The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1921-03-03
PICKING A DERBY WINNER

PICKING A DERBY WINNER
It isn't often that they pick derby winner
from bunch of selling platers and the average
American city can not expect to get some hlgn
grade city boards without theere being some
high grade material from which to pick the
members of these boards.
The greatest menace to cities today is not
corrupt officials but inefficient officials. We
have no desire to minimize the influence OF the
man who is corrupt in office but little study
of conditions in Kenosha as we'll as in other
American cities will show that its the old, old
story of inefficency. Officials who are
inefficient are named at the city elections
USUALLY because the people haven't chance
to pick efficient men. The average IN
terest Of the average citizen in an elec-
ton comes on the day he votes and about
this time the choice has been narrowed down to
few men - many Of them entirely united
for public office. It may be of some value to
take the best of what is offered but lot bet
ter plan is to see to it that better men are OF
fered for the people to vote for.
So far as the people are concerned this is the
last week of the city campaign Next week
the bars will be down and the entry lists for
the primary closed and the men and women
who make up wry face and complain against
the ticket will probably be the men and women
who have given the least thought to the ticket
this week
You can't pick derby winner out of a bunch
of selling platers. Just drive this fast home
now and drive it hard enough to force yourself
to take some action. This week you can get
petitions for candidates. Next week you will
have to be satisfied with voting for the men
who have taken out petitions. The important
thing is to look over these lists now Just take
an evening off and go out among your neigh
bors and see if they are satisfied with the men
who are looking to be alderman, school commits
stoned and county supervisor. The one best
bet is that you will find that most of them
haven't the remotest idea who is running for
the office and the ones who do know have no
idea of the qualifications or lack of qualifca-
tions of the men.
Before the primary election is the time to
battle inef1iciency. These men who seek office
are properly open to public scrutiny The city
has just as much to expect efficient workers as
any other corporation and the only way to get
such officials is for the people themselves to
see to it that the names of this kind of men
are on the ballot.
with view of being elected. They are en-
titled to be considered along with the other
credible evidence in the case" but - the peo-
pie as the jury have right to take into con-
sideration "the interest or lack of interest" that
the candidate may have in his own election
Kenosha needs derby winners and not selling
paters as members of it's official boards. In
the next two years these officials will expend
something over four million dollars of the
money of the people of the city Certainly eff
cheney in the expenditure of this vast sum of
money is stake worth playing for and it should
be stake large enough to get the people of the
city to show some interest in the entries for the
primary election
Now is the time that the people should be
holding town meetings to decide who is going
to handle their business. They are not so much
in danger of currupt officials as they are in
danger of ineficiency. Waste saps the life of
every community and it doesn't make bit Of
difference whether it is caused by malfeasance
in Office or inefficiency. The waste is there Just
the same and the elimination of this waste
should be the first duty of thepeople of Keno
sha.
Of course if you fail to put men before the
people who are worthy of the confidence of the
people there is no one to blame but yourself
The thing is to act now rather than to kick af-
ter the primaries are over.
If you want a derby winner get some real
stock into the selection.
THE SALT OF THE EARTH