The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-02-16
wrzL fHn rrorLn WAKE Urs

Montgomery are not in an ideal con6i- ton Tn fact. they are in . had con dition. If private drm's or corpor- ation's affairs were in relatively the same condition. there would be dam ger of a bankruptcy proceeding. The city is practically s1ss.ooo behind in running expenses. and the sum Is i'm creasing.
 This situation demands the soberest attention on the part of all taxpayers. If the city's finances are not straight ened out if its expenses are not han died in the most intelligent way. if it's income is not increased by every wise method. the development of the city Is going to suffer. There can not be continued improvement in schools. in streets. in all directions. unless the city's money affairs are handled with unusual capacity and patriotism.
 It appears that there are only two candidates for Mayor. Messrs. Gun ter and Tyson. Both of them are men of good character and of ex- perience in the city's affairs. Neither one has especially distinguished him- self in the City Council, but both Of them have the capacity to discharge the duties of the ofice of Mayor with efficiency under proper conditions. The Advertiser is not going to take sides in the contest between them.
 The Council is the body upon which most depends. A poor Council can overbalance the efforts of the best of Mayors. and, on the other hand. a strong Council can produce an eftect- i've, safe. progressive government de- spite poor Mayor. The main thing. therefore. at this juncture. is to secure strong Council.
 It cannot be disputed that in recent years our Councils have not contained a majority of strong men. Of course, there have been, and are. exceptions. But usually those have been elected who were the most active candidates. the most insistent in their requests for votes. Naturally the strong men who are successful in business and who are recognized as capable. have not gone out and begged the people for votes. They had something else to do. As result the Council floor has not always been distinguished for wisdom. breadth. decisiveness. One member was severe enough recently to charac- serize the proceedings as "a minstrel show" There is no doubt that the Councils deliberations are frequently amusing. The fact is that the body dsliberatss too much. It needs to act more. and more promptly and more foreefully.
 Tn the light of Montgomery's sore need just now for the most eficient government, should not the taxpayers put on their thinking caps? Why should they be forced to select for the Council only from those who are anxs ious to go there?s Why should the people decide that the most capable men are those who spend the most time begging for votes? In fact, # the peo- pie get down to real earnest, serious thought. would they not conclude that the men who have the most time to ask for votes are apt to be the leas, fitted for the duties of the oface?
 If the citizens would arouse them selves from lethargy. they could pick out the right sort of aldermanic tim bers in all the wards. and nominate them. whether they might be active candidates or not. Very few citizens would refuse to serve. if they were con- scripted by the people.
 Is 1t noea time for something of thIl sort to be done? Are Montgomery's pro- gress and development to be shachled by incapable or inenicient government Is it not going to take . body of the strongest. clearest headed, most pa- triotic citizens to straighten out our financial tangle and keep us on the highway to prosperity? UnquestiOn- ably. Nothing can be accomplished unless large number of earnest citizens are aroused on this subject. A few in one ward. a few dozen in the whole city are not enough. Unless there Is a gen. eraI consciousness of the need. and a marked determination to take things in hand, the smooth. polite. smiling candidate, begging for votes many hours a day and every day in the week will get there. will the people let the candidates beg themselves into ofice, or will the people wake up and push into ofice some big. strong, angular, forceful men, who haven't the time to play the agreeable? Shall we lay our selves liable to another arraignment for a minstrel show in the city build. ing. or shall We show ourselves capa. ble of self-government by creating a Council which will do the right things wisely and promptly7