The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-03-30
THURSDAY MARCH %, 1915.
Deciding for the People.

# IS interesting to note that mum
her Of Kenosha organizations nave dc
eided to help the people out in selec0'
Inc their officials for the two years to
rome. These men, after deep thought,s
have handed around "a slate OF can-f
didates which they believe the peoples
should support. 1t is a kindly services
We know that lot of people ma lts
irksome to be forced to think for them
selves. but even the most thoughtless
If MS have a sort of resentment TO
dictation. In selecting city othclals
for a city like Kenosha, the voters
should be called upon to use their own
Judgment and we believe that the IN
dividual Judgment Of any citizen is
lust about as good as that OF com
mittee named by any organization
which would presume to go so far as TO
tell the people how to vote. The idea
IS distinctly un-American and against
all traditions of the freedom OF the
ballot. The same would be true of the
statements made by municipal voter 8
league. Such league would undoubt-
edlv pick out certain candidates. Pos
sibly they would be good men, but
there would be something in every one
of them which was held to be especially
favorable to the particular propaganda
which the league was furtherlpg. Men
who are candidates for public offices in
cities the size of Kenosha are usually
pretty we'll known in the districts
where they seek election. They are
your .neighbors and mine and we know
enough of their personal life to know
whether they are honest men and men
Of integrity 1t ism It necessary for a
man to be allied with some political
party to make him a good mayor. The
idea of party does not in any way en-
ter into the problem Of how he is going
to serve his neighbors. If the men
who would pick your candidates for
you would come to you personally, you
would pay little or no attention to
them. Why then should any attention
be paid to any body of men who seek
to dictate anonymously? 1t is usually
the men with an ak to grind who seek
to dictate candidates to the people. If
these axes must be ground, let them
be ground without the people of great
and growing city turning the grind
stone. The fact that a man may not
appeal to a committee representing
this or that organization can not be
%olyay ann of hiv, "a
selection of officials is matter for the
people themselves and any effort to
stand off to one side and name this
man or that man for the people to vote
for without any consideration of the
qualifications of the men in question,
is matter to be resented. Kenosha
does not want one-idea men to serve
in official positions. The demands of a
city government are so varying that a
one-idea man would be positive han
dicap to the growth of city. En-
dorsements of men by organizations
are largely dictated by few who at
tend the meetings of these organiza-
tions and in many cases the men named
would not meet with the sanction of
one-tenth of the members were refer
endum vote taken. There is no organ
ization which can pledge even its own
members and why should such an or.
ganization seek to dictate to the seven
thousand voters of Kenosha? The idea
is contrary to all American institutions.
1t savors of the "hand picked" so
strongly that such endorsements should
be regarded as an unwarranted attempt
to interfere with the freedom of the
ballot and the free choice of American
citizens Kenosha wants no one-idea
men. 1t wants men broad enough to
serve all the people of the city and men
who will refuse to wear the badge OF
work for the personal advancement of
any class in the city Glass legislation
is un-American and decidedly obiec.
tionable. Think for yourselfl Pick
out the men who you believe to be
fitted to serve the city and vote for
them without allowing any other person
to dictate to you.