The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-03-27
ONO VERSUS SPOKANE,

ONO VERSUS SPOKANE
Of all the various candidates for mayor this is the hard
est nut to crack edoraly. He takes himself seriously
ne has lots of friends who take him seriously and yet
prospective mayor, ONO sounds and seems like joke.
This conclusion is not based the fact that he is man
OF PLAN garb and features and extremely plain speech It'll
springs from an indefinite but positive impression that
ONO don fit the part and can't be made to fit it.
ONO is not ashamed of himself; he is what he is any
where find him. and he has the right to think he as
good man for mayor any other It's up to us to
decide whether he is not
AS minor city official ONO is rated as friend of
labor, especially that employed by the city This is the
cornerstone Of his campaign The Press believes can
claim consideration that ITSELF and it is
ready to take up the fight of the who works with
pick and shovel quicker than for any other because he
the one who gets the worst of it first and the best of it last
IF ne ever does get the best of it. But The Press
wouldn't undertake to elect administration of modern
city for him alone and would not be lettering his lot
bit it it should undertake and succeed in such enter
prise. And despite Omo's protestatons and expressed
beliefs The Press would not pick him the aborers best
friend If placed in the mayors chair.
To extend actual aid to any the leader must pos
cess both willingness and resources for action ONO lacks
the resources.
For the past several years at least he has made bust
ness OF politics. OF politics neither large luminous. He
has done favors where he could without srainng the
strings by which he held his job He not himself
responsible for the labor policy that preceded the present
administration but he has reaped all possible profit from
the bitterness that followed desertion of that policy
through the fact that the deserton nearly concdent
with his own dismissal from office Favorable crcum-
stances, greatly assisted by political peanut shelling
made him the martyr to labors He has prolonged
his martyrdom marvelousy and has gained weight at it.
He has worked increasingly the while create demand
Tor himself mayor The Press will give him credit for
originating In one another, all Of that demand
Naturally he has had little time for any other sort of pro-
1ounced eXertion.
His services city official are negative quantity
There monument of his worth impressed on the pub
lie mind-not, at least that you readily notice. In
fact but for his activity in his behalf he would
probably now be forgotten political possibility of
sort He lacks the stamp of the coin the public anxious
to keep in official circulation
His only asset Of negotiable political value the enmy
OF the Spokesman Review That asset is not easily dis
counted but In reality it signifies nothing than
smooth bore journalism.
The Press has accused ONO of dishonesty but he
was part and parcel of official ncompetency of his time
that is still matter extremely sensitive brefes men
ton He of the board of commissioners that to-
gether with the city council, prevented the w. W. P Co.
from paying anything toward the temporary restoration
of the bridge it knocked down on Howard street.
He of the officials that permitted this bridge to
be used until the passing OF reinforced by light
breeze hurled the rotten fabric into the river Under the
spur OF public indignation the company at first agreed
bear the comparatively slight expense it had been permit
who became known to fame about that time 'Whsper
ing Harry inhabited the city hail. Further details are
needless now and painful.
With the advent of administration ONO chung to
his office with the pitifu tenacity of the time server
Whether the motives for oustng him any better than
ms own motives for hanging is not matter Of import
ance now but the fact remains that ONO devoted great
deal OF time the city paid for pulling his political strings
and the administration guilty of the offense in
Its efforts to throw him out.
Such affairs also extremely sensitive to any but the
hriefest mention Spokane had everlasting sufficiency
then and there
The Press does not pretend to know upon whom ONO
depends for election to whom he will be under obiga
fons il elected An official of street contracting firm,
business agent of union and saloon keeper have
spoken to The Press in his favor These have political
convictions to be considered exactly any other man. but
IN the absence of other Endorsements their sentiments
hardly be accepted representative. They dom to
mix properly
ONO undoubtedly has substantial men in other lines who
believe ne the proper for the place. but they to
have axes to grind, largely.
The character Of service Spokane exacs of those
she hono and the responsibility Of meeting that demand
has nothing In common with the elements of Omos cam
paicu