Licking Valley courier. [volume] (West Liberty, Ky.) 19??-current, 1913-02-06

led with the sentiment that grows
apace for clean politics and the
selection OF the best fitted mer
for the offices to which they as.
pre-, the outlook for better DO,
political conditions are indeed ex.
cellent. Heretofore the person.
al popularity and ability to pay
campaign expenses has been a
considerable asset with many
candidates, and because of these
officials have been inflicted upon
the people who were totally unfit
ted for the positions to VIII Oh
the were elected. The newspa-
pers, in the past, have contribut-
ed not a little by their espousal
of the claims of such men, to the
conditions that necessarily follow
ed.
Our intimate association with
the newspaper men of the State
recently, leads us to believe that
the large majority of them feel
in thiss1natter as we do: First,
that a properly conducted news
paper should not be a tail to the
kite of any candidate whose prin-
cipal claim is his partisanship or
his personal popularity to the ex-
clusion of his fitness for the Of
flee to which he aspires. Sec
ond, that the voters should de-
termine for themselves who are
the best equipped candi-
didates, by their knowledge of
what the aspirants to office have
done or are able to do, and that
should come to them, if they are
not already possessed of it,
through such reputable mediums
as articles published by the can
didates. or by what they say in
the speeches they make. Third,
that as the primary is open to
everybody, that every candidate
should have the same opportuni-
ty to talk his point" that his
competitor has, and on the same
terms. Fourth, that in nearly
every race there are cadidateswho
are equally reputable and COM
petent and it is unfair to bais the
opinions of the voters by defam-
atory remarks or publications of
any man or men who may be-
come the nominees and for whom
those Of their political affiliations
will be in honor bound to vote in
the general election.
All in all, it should be the duty
of the newspapers to work to the
end that clean election should
be held, and that competent
men be selected to fill the public
Offices. The time has passed when
the hustler" who dispenses
money and whiskey with a lavish
hand, can count confidently upon
winning his race. Public opinion
has changed, and the opinion of
the public is generally for what
is right. Merit should win and
we believe 1t will win in the fu-
ture, for the newspaper men and
the public generally have grown
wise to the ways of the politi-
cans.
We were much impressed with
the truth of the following, which
was read out our meeting of the
Kentucky Press Association at
Louisville last week.
I'm the old days it was the pro-
per thing for some small-bore
politician, backed by his home pa
per, to achieve his ambition and
then turn his back on the editor,
who when the next election roll
Ell around, picked up another
with like results, and so on, new
err seeming to realize that he was
being used as a cats-paw to pull
the POLITICAL chestnuts out of the
fire. In fact it will hardly
be denied that Kentucky editors
have brought from obscurity
more alleged 'country-savers' and
and put them on the political
map, with less gratitude in re-
turn, than any other class of men
in the State.
WAS ever anything truer
than this said by anybody, and
and do not all of US know that
this is an actual statement of
fact We have all torn our linen
in the past for men who, when