THE CANDIDACY OF ARMSTRONG
The Lincoln Journal, whose chief con
trollers are among the largest holders of
Traction company stock, are very much ex
ercised lest an official of the Lincoln Gas
Company be elected mayor of this city ...The
warnings against electing an official of a
franchised corporation to the mayoralty
would have more weight coming from a
newspaper whose directing power was not
in the hands of large stockholders of a rival
franchised corporation but even emanating
from that source the warning is entitled to
at least some consideration
Who is Alvin H. Armstrong, and what is
his connection with the Lincoln Gas and
Electric Light Company?
When we have investigated these queries
to the full, and not until then, we will have
reached the position where we may safely
adopt a conclusion.
Alvin H. Armstrong is president and
manager of one of the largest retail cloth
ing and men's furnishings stores between
Chicago and the Pacific coast. Before com
ing to Lincoln twelve or fifteen years ago he
made a success of a similar business in
Cedar Rapids, la., where he still retains .
large interests. The firm with which he "is
connected, and of which he is the moving
spirit, does as large a clothing business as
any similar house between the Mississippi
river and the Pacific. This immense busi
ness is the direct result of hard work, close
application, intelligent business direction
and absolute good faith with the public
served. In addition to this business Mr,
Armstrong possesses large real estate 'in
terests in Lincoln. The business record of
Alvin II. Armstrong is an open book the
record of a successful man.
Now as to his connection with the Lin- V
coin Gas and Electric Light company. This
corporation is a constituent part of the Mc
Millan syndicate which owns and operates
similar plants in numerous cities. Mr.
Armstrong is president of the local corpora-
tion, which is subject to and under the
direction of the syndicate manager, Mr.
Doherty. Mr. Armstrong's duties as presi
dent of the local corporation are perfunc
tory. He presides at board meetngs and
signs a few necessary papers. , .
'MR. ARMSTRONG'S HOLDINGS OF
GAS COMPANY STOCK AMOUNT TO
LESS THAN THE AVERAGE SATUR
DAY RECEIPTS OE HIS CLOTHING
STORE 1
Now let us consider. We are asked by
interested stockholders in' a rival concern
who happen to control a great newspaper
to believe that Alvin II. Armstrong, a suc
cessful and levelheaded . business man, is
likely to ruin the big clothing business he
has built up with infinite labor in order to
add a bit to the meagre holdings of gas
company stock in his possession. On other
words, we are asked to believe that Mr.
Armstrong will alienate the good will of
the Lincoln public, thus ruining his big
clothing business, by betraying the inter
ests of that public to the gas company on
account of the less than $3,000 worth of gas
company stock he has. Or, again, we are
asked to believe that Mr. Armstrong will
risk ruining a business amounting to more
than half a million a year for the purpose
of increasing the value of about $3,000
worth of gas company stock.
What is there in Mr. Armstrong's busi
ness career to indicate that he would be
guilty of business suicide? What is there
about his record as a man of affairs to in
dicate that he would risk a splendid busi
ess by betraying the people in order to
protect a pitiful little block of stock in a
gas company?
And even if Mr. Armstrong were so fool
ish as to risk that business in that way,
how could he advantage the gas company?
The gas rate question is in the supreme
court of United States to be there settled.
No matter who is mayor when that deci
sion comes down, he can have nothing to
do with the result. What about the tests
for British Thermal Unites? That is the
business of another city official than the
mayor. What about regulatory ordi
nances? They are subject to review under
the referendum.
The voters of Lincoln should not be de
ceived. There is absolutely nothing in
these warnings against electing Mr. Arm
strong to the mayoralty because he is presi
dent of the gas company. The warning
comes from men who own a fifth of a mil
lion dollars' worth of Traction company
jstock, and a geat daily newspaper. That
'newspaper has never '- raised; a single de
fense of the people .in their troubles with
the Traction company. It has' shiftily
dodged and evaded and shrewdly insinu
ated, and all .for the benefit of its holdings
in a franchised corporation, the while pro
testing in the name of the dear people,
against risking the awful danger of elect-,
V ing: the noininal president of another fran
chise corporation to municipal office.
For weary months the Greeks beseiged
Troy, .striving in vain to ,rnake a breach in
the walls. But the Trojans held out, and
the Greeks were baffled. Finally the
Greeks builded an immense wooden horse
and with pomp and show wheeled it to the
very gates of the beseiged city. Then the
,,. Grecian army marched away with trumpets
blowing and pennons fluttering. The Tro
jans pondered over the horse, wondering
what it meant. Finally one man suggested
that it was a gift from the Greeks, signify
ing .pesce and evidencing admiration for a
valianfctiefense. "Let us accept the. gift,"
; said one, "and thus cement a lasting friend-
ship." But a wise man said : "Beware of
the Greeks bearing gifts !" The advice of
the wise man was unheeded and the Tro-;
jans marched out and pushed the great
wooden horse into their eity. No sooner
was it inside than a body of armed Greeks
. sprang from it, threw open the city's gates
and admitted the Greek warriors who had
only marched a short distance away and
softly returned while the Trojans were
deeply interested in that wooden horse.
And so Troy fell that day, a victim of Gre
cian guile and Trojan innocence.
...-Beware -of the Greeks bearing gifts!"
The warnings against electing Mr. Arm
strong, nominal head of the gas company,
come from a newspaper notoriously inter
ested in the rival street railway, company.
Both sell electric light. Mr. Armstrong,
the man we are warned against, has gas
holdings totalling less than 10 per cent of
the street railway holdings of the news
paper issuing the solemn warnings.
Mr. Armstrong asks nothing more than
to be judged by his record as a business
man, as a citizen and as a well wisher of
Lincoln. His supporters are more than
willing to have his record for public spirit,
civic enterprise, liberality and progressive
ness compared with that of any other man
in Lincoln.
The man who has builded a splendid
business success for himself, and upon
legitimate lines, is the kind of a man Lin
coln needs now to manage its municipal
business.
Let us have more 6f business methods
and less of attitudinizing' and theories.
Let us have practical men who have builded
practical success, instead of theorists and
essayists, to manage the municipal affairs
of this splendid and growing city of fifty
thousand people.
A Bigger, Broader Busier Lincoln !"
Yes, and let us have big, broad, busy,
brainy business men) successful business
men to transact our municipal business.
A Glimpse Rearward
A BRIEF GLIMPSE REARWARD
When Mr. Love assumed the office of
mayor the Lincoln Traction Co. was pay
ing a 5 per cent occupation tax. That tax
has been reduced to 1 per cent on the gross
receipts, i
The newspaper organ of Mayor Love is
interested in the Traction Company to the
extent of a quarter of a million dollars.
There may, or may not, be some con
nection between these two facts.
When Mr. Love assumed the duties of
mayor the six-for-a-quarter fare ordinance
was in force, as it is now, and its validity
beyond question.
Today the Traction Company seeks to
have the state railway commission set that
ordinance aside. The chairman of the
board of commissioners is a former official
of the Traction Company, and while mayor
some years ago signed an ordinance which
permitted a railway company to build a
side track into the very heart of the city
to accommodate the newspaper whose own
ers are also owners of a huge block of
Traction Company stock. The statis
tician of that board was one of that news
paper's preferred candidates for exciseman.
There may, or may not, be some connec
tion between these facts.
When Mr. Love assumed the office of
mayor the paving of intersections was paid
by the city at large. Since then the paving
matter has been so handled that these in
tersections mus,t be paid for by the taxpay
ers of that particular district. The taxpay
ers who have for years been paying for
intersections miles away from their prop
erty, and are now compelled to pay for
their intersections without help from those
they helped in days gone by, are doubtless
considering the matter these days.
Isn't It Awful, Mabel?
Curses! We are discovered!! Our pre
ferred candidate has been exposed by the
awful charge that he is guilty of the hein
ous crime of smoking an occasional
cigarette.
. We are indeed undone!
Well, there is some satisfaction, even in
all this. At least our preferred candidate
for mayor doesn't do croacheting or em
broidery work, and if ever does his hair up
in curl papers at night he has not been de
tected in the act.