Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-04-02
MEMBER OF ASSOCIATED PRESS
THE VOTER SHOULD BE DlScRlM-
MATING.

In conducting the city as well as
the county and state campaign it
will be well for the good. sober
Judgment of the citizen to assert
itself and not allow too much lingo
to hoodoo us. Through dissentions
in the republican ranks and the de-
termination of certain men to either
rule or ruin, Bismarck now has a
democratic mayor and subordinate
appointees of the same faith, and
the state has a democratic execu-
tive through whose power and priv
eiege the various state boards and
appointive officers have been turned
over to democracy.
Now all this is very well for the
unterrifed and in the case of the
mayoraIity of Bismarck last year
when it was a fight for law-obser-
vance and decency against the con-
tinuation of Pattersonism-the
abandonment of party lines was to
! be expected and justifiable in meas
ure by the conditions existing. But
there must be sanity in all matters of
reform, and for republicans to play
completely into the hands Of the
democrats is to exhibit weakness
and lack of sagacity on their part
hardly justified by their record.
1t is possible that the republicans
of Bismarck are SO demoralized
that they cannot get together on any
proposition, put let us hope have not
lost all their cunning. If a city cam
paign and the city administration is
to be non-partisan it is hoped there
may be found few republicans who
have the nerve to insist on at least
fair dizzy. 1t is hoped that our
leaders, who, simply because they
stand for good government and are
opposed to the old order of things,
will not be blind to the fact that
the democrats will, especially in
this national campaign year, take
advantage of every opportunity to
boost themselves and strengthen the
democratic party.
The cit1zen-the republican voter
who scans the list of candidates
for aldermen carefully will find &
most liberal sprinkling of democrats
It appears entirely unnecessary tt
have conceded so much, but is il
probabIe-it usually is the rule
that the best type of republican cit
izenship refrains from entering int
the scramble for unremunerativt
and thankIess positions. This ma.
have been the cause of the seeming
1y one-sided proposition endorsed
by the 'tcitizen's committee" as ap
pears in the advertising columns o
this paper. But there are som
candidates in this campaign, no
mentioned in this manifesto who ar
Just as good citizens and who woul
doubtless be just as competent, hon
est and progressive, as any mention
GU SnGIclu
For instance, Mr.. Peterson, tn
present alderman from the thir
ward, has an announcement in thi
issue wherein he emphatically d.
clares himself free and independer
of any influences except those fo
the best interest of the city, an
Mr.. Peterson is republican. If M
Peterson, a republican, is just a
free from corrupt and vicious col
troll as the young democrat who
running against him, it will be har
for good republicans to explain VIII
they should favor the democrat, an
SO it will appear in other wards, pa
ticnlarIy the second, where a GOO
republican and good citizen, is
candidate against a democrat.
All things being equal, and wit
out surrenderfng any ground game
and controlled by the better eIemen
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