The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1916-02-10
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1916.
Getting Your Bearings,

The common council IN its wisdom
has provided for the redistricting of
the city, and it is now up to the people
TO get their bearings. The redistricted
city is going to offer the chance for a
lot more representative government in
Kenosha, and it is going to offer the
people in the various wards chance
TO start over. For years old political
machines have been manipulating the
ward politicsor trying to. In some
cases they have failed because the
people showed some interest; in lot
of them they have been uniformly
successful. The new wards are start
ing in minus the political machines,
and the people are going to have a
chance this once at least to pick their
officials without any dietation from the
political bosses or near bosses. IT'S q
chance that will not come to Kenosha
for long time, and with lot of inn
portant things doing in the city it is
chance that should be welcomed.
The first thing that good citizen
should do is to find out what ward he
lives in and then find out what other
good citizens live in the same ward.
Undoubtedly, if he goes out of his way
q little, he will find that there are a
lot of fellows who are just as much
interested in. seeing Kenosha better
governed city as he is. The only thing
necessary Isl to get these fellows in
terested with him. A union of the
men who want better Kenosha will
be Of exceedingly great value right
now. The town is taking something Of
new start politically. IT'S good
thing to book after this little business
right AWAY. If you feel that there is
no call for you to run for office, set out
and find the right man and get him
started. / The vast amount of good
materialTadded to some Of the wards
ought tot make the picking fairly easy
for the good citizen IS league In past
years the claim has been made that
men entirely unsuited for office have
been allowed to run just because there
was no one else. Change in ward lines
has putt a lot Of good people in every
One of the wards, and there is no ex-
buse this year for picking the bad ones.
I'm former years there had been a lot
of fellows all in one ward and every
bne of them would have made good on
the council. Now is the time to pick
theseNout.
Ofqcourse, the men who served the
city we'll in wards under the old
geographical division of the city are
entitled to first call for nominations IN
the new wards if they desire to con-
tinue in the service Of the city. They
are still doing the neighborly thing by
holding Office even if the designation
of the ward has been changed.
Equal division of the city by wards
Is a good thing, but representation can
be made mere equal by securing good
men from every one of the wards.
Now is the time to think the matter
over. In another week petitions will
be flying thick and fast, and then it
may be too late to get good man into
the running. Don I let the professional
politician get the jump on you and
pledge half of your friends to work
for him when lot of them would
rather work for man who would be
a real representative of the people.
This redistricting has offered the
people of the city great chance for
more representative government. The
question is win they improve their
opportunity.