The Politics of Personality in Prosser
A political defense of County Auditor L. L. Lynn, whose opponents attack his 'pomposity' and musical hobbies rather than his administrative record.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The chief objection which County Auditor L. L. Lynn’s political enemies seem to be able to raise against him is that he is the 'pompous president of the Prosser Commercial club,' that he has played the saxophone at Hanford and made hog speeches at Kennewick. If we read aright, even though carrying the dead weight of pomposity, he has made a good, active and hustling president and has infused a ginger that is entirely new to the Prosser Commercial club. We can’t vouch for the quality of his music at Hanford, but he did make a good hog speech in Kennewick. These puerile attacks will only contribute to Mr. Lynn’s strength as a candidate for re-election. He is not seeking the nomination on his musical or oratorical talents but upon his qualifications for the office and his record in the office. Inasmuch as it is conceded that he has made good, he should be retained, pomposity and all.
“He is not seeking the nomination on his musical or oratorical talents but upon his qualifications for the office.”
This piece illustrates that the 'culture war' style of attacking a candidate's personal quirks or extracurricular interests as a substitute for policy criticism is not a modern invention of social media, but a long-standing tactic in local governance.
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