The Citizens' Association.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17119, 14 April 1921, Page 6

The Citizens' Association.

We are glad to seet that the Citizens' Association has accepted the suggestion we offered to it yesterday, and has decided to contest the municipal elections vigorously. Some of its candidates, as announced in this issue, are to fire the first shots in its campaign to-morrow night, and next week two or three meetings are to be held each night, at which the electors will have the opportunity of hearing all the Association's candidates, including those who are seeking election for the first time, explain their views. This is as it should be; our only regret is that this course was not adopted a week ago. As it is, the Association allowed the Labour candidates to get into the field first, and they have made the most of their start. First impressions, we admit, are not everything; elections are, indeed, often won through the influence of the final impressions received by the electors hefore going to the poll. But it is not safe to trust to the effect of an eleventh-hour rally; it is far the wiser course for the party that wants to win an election to see that both the first and last impressions made upon the electors are in its favour. In the present case, the Citizens' Association has lost such advantage as attaches to getting in the first blow, but there is yet time for it to make up for that by putting some extra vigour into its campaign up to the eve of the poll. The only way to secure victory in the contest is to oppose aggression with aggression, and to carry the fight into the enemy's country. This is especially the case when, as in the present instance, the opposing force has shown itself to be enterprising and not over-scrupulous.