Evening journal., 1904-05-16
AioxpAY. NAV IS, 1904.
SELECTING CANDIDATES.


paign is on. 1t win be full OF interest
this year because in addition to Sc
lecting a President and a vice-Presi-
dent We shall be called on to all every
State ONCE and to elect most OF our
county officers
The national election is likely to
overshadow the State election and to
decide who shall govern us here at
home; but this should not necessarily
be true. Good government, It is becom-
ing more and more apparent. rests
upon the theory that local elections
must be governed as little as possible
by national politics. For when unques-
tloning partisanship takes hold Of a
community. leaders come to count on
it. and It is then that we have our
worst local government
A man may be impelled TO support
the national party because he believes
IN its principles, though he may not
have a high regard for the candidates,
but good government locally is entirely
a question OF men. II the proper ad-
ministration OF our affairs is the only
thought in the mind OF the voter he
will not see the necessity for support
ing a man OF questionable character
and ability for an office, Just because
he happens to belong to his party. For
instance. a man is elected to Council
and helps to deplete the treasury with
out giving the people any adequate re-
turn; we do not seek for the motive
in his ideas on the tariff or his theo-
ries as to our government Of the Phil
ippines.
We may be pardoned, then, for re-
marking that the most important fea-
ture OF the coming election viii be the
selection OF our State and county ofn-
GERS. And under our system OF man
hood franchise a grave responsibility
is placed upon the man Of intelligence
and character. We know that the man
who has a grain Of independence in his
nature is likely to find himself the OBJ
ject Of the sneers Of the professional
politician. But it is the politician who
has made his burdens greater. For II
there are thousands of men who vote
without thought. vote without uues-
tioning the fitness OF candidates or the
principles they espouse, there must be
other thousands who win neutralize
the effect by giving their best thought
to the subject
We believe that the salvation OF our
country is coming to depend more and
more on the voter who is sentimentaIly
attached to a party and who viii sup
port it when it nominates clean men
and lays down rational principles, but
who VIII not hesitate to rebuke it by
voice and vote when it departs from
these standards.
We hope. then. that in the next cam
paisn we shall hear less OF deals and
dickers. less Of rules and states, and
more Of the fitness OF candidates, and
it is not enough 10 say that a man
won't steal, that he can read and
write and add a column OF figures. In
every instance we should seek the man
best fitted for the office. and we should
demand better credentials than the
party tag.
We have dragged the Levy Court
out Of the mire by deposing one mem.
Der and by authorizing the Governor tc
appoint two other members And hi
selection was one of the most credit
able things in his career. But now tha
the people are to be called upon agail
10 name a court. with the experienc
Of the past, are they going TO pro
claim their ineapaeity to make a goo
selection? II so. they will 90 dow
Into their pockets TO pay for thel
folly.
Candidates for every ofice are mul
tiplylng-for the Levy Court. for IN
Legislature and for county offices. Tn
best thing the honest and intelligen
citizens can do at this stage Of tn
campaign is to impress upon the lead
ere ot the fespective parties that onl