The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-04-14
AN ATTEMPT TO BE
PHILOSOPHICAL

AS it is the citizens duty to cX--
press his opinion at the primary
of his or her party, 1t is the duty
OF the newspaper to express us
opinion on the issues and candida
cieS before the voters. Inc
Tribune has performed it's duty TO
the best Of its ability. Especially
it has urged upon the consldera-
ton of Republican voters the facts i,
OF the record of Gov. Small, ana
upon those facts appealed to gooi
citizenship to refuse him renoml-
nation. That appeal a majority OF
Republicans who voted Tuesday
have refused.
We have no disposition to dis
cuss at this moment why Small
has been preferred to EssingtoH.
The record Of Small and his ad-
ministration makes Sordid chap
ter in the history of Illinois. But
there have been other sOrdid chap
ters. There have been other dis
creditable administrations; yet the
state has prospered in spite OF
them, has grown and progressed.
The Yates administration. the
Tanner administration, with their
sroils scandals, represented set
back for good government IN I'LL
nois, but they were followed by
better days. In fact it was most
| honest and idealistic Individual
who made the worst governor I'LL
nois ever had. 1t was not spolls
governor, but John p. Atgeld, a
re former, a foe of the conventional
evils of practical politics. When
the public safety was endangered
by riot when property was being
destroyed and lives taken by vlo-
lence, it was no spokesman or
CRATER but this conscientious
though wrong headed executive
who refused to do his duty as
guardian of the public order. His
radical sympathies were dominant
over his official conscience and
did not express the ideas OF tho
mass of the people by whose votes
he had been placed in office. The
President Of the United States mac
to intervene with federal troops
: and Altgeld had the insolence tt
declare this an act of usurpation
The same sympatllieS and false
theories actuated his pardon OF the
anarchists who had been convicted
for fomenting the assassination o
, the police in the Haymarket, ap
, parently because it was policemen
who had been murdered. Tha
was passage in our histor.
which was not sordid in the sens
OF the ordinary regime of graft an.
, inefficiency. but was the most serl
: Gus threat to the welfare OF tn
l state it had ever known.
1t is true that good roads repre-
s sent the greatest material advanc
(, IN the welfare of Illinois in tn
y last four years. 1t is also true tina
a large proportionaperhaps the. lal
q ger proportion, of these roads haV
l. been built under the Small admir-
:, istration. But assembling all tn
Z credit for this or the chief cred
q for it to Small is not good sens
We might point out for one thin
that Henry Ford and John ID. ROcl
efeller have an important part
such development. They, and the
n fellows in similar lines, have or
= ated the demand for and need
6 good roads by creating the m
- chimes which require such road
Former Gov. LOwden was layil
the foundation of the good roa
program when Small was not hea
from. 1t was under Lowden's a
70 ADMINISTRATION shat the 10000
> bond issue which Small has be-
D. spending was voted. 1t was und
N Lowden's administration that t
re use of this money in actual co
struction of good roads was sta'
ed.
IL But, be that as it may, there
as still great need for more go
lv roads, and great opportunity
10 building them. If they can
40 Luilt substantially and allocat
&, to districts in most need, a
of which would have most use t
n them, without political conside;
ton, SO much the better. If SIN
is reelected governor we hope
III will build such roads, as many a
IN as fast as possible. 1t is not, a
70 never has been. properly polite
w issue 1t is an economic issue,
essential and natural phase of n
n tarial progress.-Chicago Tribu
at ~ c->-r,,, .o,,,, .c,