The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1904-03-25
Time to Electioneer?

Electioneering time is now here, but
who is going to do the electioneering
In times past all of this work has been
left to the various candidates and their
supporters and friends. They seemed
to be the only persons who had an in
terest to be served. Isn't it barely pos
sible that you, if you are a taxpayer,
have some interests in the matter your
self which are not fully taken care of?
Wouldn't it be pretty good idea if you
took few hours between now and the
4th of April to do little electioneering
yourself, in the interest of your own
pocketbook?
Here is the proposition in nutshell.
Taxes are somewhat uncomfortable
high for the most of us.
There are good many more, as was
pointed out in last weeks issue of this
paper, who took enough interest in pre-
venting any further rise to get out and
vote against refunding the money spent
by some fifty-three Owosso citizens to
get the sugar factory here. Now is a
good time to carry that same precau-
tionary spirit a little further There
were some expenses last year which
might have been kept down with per-
feet safety to lower level. The legit-
innate and needful expenses are quite
high enough and will be quite high
enough during the coming year. It's a
hard matter for the best intentioned
alderman to always be sure that the
city is getting the best and the most for
its money. ITS hard sometimes, to see
the difference between the kind of an
expense which for every dollar spent
viii save the citya ten dollar bill and
the other kind which is merely throw
ing the dollar away. You cannot al
ways tell the difference, neither can an
alderman, and especially must this be
true Of an alderman who does not care
very seriously whether the city's ex-
penses are kept down or not This is
where the opportunity to electioneer
little comes in,
1t is safe to say that if there should
be candidate for the Office of alder
man, Or supervisor, who cares nothing
at all; about the expenses which he
makessf for the taxpayers, there is at
least not single candidate who has not
some pride about him, not one who does
not wish to be elected. Perhaps among
those whose names will appear before
you on the different tickets on election
day you know of one or more who are
careless in their statements of what
they think should be done in the matter
of keeping down the city's expenses
Do you think that if few of his con-
stituents, whether democratic or repub-
lican, went to him and asked him to
plainly and unequivocably pledge him
self to policy of not niggardly, but
decent, self-respecting economy, that at
this stage of the game he would be
likely to make very disrespectful re-
ply? In other words don't you think
that it would be good time now to
know where every candidate stands in
the matter Of an economical city admin
istration for the coming year, Wouldn't
it be a good time to do some very
effective electioneering right nowg
Wouldn't it be good time now, when
primary reform, the referendum, and
other patent remedies guaranteed to
bring the people cure from all political
diseases are being so widely advertised,
TO call for one more reform, that of |
bringing the right of electioneering a
little more nearly home to the people.
and to see that the candidates who have
been placed in nomination are thorough
ly instructed in and pledged to the
policy of an economical administration
for Owosso during the coming year,
One word, with the assurance that it
will be backed up on election day will
do more toward educating a man now
while hegis still facing election day