Tonopah Daily Bonanza

NO ONE MAN POWER

Citizens of Reno rebuked the officious meddling of the Gazette with their political affairs by promptly securing defeat of the measure designed to place that town under an appointive power by divesting the present town council of its authority and centralizing the town management in a few individuals. The bill met a deserved fate. The result should be a warning to others that there is a limit to which taxpayers may be driven and also answers the inquiry if there is an end to boss dictation in directing municipal affairs. The Gazette remonstrates by ascribing the defeat to "a small combination of officeholders assisted by a brigade of young men who are opposed to making the office of city attorney appointive."

This statement is a humiliating confession of impotency and in a few words conveys the fact that the Gazette is without influence in its own bailiwick and that the people preferred to do what "a few young men" urged rather than accept the advice of an organ which has always been regarded as a part of the state political machine. That paper has been leading around a tame bull with a ring in his nose until the animal became so infuriated that it turned on its captor and chased him into the tall timber. The influence of a newspaper may be measured by results. The Gazette usurped the rights of an advisor to assume the role of dictator for which it was not qualified by influence or training. If the citizens of Reno were eager to revise their charter there would have been such a demonstration at the capital that the lawmakers would not dare deny the majority the privilege of running their own business. Reno got what was coming to it. The expatriated divorcees do not represent Nevada any more than they do their temporary place of residence and the legislature did exactly what was right in refusing to make any radical change in the operation of the city. The colony of short term residents have to learn one thing and that is that they are permitted to remain here on sufferance so long as they behave themselves and do not try to interfere too much with what does not concern them.