Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1919-02-11
LETS HAVE A FAIR,
SQUARE ELECTION

SQUARE ELECTlON
Action should be Immediately TAX
en to get Ashland back on a legal
basis. or all times in her history
slie can lily afford now to be operat-
ing on a defaeto basis without legal
instruments to enforce the law. As
II now stands, We understand. all
cases arising that would ordinarily
come under the jurisdiction of the
police court must be tried by the
Justice OF the peace for this district.
In these cases all fines assessed will
go into the Golfers Of the county in
stead OF the city treasury. Accord
ing to recent reports of Judge Brow
er the sum would amount to enough
in six months to pay the expense of
half dozen legal city elections. How
fully this illustrates the unbusiness-
Ike policy Of saving at the spiggot
and losing at the bunghole.
We remember very well how, just
after the illegal election. the mayor
rubbed his hands, as Is his custom,
and smiled his benignant smile. while
relating that he had manipulated the
election without a cent of cost to
the city by getting judges of cleo
tion to serve without pay and failing
to comply with the law in regard to
publication, exhibiting just such sat-
jsfaction as would come from the
economical management OF country
Sunday school which was financed by
penny donations and penny birthday
boxes, while at the same time he was.
in fact. putting three million dollar
corporation in bad illegal hole out
Of which 1t may cost deal OF money
to extricate IL 1t takes a vastly diff
ferent type OF ability to manage we'll
q three million dollar corporation
than it does to successfully handle
4 country Sunday school.
But, that illegal election, during a
whole year had gone unquestioned
and II looked as II II would be gotten
permanently away with without a
contest Therefore II occurred to
the mayor and the astute peanut
politician from the first ward. who.
be II known. absolutely dominated
the council in such matters and
proved to be the narplots Of the ad-
ministration. that such another coup
would prove successful IN the fall
election thereby incidentally saving
twenty cents expense and retaining
their hold on the ioi,s secure for
another two years We suppose
they were perfectly honest in the last.
because for some minds IT is easy
enough to imagine that ones own
administration is perfectly accept
able to the people and that citizens
vould take joy in a political coup.
which. tho altogether illegal. would
save them the trouble and embroil-
ment incident to an election contest
where there was fair open scrap.
However sincere these gentlemen
may have been. recent rumblings in
dicate that the people do not Alto
gether approve OF such methods.
There appears TO be quite a general
demand that Ashland he put hack on
= legal basis at once even at the risk
Of a great sacrifice to the city in
losing the high business acumen OF
these gentlemen in handling its az.
fairs during the next two years.
The question is will these men. re-
aiizing the foolishness of the past,
be courageous enough TO admit their
mistake and call a special election
wherein the two now bogus charter
amendments wiz be legally passed
and provide for holding an election
for city officers TO fill the vacancies
II IS claimed now exist by reason Of
such Illegal action. the newly elected
officers to hold until the next gen.
eraI election. In doing that. It ap-
pears to us. at least, 1t would show
fhat the mistake was one Of ignOr-