The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1907-12-30

IS INACTIVE
In the Mater or Naming Tickets for
the Annual Election in that

BRIDGEPORT. W. Va. Dec. 30
with the annual municipal only
three days off. there has yet been
no action taken by our citizens to
nominate ticket to be voted upon I
January 2 This occurs to us to be
a significant fact; signifying state (
of apathy and supineness on the part I
of our voting population. which Is.
to say the least, impolltic and nom
progressive.
While we denounce the method 1
employed by many municipalities. I
that of making the municipal elect
ion contest between political par I
ties, we do maintain that there 4
should be sufficient civic pride to inn
pei the citizens OF an incorporated (
town to nominate, a reasonable time H
before the election. a ticket, or tick
cts, composed of their most progress
sive business men.
The chief end to be accomplished 1
by Incorporating a village is to pro-
mote internal improvements. and to
this end. create a community of pur-
pose and endeavor. If we fail to 4
create this community of purpose,
and thereby to promote internal i'm
provements. the object for which we
incorporated fails of realization and |
we should confess our failure by sur
rendering our charter.
Whether the corporation OF our |
town should declare its charter n |
dead letter, and its municipal ex-
istence a harmless joke, we shall nor
attempt TO say. Judging however.
from the lasitude manifested by It's
citizens on subjects which should VI
tally concern every voter, our staid 1
old town would not go amiss in de- 4
claring its urpose to cast aside the
municipal Earb and don The more
appropriate apparel of home-spun
jeans.
In fact. the present mayor of our
musty municipality has expressed
himself in favor of surrendering our
legal existence by a non use OF our
corporate rights. His contention Is
that after allowing our present char
ter to become extinct. we should
again incorporate and extend the
boundary lines. But we must not
forget that the question of reorgani-
zation and extension would necesari-
ly be submitted to the voters. and 1t
is doubtful as to whether the regula-
ton vote would not be in the ma
jority.
Another and stronger reason why
we should not attempt to extend our
boundary lines. is that we have made
a woeful failure in our attempt 10
Improve the 1877 acres already in
corporated. Call us a pessimist If
YOU wish, but come down and see the
mud hub deep in our main street.
see the delapfdated condition of our
sidewalks: behold the moss-covered. L
shingle-curved 2x4 shack called the
mayors office, and you will exclaim
the half has not been told.
These are the condfNons; what are
the means of lettering them? The
first ESSENTIAL step Is to elect a coun-
ell that has sufficient civic pride 10 Il
foster and encourage, by ample levy,
progressive public policy From
time almost immemorial it has been
the custom of our council to fix the
annual levy at sixteen and two-th thirds
cents on the 800 valuation. This
minimum assessment does not create
sufficient funds to enable the town to
inauurate and execute progressive
policy. Economy and judicious ex-
penditure OF the public fund should
of coures be the controlling slogan
of our village solons, but there is a
fundamenh difference between real
economy and wisely avarice. The
one looks to the careful investments
for value received. the other covents
without the faith to invest
We submit that our town officials
should be selected from the former
class and the issue in our approach
Ing election should be internal inn
provement made possible by a so
cent levy" !.