The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-04-07
WORK OF LEAGUE
SHOWS PROGRESS
CHICAGO ELECTION ANALYZED
BY SECRETARY S. r.. JONES.
What Chicago Voters Have Accom-
plished Thru Organization Encour-
ages the Minneapolis Voters League
to Keep Busy-Efficiency as Well
as Honesty Required in Candidates.

to Keep Busy-Eniciency as Well
as Honesty Required in Candidates.
s. P. Jones, secretary Of the Voters
league, who spent several days in
Chicago last week. investigating poll
tlcal conditions, finds in the results
of the Chicago elections much encour-
agement for the Voters league Of Chi
cago, and, inferentially, much encour-
agement for the Minneapolis league.
He said to-day:
''The result in Chicago is clearly
another victory for the Independent
voter. Party bossism received hard
JOLT. There We're no issues before the
voters of Chicago this year other than
the election of aldermen and the
questions involved in the proposals
that the city own and operate the
street railway properties, which left
the people free to face squarely their
respective aldermanic situations.
An Intelligent Vote.
II should say that the voters Of
Chicago in most cases did their full
duty. OF the thirty-five aldermen
elected, stwenty-seven We're Endorsed
by the Municipal Voters league, and
council against the advice and best
efforts Of the league managed to
scrape thru by the narrowest kind of
margins. Recounts may change. the
results in some cases. Four Of the
| old gray wolf crowd We're reelected
and one defeated. The notorious
'Bathhouse' John Coughlin of the first
ward was among the winners. The
league has given up trying to dis
| hxy
and this year the prohibitionists took
UP the task. By heroic efforts they
managed to save about one vote out
| Of ten from the burning. 'Bathhouse
is in a hopeless minority, however, and
can do little to embarrass honest
council government.
An Honest Majority. &.
"The Chicago city council is re-
garded as -eminently safe for an
other year. OF the seventy member:
of the new council, the local expert!
class fifty-six as honest men.
i "a conspicuous result was the severe
rebuke administered party bossism IL
the sixth ward. This is one of thu
big silk-stocking bailiwicks of Chi
cago, including Hyde park and othe
aristocratic sections. of the Soutl
Side. There were some devious do
ings' at the republican caucus AM
convention in that ward. Doc Jamie
son, naval officer of the. port of Chi
cago, and the local party boss, ap
pears to have mixed in there in al
unwarrantable manner, with the result
! that the candidate agreed upon II
the. caucuses was defeated in the con
vention by a prime favorite of tn
machine. Led by the redoubtabl
William Kent, the original Chicag
council reformer, Jenkins Lloyd Jones
preacher lecturer and litterateur, an
other big men of the ward, the indie
pendent voters rose up in their wrath
put UP a candidate Of their own mad
cyclorlic campaign and Wou out b
. majority Of more than 1900 in 9
: ward that ordinarily gives a erepub
! lican maj ofan3Whsfs frenis3 ,O0
to 5000. lit. was al fierce rebuke t
irregular machine methods in war
affairs, and the Voters league take
much pride in the result. vs.4a
League Plan Is Effective.
,"After two periods of careful inves
tigation of the work and methods {
, the Municipal Voters league of CHI
cago, I am not at all surprised at tn
changed complexion of council al
fairs in that city in the past few year
The league is certainly tremendous
effective influence for municipal be
. torment. Probably no party machtt
' anywhere can boast of a more prat
teal and effective organization tina
y this, Of keener intellects behind it, {
, of greater results in. the way Of VII
r tories. 1t was my privilege to sit i
r with the executive committee Of tt
: league for three days last week, II
!. closing days of the campaign. Aft
noting it's careful and businesslil
;. methods, the splendid makeup of tt
: men at the helm and their thoro' d
votion to civic ideals and duty, I CO
IS no longer wonder at the results. II
: prevailing impression among the Oh
y cago voters Of the honesty, impartia
y ity and accuracy Of the leagues met
e DDS is certainly amply justified, ar
g it would be only natural to .expe
= such general acceptance OF their col
II illusions as to the merits Of the r
= spective candidates before the Peep
IT each year.
y ''The leagues final report was pu
l. lished three days before the electit
lie of last Tuesday. was with the cor
t. mittee during the preparation Of tn
lr report and the closing up Of the fin
Or business Of the campaign. 1t was
to notable lesson in painstaking metho
and fair dealing as between can6
al dates.
~ ~ Mere Honesty Not Enough.
l. "A feature Of this report is the u
l. usual emphasis put upon the quail
he of efficiency in aldermanic candidate
le After eight years Of hard poundi
IS, the league has educated the Chica
IN public to the necessity of person
honesty in members Of the city cou
lg ell. It is now prepared to ms
n strenuously upon the commemorate
Id compartments of efficiency, abil1
c. and energy.
or 'The report deplores the prese
us method Of making partisan nonlin
ne tons for alderman at party conve
al TONS It declares that Sthe tenden
it of this system is to prefer mediocr
at to excellence, and to limit the cho1
of the voter on election day to m
ne of inferior qualifications. The de
n gate system should be abolished,
ne report declares. If the primaries 9
oy to be retained at all they should
ne direct primaries. A still better pl
for strictly local elections, in the Ia
guage of the leagues report, is
/ Yfrror Vsics oil