Election Day

Today, aside from being Guy Fawkes Day in England, is election day in Cambridge. In England the day is a memorial to a frustrated attempt to blow up Parliament and the reigning monarch.

In Cambridge today, however, the forces of righteousness are mustering against the undesirables in much the same way that Back Bay rallied against South Boston. These days, however, such squabbles are being relegated to a prudent limbo. The fight involves the less abstract factors of city administration and the school system.

The latter is undeniably in a bad way. Mayor Sullivan and other professional elements in the city have seen to it that the schools are overloaded with patronage appointments, the latest incidence of which occurred last December and is the hottest issue today. Crusading royally against the Mayor is the Cambridge Civic Association.

Not exactly a hotbed of bluebloods, the CCA tends to be committed to good government rather than simply the "better people," but it does have a definite Brattle Street tinge. To replace its inherent social prejudice, the CCA has done a remarkably good job not only in finding different types of people to represent it to the voters, but in consistently working for better civic administration in Cambridge.

It would be extremely unfortunate if cultural considerations prevented the mass of Cambridge voters from giving adequate thought to the candidates and platform of the CCA. The CCA represents both honesty and dedication in city politics; if its efforts seem amateurish, the fact is not a sin, only a detriment to effectiveness. The CCA candidates and their stand for a "No" vote on both referenda are commendable. They deserve a strong vote.