The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 1908. THE MAYORAL ELECTIONS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2174, 25 April 1908, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 1908. THE MAYORAL ELECTIONS.

Those correspondents wlio have been laying stress upon the necessity of considering tho personal character of candidates at tho coming Mayoral election arc fully justified in their claim. It has been well said that a community may be judged’ by its public men, and in no . sense is this truism more fully exemplified than in tho choice of a Mayor. Not only does ho leave the impress of his capacity or incapacity, as the case may ho, on municipal legislation, but lie also takes his part in the affaire of tho town as the accredited representative of the people. Such a man obviously should be possessed of a high standard of morality in public and private life. What is tolerated' in a private citizen will not necessarily suffice when the qualifications for a public office are being considered. In the free and open life of a new and magnificent country there is a danger that we are inclined to underestimate thoso ideals of strict integrity and morality that, founded upon deep-rooted religious convictions, were an essential part in tho lives of our forbears in tho Old Country. Nowadays, it is a common expression to hear of an individual, “Yes! lie’s a hustler; there’s-not much you can teach him, but—lie’s as crooked as a dog’s liind leg.” Needless to say, no community could very well bo proud of the fact that they elevated such a person to 'any public capacity. In their own business relationships they might find it necessary to meet such a man on equal terms, they might-, indeed, condone his lack of moral principle in the tribute that is involuntarily bestowed upon tho financially successful man, but tlioy would scarcely give a vote to plaeo him upon a pedestal where ho must necessarily stand as the measure of thoir own ideals of moral worth. Up to tho present the position of Mayor in Dominion towns lias, as a general rule, carried with.it a certain amount of prestige, and tlicro aro not many instances wliero the people have so far forgotten themselves -as to oloct to that honorable oifico men wlioso reputations should ' have prevented them receiving serious consideration. Thoso who would pass lightly over this aspect of the Mayoral elections must recollect that it is one of tho eternal laws of Nature that no eomrnuniy can permit tho standard of its public life to bo lowered but sooner or later it must pay with, tremendous interest for tlio mistake. History provides many notable instances of the fact, and a striking modern example is provided by -the United States. No nation konwn to contemporary history started under such .favorable auspices. Yet a laxity in regard to public matters permitted the seeds of corruption to take root and thrive, until now the position of Mayor in many of the chief cities is looked upon merely as ono offering magnificent opportunities for robbing the people, and certainly lias ljttlo honor attached to it. Tho people are practically helpless, and have long since become apparently reconciled to a deplorable state of affairs. Their instincts are still morally sound, but their protests are futile, land aro simply laughed at by the bands of boodlers whose marvellous organisation enables them to beat the unwieldy public every time a contest occurs. One may ask “What has this to do with Gisborne?” “What opportunity lias the boodler of robbing us?” This is true to an extent. Our municipal transactions are on so small a scale that there is little inducement for the “grafter,” ns ho is known in America, to' seek for actual monetary gain, but it- must be borne in mind also that Gisborne is now in the making. An unprogressive Council or an unprogressive " Mayor can possibly delay the progress of tho Borough somewhat, but only to a slight extent. Certain obvious reforms must bo carried out, no matter who sits in the Mayoral chair, but the bad name that will accrue to a town which places in its chief muni-

cipal position one whose moral tone is j low—to say nothing oi the hurtful : influence on tho people themselves—jis something that would take years Ito remedy. Once tho position is * lowered lroin this aspect, it becomes | exceedingly difficult to raise it again. Tho general public insensibly acquires | tho view that no high standard is ' necessary, the oflico becomes dogradjod, and thus is tho laxity produced | which will 'subsequently bring an uni desired harvest. This is not a quosj tion of speculation or of mero party j prejudice, but a simple statement of j iUI eternal law that counts for all j timo and for all places. In other words, tho man who is “ns crooked : as a dog’s bind leg,” whatever his other qualifications, should have no plaeo in tho public life of this Domii nion. Our representatives, national and municipal, should represent the highest ideals of tho host people in the community.