Elections are close at hand. The citizens of Chicago are to elect city councillors and a mayor in the first week of April, 1915. This [news] may be seen in the newspapers ostensibly devoted to the working classes, to the people. Not only do the political hyenas emerge for the kill, but now we see that many newspapers are beginning to befuddle the peoples' minds, so that one does not know whether to laugh at the adulation [expressed by the papers] or to weep for the working people. The only reason why not all have been stripped by the political hyenas is that these people do not believe what the newspapers state. All of a sudden we find that the newspapers begin to give advice to people; just before the election they tell them who is good to them, and who is bad, who is a friend, and who is an enemy. Why the sudden interest in the common people? It could not perhaps be ascribed to the approaching election--or could it? It does seem strange that throughout the rest of the year no mention is made of the working class in these newspapers 2unless some unfortunate worker dies a suicide because of hunger or commits some crime for the purpose of saving his wife and children [from starvation].

The newspapers are filled with the promises of politicians. No one knows why these politicians have not yet learned that the public is becoming wise, that the citizens know how to distinguish between hollow promises and those which are sincere--how to separate falsehood from truth. It is even worse in the Polish politics of the city. Mr. Hojka was defeated in the primaries. He was defeated by the Poles themselves because it suited Mr. McGraw, who probably will be about as much interested in Polish matters as in the man in the moon.

And yet the Poles in Chicago should understand this--that whoever does not tend to weld all the political parties into one unit when the election of a Pole is at stake, such a person is not a party opponent but an enemy of the interests of all the Polish immigrants. Unfortunately there are many people of that type among us. Meanwhile the time is close at hand when our national 3necessity will demand of us the greatest possible influence in American politics.

At such a time our people should stand shoulder to shoulder; it is the moment when all parties, camps, and organizations must fight a decisive battle against the enemies of Poles here in America. In times like these the factions of political parties present two Polish candidates to oppose each other in order to make it possible for a third person, not a Pole, to attain victory in a Polish ward.

That is the type of politics which confronts our people in Chicago, the fourth largest city in the world in Polish population. The Poles here pursue the policy of splitting our strength and chasing after small jobs promised by politicians instead of sending people to the city council who would care for our Polish interests.

The Poles have already lost the battle in the Twenty-seventh Ward in the approaching election. At least now, when it has become our lot to vote for candidates who with few exceptions are of other nationalities, our people should show that we are enlightened citizens of the city and not a breed of halfwits who have been caught in a trap set by politicians.

Political hyenas and bankers that never redeem their election promises should encounter the reply that they deserve. The motto of the citizens of Chicago on election day should be:

"Have nothing to do with political hyenas and stand firm by the people of labor and [by candidates of] tested integrity."