In past years the great complaint has been that few people' took the slightest interest in the elections for the Municipal Council of the French Concession.
Recently the position has not! been nearly so bad, thanks to vigorous Press campaign to overcome the old apathy, but eve! so a grent many of the rate. payers have not yet aroused themselves to their duty to vote.
In these circumstances it is satisfactory this year to see that} electioneering has already commenced, and that between now and January 19, the date of the election, an active canvass likely to take place. We hope that it may be effective and) result in all previous records at, the poll being broken. Nothing worse either for Councillors or Municipal employees than a feeling that they can carry on their work with little or no public! scrutiny, and moreover in the case of the Councillors they realize that their authority to direct the work of the Municipality is strengthened by a vigorous expression of opinion from the ratepayers. While remembering' that our Councillors work hard enough in their public capacity not to desire to have the additional burden of election fighting, imposed on them, we nevertheless} welcome a contest where it serves to promote the civic interest of the public.
As things are constituted, Shanghai does not lend itself greatly to the arts of public oratory, but that is no reason why the views of candidates should not be laid before the ratepayers. This is done to-day in the case of the French aspire ants to office. As explained elsewhere there are four vacancies, two for French members and two for foreign. No contest for the foreign seats seems likely to take place, so that we shall probably see the retiring members. Messrs. W. J. N. Dyer and F. Schwyzer, back in their accustomed places. The two sitting, French members, M. A. Chapeaux, and Dr. E. L, Tartois, offer! themselves for re-election, and the third candidate is M. clu Pac!
Marsoulies.. The former gentlemen quote a series of fine Municipal achievements as the basis. of their claim for re-election, while M. clu Pac sets! forth his position in an intering and scholarly election address. It is to be hoped that! the ratepayers of the Concession will pay due attention to these candidatures and to what these gentlemen announce, and on the day of the poll register their votes. What nobody wants to see is a member of Council elected by a mere minority of the voters, but that the poll should be an expression of the opinion of the whole community.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.