Show consulting THE PEOPLE aften aben the nonpartisan movement began to t 0 crystallize cryst alize in this city its f J promoters found themselves con fronted with two alternatives they take the responsibility of iasu ato ass a ca call 11 tor for primaries and a con ution or they must take a similar ability and dispense with those harings herings he rings ga which course should they the question was discussed jy y and answered deliberately P ft fite far as the right to act was con domed they had bad as good a right to ante on one ething thing as the other suppose they had bad issued a call for primaries politicians would have disputed belr right rl 9 ht to do that as vehemently wt hey now dispute their right to frane a ticket it would have been i sa gaid that the call for primaries did not eteoe froni frold the voters but from a self constituted committee and the name ae dear clear people would have been looked in denunciation of the leaders i the toe ron nonpartisan non partisan movement just i je same as it is now the move p tub ferent ajor or reform had for its chief ob ta A A tale circumventing of the IN rin r tana a n s and the elimination of their and aad influence from municipal and no matter what details dure it might adopt it was to encounter the bitter beppo of those whose occupations it sought to abolish in city affairs A ward primary is a ward politicians golden opportunity take from him this opening for getting in his work and he is half defeated in advance of the election it is very difficult for him to effect the deals bargains and combinations bi by which the will of the people is thwarted and corruption becomes triumphant it is the unanimous testimony of all who have written upon the subject of corruption in the government of american cities that the foundation of it is laid in the primary preparatory to the holding of this meeting the ward politicians organize their forces and if corruption is to be forestalled the decent voters must organize too but any high minded citizen feels reluctant to join a cabal for the purpose of controlling cont roling a primary for by so doing he subjects himself to a certain extent to the same charges he makes against the heelers and rather than do this on the one hand or be defeated on the other he stays away from the primary every taxpayer knows the sequel had the nonpartisan non partisan committee called primaries wh 0 would have conducted them more important still who would have secured control of them might they not have been so manipulated as to reverse the purpose for which they were called and make reform impossible right here is the chief obstacle with which reform and nonpartisan non partisan movements in american cities have to contend abolish the primary and at the same time abolish its corruption and the occupation of the ward politician cut the gordian knot at one bold strong stroke this is what the nonpartisan non partisan committee has done and it sufficiently accounts for the howling of the politicians who find themselves baffled and thwarted the news confesses its admiration for the shrewdness courage and statesmanship which the nonpartisan non partisan committee has displayed in its conduct thus far of the campaign it has undertaken its members have exposed themselves to the accusations and abuse of the politicians and to every possible misconstruction of their motives a thing that a cowardly man un under der the circumstances would not be likely to do and when the people understand all the phases of the situation they will vindicate the committee and its nieth methods so at least the news believes whether the nonpartisan non partisan policy will be to permanently abolish the th rule of the the news at this time is unable to say we e sincerely hope so and know that to be the intention of the present leaders there are several bridges yet ahead of the reform movement which it will cross as it comes to them just now the matter that should receive attention and endorsement from all concerned is the triumph of the nonpartisan non partisan ticket |