The Mena weekly star., 1910-02-03
BEFORE ELECTION THOUGHTS

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 BEFORE ELECTION THOUGHTS
 Arkansas is now overrun with men, some good. some less good and some bad, who have but one end in view-to secure places of trust and honor at the hands of the voters. They want to be placed on the pay roll as servants of the people-your payroll.
 Of all these seekers for good jobs at your hands, there are few indeed who could even convince themselves that their purpose was to actually better your condition. You may well make up your minds that they are selfish-that it is first them selves whom they most wish to serve. They want office, if you will. because it will make life easier for them selves.
 But that is not a thing for which to blame them. They are just like everyone of us in that particular.
 They want good jobs. There is work to be done and we must have men to do it for us.
 But there is another side.
 When farmer hires a hand, a merchant clerk, a newspaper man printer. he uses all the intelligence at his command to get the best he can for the money he pays. That's business.
 Besides that, if after month or a year he finds he has gotten a poor employee, that his help does not do his work well, or uses schemes to profit by unfairly or sacrifices the interest of the man who hires him to benefit someone else, what happens?
 Why that's easy.
 The unsatisfactory employee is fired" forthwith and new one tired until a good one is secured.
 Thus you see the farmer and busi- ness man has the best of the voter. He can get rid of an unfaithful ser want when he pleases. The public cannot-that is not now. But it won't be long until that is remedied by the enactment into law of the re- call principle.
 But now, the selection of a servant must be good or you must just grin and bear it when you are sorry.
 The proposition may then be fairly stated about this way. The office seeker wants good job, and the voter good man to do his work.
 If that is true, then such excuses as the other fellow has had the good thing, and it is my turn now" is not good logic on which voter should base his choice; nor that he don't need it" nor that he is "new in the country" nor that sometime he didn't support the ticket"
 No business man could succeed if he selected his employees that way.
 When a "glad hand" candidate comes around, asking you to Ire member him" with your vote, you may depend upon it that his end is to help himself. Then you have d right to know what he proposes to do for you-what he will give for your money if you employ him.
 Then investigate him.
 Find out his record, if he has held an office. See if he served the peo- pie, or himself. or some special in- terest.
 Find out who. if anybody, is be- hind his candidacy and boosting him. and what favors they expect of him in return.
 Ask him what plan he has formed to make your hard-earned tax money do you more good. how he will avoid wasting it, or how he will make your burden lighter. You will find some who ask for your vote who have not given your interests enough attention 10 have thought out any such ideas.
 Ask him if he KNOWS any ''graft'' or unfair conditions now existing and if so, what he will do to remedy them.
 Ask him if he will, if elected. merely do for you what the law DE- HANDS, or if he will do for you all the law ALLOWS.
 No honest seeker for your vote can refuse to answer such questions as