El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-12-03
The HeraId's Choice

The Heralds Choice
yExr SPRING the voters of Ell PasO will be under the necessity of choosing
IN a may- and four cUunclmen to rule yer them and spend the voters
~ money. It is timely to discuss the qualities that should be possessed by
men aspiring to those positions. These indispensable qualities aTen nine in number;
Candidates to be deserving. must be progressive and broad minded;
They The must be be a 9fRS1i
They 1%y must be economical without being afraid to spend;
they Tsy mus must be be FrssTifi of the law;
T T%y m mus be be acceptable to the people.
To outline the nine requirements a little more in detail let US set IOua me
standards to which candidates should measure up:
First, they must have shOwn-in the conduct Of their business; IN heir
own lives; in their attitude on public matters; IN their ready acceptance OF gOa
new ideas; in their record of work in the public behalf; n their readiness to con
tribute to advance the public wefare-they must have shown far sightedneSS' nj
a disposition to remain among the leaders rather than the followers
Second, they must know n favOrtes after taking the oath of Ofice-nO
friends or foes, no parties OF factions n sections; they must be willing always
~rbe greatest good of the greatest number" is not elevated enough; it should
read "The greatest good for all, negIecing none" -
Third, they must be men of such sterling mOral fiber that any citizen would
willingly trust them with the administration # his personal estate and his business
after his death, and the guardianship of his children, knowing that Is executors
they would account to his dependents for the last fraction of a cent and discharge
the trust with honor TO the minutet detail
Fourth, they must be capable of successfully managing a business disburing
100000 a year of other peoples money, SO as to get the best possible results
for those who contribute the funds. They must possess intense interest in and
vide knowledge of municipal affairs generally; they must have a comprehensive
knowledge of successful business practice especially in matters of finance and
employing labor; they must be able to master the principles Of wise adminisHa-
ton of public utilities public works. and public service; they must be competent
to select responsible and skilled experts to handle technical Details such as those
pertaining to the public health engineering, and the public safety and they must
be willing to give those experts a free hand and full cooperation within their several
departments.
Fifth they must know that economy means wise spending and not merely
saving in the sense of Withholding; they must be liberal in spending the peoples
money for worthy right, ind definitely profitable ends They nus be thrifty not
Sixth, they must take things and me- as they are; meet present conditions
with practical measures reIuSe 10 attempt impossible things; use moderation
always; resist evil steadily and not fanatcany; enlist the cooperation IF all men
and agencies whose trend is toward common ideals of betement; aim a little
above the average; avoid useless antagonisms; be content with progress step by
step just so it is progress; and avoid revolutionary measures as certain to bring
disaster in reaction, no matter how good they may appear to be theoretically
Seventh, they must regard strict enforcement of existing laws and ordinances
as the first step toward permanent betterment; they must respect state laws and
faithfully cooperate to make them effective; inasmuch as in local matters they
are both legislators and executives they must avoid making or retaining ordinances
that can not OF ought not be Igidy enforced.
Eighth, they must be willing to lay aside private business in the interest IF
public service while holding public office; and they must be willing to devote all
their time and energy, if necessary, to the duties of their office They must
not misuse the time which the people are paying for, in political work in the
service of any faction o. organization They mus. be strictly con the job" as
BELTS the active managers of a s10OoOOo-ayear business.
Ninth, they must be men in touch with the people genaaHv, not holding them
selves aOOfi they must be easily approachable by citizens; they must be men of
tact and hearty personality; in other words, good vote getGs," without feeling
called upon o sacrifice principles in exchange for votes. There would be NJ use
nominating men with all the virtues previously enumerated, unless they could
gain the votes of the people in the election
FL Paso possesses such men as W re have described. Shall we call them to rule
over the city for the next two years, u shall we choose to submit to the rule of
inferior men? The choice lies before u.s.
Pay your poll tax now.
GlOversvlle, New York has ten inches of snow; Washington, D. c, is having
the coolest weather for the season in 40 years Ell PasO had two ApnIy rainy
days last week and pulled up the blankets at night, but heavy overcmts are still
~ their moth 6aga US s.nnE ad naa down haze an If s-nz cn--H -. 49,