The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1909-03-11
An Appeal to Reason.

Two weeks from tomorrow the
mary election to name candidates for
city and ward officers and the three
parties represented in the city have
now fled with the city clerk their full
list of nominations for these Offices.
The neighborly scramble for votes is
now on in earnest and during the next
two weeks the man who is not a can
didate will be besieged by the friends
of the candidates for his vote. There
may or may not be objections to the
primary principle. 1t may be that
Democrats will aid in selecting Repub
lican candidates and that Republicans
will go into the primaries in wards
known as democratic wards' and
aid in the selection of Democratic can
didates. This is one of the things
made legal by the primary law. There
is no fight against the law at this time,
but this is the time for the voters
of the city, and especially those who
pay taxes into the city treasury, to
look over the list of possible candi-
dates for office and aid in boosting
the best and eliminating the worst
from the lists. 1t is a, reasonable
thing to believe that the man who
owns property is distinctly interested
in the welfare and advancement Of
the city and this can only be secured
through the putting Of the best posi-
BILE men in office. The selection next
month, like all other city elections,
will be a partisan struggle. Some
wards will go Democratic and some
Republican and right now, before a
man is placed in nomination, the man
who is interested in the city will pick
out the men fit for Office. If they are
Democrats talk among the Democrats
in favor of their nomination even
though you go to the primary and vote
the Republican ticket. It is not neces-
gary to violate the unwritten prin-
ciples Of the primary law to seek to
get the best possible nominations on
both tickets and make it possible to
eliminate the dangerous candidates re-
CARELESS of politics at the primary.
The great demand in city politics is
for men and not politicians. The
politics Of a man on the Common Coun-
Gil makes little difference when he is
found supporting those movements
which best advance the interests Of the
city and at the same time safeguard
the people s money against extrava-
gance and misuse. When the primary
is over, if this plan is followed it will
be matter of small moment how the
election goes. Of course some men
who have come out as candidates for
Office are entirely untitled for the posi-
tions they seek. Dispose of these
men in the primary and do not take
the chance of having them slip into
Office through the negligence of the
voters at the election. If you can It
dispose Of all of them in the primary
you can see to it that the rest of them
are disposed of on election day. In the
next two weeks give these men seek
ing office that reasonable considera-
ton that you would give to
change in the management Of your
own business and with this considera-
ton you can go to the primary and
vote for nominee with the knowledge
that you are doing the best possible
thing for the city. Selfish interests
enter entirely too much into the MAX
ing of candidates for municipal Offices.
Put it on a business basis and,
laying aside the claims Of friendship,
go to the primary and vote for the
man rather than the friend or the
partisan.