairs than men who did
not have dollar at stake.
Mr.. Bell paid tribute to the disin-
terested men who had been nominated
as candidates on the Good Government
ticket. They were not pledged to sup
port any man for chief of police or any
other office. The city needed men who
knew how to handle money and who
are able to expend it to the best ad-
vantage. He believed the voters of
Nome were more interested in secur- |
ing good government than in the ques- |
tlon as to who should be chief of police. |
The city, said Mr.. Bell, is over S25.-
600 in debt; last year the Indebtedness |
was over S33, 900; the year previous the |
Indebtedness was 1874 900. The present
city council had received over $50. 600
and had spent S54, O0O and had reduced
the indebtedness only by about 50, 900.
but when the books were balanced at
the expiration of their terms the re-
duction would be found to be not more
than $1,000. Mr.. Bell quoted figures
and showed that after allowing 5000
Tor maintaining the fire department
$1,000 should cover all expenses of
conducting city affairs for year. Yet
the present council went into office to
do this and that, and God only knows
what. Now they boast that when
they go out OF Office there will not be a
cent for their successors to spend"
The Good Government Club were maxi
ing an attempt now to apply few bust
ness principles to the management of
city affairs. Its up to the people"
said the speaker. ''to elect such men.
and if you don't do it, imagine you will
be ashamed to raise your voices in
criticism hereafter" Reference was
also made to pending applications for
individual patents for the greater part
of the townsite, and these, ne said,
would be secured if concentrated efforts
on the part of the people We're not
made. If private patents are secured"
he said, your lots on which your
buildings stand will have to be paid
for again, and you will not fix the
price"
f. E. Fleming followed in forcible
speech, in which he emphasized the
fact that the offices were not sought by
the men composing the Good Govern
ment ticket, and he also referred face
tiously to soulless corporations, includ-
ing railways, which it had been alleged
were endeavoring to secure franchises
on every street in the town. besides
gObbling up the water frOnt-wlth the
aid of federal officials. The Good Gov
ernment Club, he said, was out for
good government, and for nothing else,