Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-06-04
TIE CITY ELECTION.


By nightfan today the result of the
.unieipal election should be known.
rhls result will show whether Will
.inston's affairs will be administered
~ the next two years by clean cut
s~s OF business men. or whether the
roup at Si0 King street shall con-
tkaue 30 crush, fearlessly and relent-
Is-ly," all persons who do not bow
tho knee TO them.
There has never been but one issue
in this fight; whether group of men
who favor new charter for the city
should be placed in power. or whether
me clique which knitted the charter
should be returned 10 office. 1t has
been a charter fight-a fight for bet
Ter civic administration. a fight against
eang rule.
Thomas r. Bayard. the charter can
didate. has for years advocated and
worked FOR a better method Of hand
Ing The city's affairs. lie has been
supported by a group of men who
whole-heartedly indorsed the Citi-
gems Committee Charter.
Leroy Harvey. diiletante in poll
tics. says that he favors some sort
al charter-no one seems TO know
which kind--but unfortunately for him
b. has been supported by those who
knifed the charter in the Legislature.
The campaigns which the two men
have made stand out in startling con-
trast. Mr.. Bayard has kept 10 the
issue-the charter. Mr.. Harvey has
Kept away from the issue, and has
spoken about everything which was
not germaDe TO the question.
Mr. Bayard's campaign has been an
appeal 70 the highest civic sentiments
of his hearers. Mr.. Harvey's cam
paign has been made along strange
lines He began by asking for votes
because he and his Republican friends
had been patriotic during the war.
or course they were patriotic-the
man who wasn't stood A good chance
az having a bayonet jabbed in his
hack. Every decent citizen was pa
triotic in wartime, regardless of po-
liticsl creed.
Then Mr.. Harvey conceived the idea
az playing 10 the hyphenated vote.
lie lauded 10 the skies "the glory that
was Greece. and the grandeur that
was Rome" throwing in a few illu-
sions to Florence and Napies-although
after those somnolent communities.
Then Mr.. Harvey remembered that
occasIonally the Republican party had
been in power in national affairs.
Therefore vote for him in the local
issue. Just what the tariff, the in
come tax, and the railroad question
have TO do with the municipal election
in wilmington is beyond our ken
but vote for him, he said, because he
belongs TO &C. o. P.'-and the gentry
OF $40 King street on the side.
Then Mr.. Harvey came out for an
economical form of city government,
for an efficient form OF city govern
ment, for a good city government. So
had every man who ever sought the
mayors diadem of glory. That was
nothing new.
During all the days that he cleo
tioneered he talked about everything
including the glory of Poland-ex-
cept the one thing in which the pub
lie is vitality interested, the charter.
True. he had half-heartedly said some
thing about being for "a" charter,
and even once was induced TO say
that he might be for 'the" charter,
IT, and. wherefore. but. 'etc-"
The result Of today's election will
tell whether good government shall
triumph, or whether the gentry OF
Sie King street shall continue to
.crush, fearlessIy and relentlessiy,
ali persons who exercise their God
given right TO think for themselves.