Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1912-11-21

he would do better to work for .he merit principle, meantime accept ng the d'sagreeable functions that per tan 10 his office"
 "The holding of elections to select post:a:: steIs or postmistresses is mo new ldea,' declares the Dallas paper. Tt is probably a century old at least, and has been revived at frequent in- tervals since it was first proposed, and the fact that, although persist ing 50 long, it has made little if any progress in public esteem, rather argues that t has little intrinsic merit. The proposal is advanced on the, ground that it is 'Democratic.' But $ it really so? Conditioned as MT. Beall would condition it, it cer- tainly would not be Democrat c; for he would restrict the right to vote in os'ng postmaster to the ad- herents of the party in power. They would be, in many cases, a minority of a city's residents and when one reflects that even that minority would be div ded in their choice among several aspsrants, we should have postmasters who were favored by but very small fraction of the people concerned. It would not be easy 10 conceive contest that would occasion more excitement and engen- der more i1i-will than would an elec- tion to choose postmaster. With not even the semblance of principle in l volve0 in the contest ,and W tn only l personal considerat ems anima'ing the contestants and their supporters, l such contests would in small com- mun..ies at least, beget social s;rifes and perhaps business feuds that would not be allayed by the time it became necessary to elect another pos master.
 One can readily understand and symrath ze with the desire of MT. Bearl to relieve himself of function that must be repugnant and source l of weakness rather than of strength to public men, for they are diplomat ] ic politicians indeed w'ho can distri- butc patronage without making more i enenN,s than friends. Nevertheless i u,o sonht :f r,onv communities in ! Mr. Beall's district will relieve him of embarrassment ill the way he de- sires.'
 NDr does the Daily Texarkanian of TexarRana take, kindly to the post 1 off e. primary. It says:
 "TEe. Texarkanian and all cit zens
 who have the citys best interests at hear> cannot but deplore the attempt being made to array one part of i TexaiRana against another and
 plungc the entire city into a state of
 political civil war through the hold 1 Ing of an elect on to endorse man for tEe appointment as postmaster at l Texackana.
 Such an election can result only i'll harm to the city. and can accomplish no .;ood. It does not always follow that the man so endorsed receives the appointment.
 And i. may be taken for granted tha. several of the aspirants will not enter a primary, so that even af- ] ter such an election the fight for the l postolf ce would continue. Insofar as ;he election is concerned it will l be fruitless of anything, save dis cord, animosities and injury 70 the city's interests.
 l It $ rather del ca;e and danger ous duty to oppose any movement presented under such an attractive hammer as: Let the people rule. But
 The Texarkanian believes that it's
 DemDeracy is so we'll established that
 it can afford to veiee disapproval of plan fraught with such danger to the best interests of .he city.
 'sBut this plan IS not Democrat c.
 If the patrons of the office are to be allowed to seiecs the postmaster, then l every man, woman and child served l should be permitted to vote-irre- llsrectiy'e Of race, ce.or or political af-