The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1918-03-28
Evidence0 Overwhelmingly Favors Commission Plan
SOME MORE REAL STUFF

Some of our good peopl" objected
to holding Il political meeting in tho
opera house tomorrow night, as am
nounccd last Friday night. owing to
TIE fact that this falls on Good Friday
and there are services in the churches.
This was no, thought of at the limo
and in compliance there will be no
meeting in the hall tomorrow night.
If there is anything put out by the op.
position that requires answering tho
hall is still in our hands for Saturday
night and there answers will be made.
il necessary To make them. lIandbills
Saturday afternoon will notify The
people, if il is deemed Il meeting in
the hall is necessary
The city fathers are the sworn
guardians of our laws. On the council
rests the burden of llc legality or H.
legality of this election. IL may be
that they are taking advantage of the
law as given in Section 1884: But
the failure TO give such notice shall
not invalidatc such election" This
refers to the biennial election. If the
council is hnging its decision on this,
it should be open and above board in
the matter The peopdlc lave a right
to know. But the council has not tho
habit of taking the public into it's con-
1ilencc.
Take the council on its own action
and lt -
Government next Monday
The Times made figures last week
and put them in plain type that all
might read and any answer who felt
inclined so to do. The opposition had
been talking figures with reckless
abandon. but it was useless to try and
get them to put figures where you
could get at them. Now they have
figures which are being published in
the other paper this week, when there
is no chance to answer, and we look
for other things before election day
that will be put before the voters with
the intention to bcfuddle the minds OF
the voters These last hour roorbacks
should be taken with a grain of salt
The exception taken to our figures
last week was where we added the
election expense that could be saved
next year if we had no election, as
would be the case if we adopt the
commission form. 1t would certainly
be a saving and should not be charged
against the Commission Form, but
rather against the Present Form
which carries with it an election an
nually.
Then again. it may be shown that
the election boards may not get $40
per sitting as is claimed. The Times
has in its possession the poll book OF
the First ward one year ago and it
shows that the five members Of the
board received $4.0O each. 1t may not
be that all boards of the city charged
that rate, but it was done by the First
and the evidence may be seen at this
office. *+s
The Times has not paid much at
tention in these columns to the
Journal in this campaign for the rea-
son that it's arguments were 90 grossly
warped and unfair that they condemn
themselves. 1t appears that former
editor has been dishing up this stuff
for Journal readers, but it would be
far better if he kept within speaking
distance of the truth anyway.
A few of these garblcd statements
were answered from the platform.
but others have come up since that
we do not propose to let go unchal-
lenged.
One was that Sioux Falls, S. d., had
changed back to the aldermanic form
after a few years trial of the commits
sion form. The Times has the evidence
at hand to show that Sioux Falls did
change but it was a step forward--not
backward to the old system--but to
the City Manager plan, which is now
allowable under the South Dakota law.
Another was in last weeks issue
where the Journal inferred that the
city council had turned over it's salar-
les to keep up the "gym' and which
went into the pockets of The Times
man. The facts in this case were that
the council had found that our high
school boys were spending much time
in their poker joints and the opening
of the gym" was to turn their minds
to other things. The council needs to
dig again for gambling is still going
on among our boys, but there is now
no gym" to go to. 1t would be better
for the city to build municipal
"gym," or to turn our billiard halls
into open places and equip them as
gymnasums, where the young folks
could enjoy manly exercises and keep
them from the damning, corrupting in
fluences carried on behind locked
doors.
The A. o. U w. of North Dakota
has the best insurance policy-none