Daily national Democrat., 1859-03-16
Culpable Indifference in Election Times.

EDITOR NATIONAL DEMoCRAT:-Those of
republican institutions cannot to its full ex
tent, appreciate the benignity they enjoy and
the happiness they are consequently owing to
their forefathers. If they were fully able to
appreciate those gifts, they would certainly
not SO often evince that Indifference on cleo
tion days. Nobody will doubt that our in
stitutions are the very best to be found the
world over. if only we fulfil the duties per-
tanning to good citizen; for if we do not
fulfil them. and, if on election days, honest
good citizens keep far from the ballot box
and take no interest in elections, l am eer-
'tainly inclined to believe that even tie Rus
sian form of government would then be far
preferable, for in Russia there is, although
an arbitrary, at least an intelligent power to
select fit men for offices, and at the same
time severe, if not cruel punishment in case
of conviction of misdemeanor | need not
describe the most sad consequences of elec-
tiOns conducted only by dishonest people, or
by nothing but an army of hungry office
seekers, for in such cases we cannot expect to
have the right man in the right place; hon
esty and real fitness will never be Opprecia-
ted, and dishonest or incapable men will al
ways be in office.
Under our form of government there are
no Insignificant or unmportant offices, for as
they are all filled by the vote of the people,
they assume more Importance and power and
as the incumbent officers consider themselves
generally without any superior, they conse-
quently can do much evil before their time of
Office expires. All elections therefore must
be attended to and seriously watched by all
honest citizens if they really love and appre-
ciate those benign gifts of their forefathers.
Naturalzed citizens, the most of them at
least, should be able to appreciate to its full
est extent the happiness they enjoy under
those American institutions, and should cer-
tainly consider it their paramount duty to
take a serious interest in all elections
Whether native or naturalized citizens, let
us all unite on election times and show to the
world that we appreciate to its fullest extent
and that we are really worthy of our
free institutions, for fthere is a State in the
Union where good citizens should take
most lively interest in all elections, it is
chiefly in California, whose population, at
tracted by its immense richness of gold is
composed of all States and all nations, and
where we may well suppose, that if we can
iboast. of many good and honest citizens, we
also must admit that amongst us we have
very many unworthy to be entrusted with
office
we can, for instance, easily see by our own
Legislature at Sacramento what evil in only
one session it could do to our own State. How
much more important to the whole Union
must be decisions at the hands of our Con
gress at Washington where two hundred
millions of dollars may be voted for the nur
chase of Cuba and Nicaragua, but where
party spirit, alleging poverty of treasury, has
no sympathy for really necessary internal
improvements, and where it denies to our
own, once certainly the most important State
Of the Union, an indispensable railroad which
would tring us nearer to our sister States,
ana which must link together Europe, Amer
ica ana Asia, and which, nobody will doubt |
would make San Francisco in a few years af |
ser' second New York, il not second Lon.
uoh, and California certainly one of the
W. wwealthiest and most happy States of the
mon or Of the world. Ali, or about all de
pends on the baIlotbox.
A NATURALIzED CITIZEN.