Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-11-05
THE WILL TO WIN

VICTORY is assured tomorrow because
the people have the will to win. No
fight was ever won by forces that ex.
pected defeat. Thousands of contests
have been won because one side entered
the fight determined. to use every ounce
OF strength and power to defeat its OPP
ponents.
The followers Of football were sur
prised few years ago when the eleven
Of Colgate defeated Yale. Colgate had
played many games with the greater
college and its men had been contented
with the honor of appearing on the New
Haven gridiron. One day some one said
that this sort of thing had been going
on long enough and that the time had
come for the Colgate players to go to
New Haven determined to put up the
bes' fight that was in them. The whole
college began to talk about defeating
Yale deliberate campaign was Planned
to cultivate the win TO win. After
a year or two an eleven was built up,
every man in which was determined to
use every ounce Of strength in him to
the last minute of the game IN an effort |
to defeat Yale And Yale was defeated. |
The men of Colgate understood the |
Psychology of victory.
The voters of Philadelphia today are !
inspired by the same spirit which won |
the football victory.
Everything that has happened since
Mayor Blankenburg went out of Office |
has strengthened their determination to
seize control of their owl. government
once more. The Fifth Ward outrages
occurred at the right moment to set them
on fire. Those outrages brought the
methods of the political freebooters into
the clear light of day. The public Of
flcers whose duty it was to protect the
citizens in the free expression of their
opinions were found to be engaged ia
cooperating with thugs to blackjack
every voter who dared oppose the orders
Issued from the City Hall.
AS soon as the Town Meeting ticket
was nominated the oligarchy that sits in
City Hall began to use every trick and
device to prevent the appearance at the
polls tomorrow of an opposition ticket.
Not content with appeals to the courts,
the leaders used the police once more
to bulldoze and intimidate the signers
Of the nomination petitions. This sort
OF thing might have been expected in the
Russia Of last year while it was still
q despotism II is an outrage such as
makes the blood of every independent
American citizen boil. 1t is but the con.
summation Of the methods practiced by
the freebooters who have been fattening
at the public crib for generation.
Conditions are now so bad that it is
inconceivable that they could be worse
ANY change would be for the better.
There are no citizens so Indifferent to
the result that they are taking no inter.
est in the contest. Every man worthy
Che name knows that when the standard
OF conduct Of our public servants can
sink no lower the time has come to
turn out the unfaithful and replace them
with men Of honor and high ideals.
THAT time is now.
But the forces Of evil which have been
behind all the thuggery and legal trick.
cry and moral obfuscation OF recent
weeks win fight to the last ditch. 1t Is
Important that honest citizens be on their
guard tomorrow and that every illegal
act Of the police be resented instantly
aud every attempt TO prevent the polling
of an honest vote be checked before It's
consummation.
Il the voters should stand up to be
counted today an overwhelming majority |
" them would be found supporting the
Iown Meeting ticket. They are going 10
ne polls tomorrow to be counted An |
smother way The jails yawn for every |
man who attempts to prevent an honest
vote The salIs got the men In IndIauap- |
oils and Terre Haute who monkeyed with
me elections. The men OF their kind m
fhit city wnl DO well 70 remember this.
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