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The Highland Park News. l Pi“ Published in th Park, Highwood a afternoon by H, F. ‘Mmbjew me wkqifl'g'q ”ml-gummy; Terms, $1.90 pct year, 55 cents for six months. 30 cents for three months. Office: Mcl’bnald’s Building, St. johns Avenue, Highland Park, Illinois. ' Adverflslnt rates made known on application at this ofllce. LEWIS B. HIBBARD H. F. EVANS “ABOUT these days look out for l elections,”as the old almanacs would say Look at the list of elections for | us in two w:eeks April 6th, East Deerfield; April 10th High‘School; April 1 7th, Grammar School; April 20th, City of Highland Park. Is it ‘ any wonder the Irishman fresh .from the Emerald Isle decides to “follow politics the year around," as his neighbor decided to make maple su- gar? All the prosperity in the world could do nothing for us in suoh cir/ cumstances. ‘ The City Council is what? Six; men with the Mayor, Clerk and Attorney. But the alderman do all the talking and voting save when l there is a tie and the mayor cuts the ; Gordian knot. What is the work, l business or duty of these six alder- ‘ man? It is to manage the business i affairs of the city: that is all. noth- ing more and nothing less There 'Vis‘nolpol'ities and seldom much reâ€" ligion in it, but purely business matters from first to last. In this respect it is like a corporation. a railway or a manufacturing company of any kind. The citizens. that is the tax payers, are the stock hold ers and their “shares" are in pro- portion to the amount of taxable property they own in the (ity and‘ the board of aldermen Ire really the “directors" of the municipal company. This is the real, true and business idea of a city council. the directors. or business managers of a FRIDAY. APRIL 16, 1897. mp1)... w..- Park Ill. ,. as second class matfer WHAT IS THE COUNCIL? the mtercsts of Highland and Ravinia, cvery Friday I“. A. E, Evans. - Emmn. BUSINESS MANAGER. THE HIGHLAND PARK NEWS. big business institution. Hence, party politics, religious preference and social standing have no more to do with the selection of an alderman than they have to do with the se- lection of a man for a director in a railway. steamship or manufacturing company. Marvin, Hughitt is not made president of the Northwestern ‘Iswgilway Co. because he 1s an Elder ‘ 111 Dr. Wfijirow’s Tfih‘d fiesbytéfiii church in Chicago, but on account of his preeminent business ability; that and that alone decides the . whole question. So Chauncey M. i Depew is put in a similar position in the New York Central, not be- cause he is a great after dinner speaker, but from his superior ad- ministrative business talent. That i is the way these big business enter- I prises are managed; the best men i are secured as managers and then i . . ! success and d1v1dends follow. A city council is a like institution: its alderman are the “directors" or business managers and hence, if they are capable, efficient business men, the business afi'airs of the city will prosper ~ and not otherwise. The afiairs of the city cannot be managed successfully by guesswork. haphazard, spasmOdic efl'orts any more than a railroad company's affairs. The railroad 0r manufact‘ uring company carefully select their best, most competent andablest men for directors so the company can prosper, for it can't prosper in any other way. Now fellow citizens do we select aldermen in this way? Is our board ‘ of alderman composed of the select, choicest, ablest and most conspicw ously successful business men in the icity? The work of the council is general business and finance: finan- ce is the specialty. Have our alder- men made themselves conspicuous by their marked success as finan- ciers? The assessed valuation of the city is about $550,000; in round numbers. over a half million; the real valuation is from five to ten 0 times that amount. That is the capital stack of the municipal enter- prise, and We select our aldermen to manage it. Do they represent the l highwater mark of business ability in this city ‘3 l l ; 1 i The voters of this ward are faced with a problem, which of two good men to elect. The south end of the ward want a representative andhave selected Dr. Frank M. Ingalls; the voters of the upper end'of the Ward wanting someone else, chose 001. H. P. Davidson, of the Military Aoad emy. Both are good men; both have thefF'TIersonti‘ljirtfids .both‘iffs men we would like to vote for. and we greatly regret that both men are in the field, for it is likely to deVelop divisipns in the ward. Dr. Ingalls is not milking any personal canvass. he i has simply said if the'ward wanted him and elected him, he .would serve. ‘ He is perfectly honorable and fair 1 about it. He was put. into the field E by his friends. THE THIRD WARD PROBLEM. Now with most of the voters there is nothing personal about it; they want the man who will best serve the city and the local interests of that ward at this time. This year the great thing is the improvement of St Johns. They tell us they want Col. Dmidson because he is deeply and personally interested be- cause he wants the street improved thoroughly and honestly, that he has been urging it these seven years and that he will guard their interests while promoting those of the city. As to his tried and proven business \ ability. they point to the fact that i notwithstanding the disasters from ilegal complications, a bank failure iand the hard times, he is steadily i and sticcessfully working out of the i‘enorrnous load of difficulties and i will soon be completely on his feet 1 with a property worth from $50,000 1 to $00,000 free froni irielirnlirarice. i It must he confessed that they: men who are to foot the bills of that big improvement, have some right to > be heard, and they call on us to elect 3 their man. Three years ago they i wanted him elected, but the voters said “No, we want St. Johns im- proved." and elected another man. Is St. Johns improved? That is the problem. Which man will help that improvement the most '3 The six weeks' drill contest, at the Military Academy is on and the ca- dets un- enjoying it immensely. fa}!