The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-03-14

/" Among other things in my state
ment, / would urge upon every public
spirited citizen to make as strong an
effort as possible to secure the enforce
ment of the eleven o'clock b. m. clos
inc law for the saloons. This unenforced
law is a source of much evil in cur
Gity. 1t multiplies the number Of our
city Is buns and tends to increase the
number of our city's divorce eases;
adds to the number Of charity cases and
the number of candidates for the poor
farm 1t has more to do than we are
apt to think with increasing the trou-
bIes merchants have in collecting I'M
paid bills and is really responsible to
considerable degree for their some
what large monetary loss.
Even the willing, laW-abiding sa-
loon keepers are helpless; they can Il
afford to close their doors at eleven
O'Clock when the next saloon, possibly
keeps open until one, two or even three
o clock, and that with official sane
ton.
"Kenosha needs today an impair
tial non-partisan business administra-
ton. It needs city government that
will observe the spirit of the law and
not the letter. 1t needs officers who
will spend the taxpayers money as
If it was their own. It needs city
council that will not be dictated to
by the saloon interests or by other
private interests as opposed to that of
the public. 1t needs officers who will
forget politics, political parties and
private privileges, but will remember
good schools, good health and good,
clean, open and above board govern
ment.
"That the city of Kenosha secures
such officers depends only upon the pri-
vate citizens. Have your ballot count
for good government.
7 "What can the individual citizen
do to better conditions in Kenosha?''
cit is very evident to all thinking
men that one man can do very little
as an individual to better existing con-
ditions in Kenosha. 1t is true that if
he were the last man needed to make a
majority for the cause of good govern
ment he might really think himself Of
considerable Importance, but such Is
not the case, for we need many times
one to make majority for good gov
ernment under existing conditions in
Kenosha. Even though the individual
be man capable of organizing men
into bodies having power politically
not enough men could be gathered I'M
der one banner and working to better
existing conditions, to be able to elect
single city official without some sort
of compromise with men who are not
working for the best interests of the
city, but rather for personal gain. The
government of any city cannot be bet
ter than the average voter and men
who are posted in Kenosha know that
the average voter Of this city is not
anywhere near as good citizen as we
might hope for. This is largely due to
the fact that we have in Kenosha al
most, if not quite, a majority of voters
who should not have the right to vote
in this or any other American city
When the legislature of the state OF
Wisconsin enacts laws restricting suf-
frage SO that some who are now voters
in this city will no longer have the
right to vote, at least not in city cleo
tions, and extends to others who are
not now voters but who should be en-
titled to vote, the right of suffrage we
can expect a better average voter and