The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-01-21
Voting as aDuty.

From he FFOrldSNes Journal.
We hear great deal of the right to
vote and Of The privilege Of voting. The
question isconstantly discussed whether
voting Is really q right which belongs to
all, or only a privilege which Is conferred
on q few. lin the Woman Suffrage AssO-
Citations, so far as we have observed, It Is
regarded mainly as right. and the great
object of such associations Is TO secure Tor
the gentler sex that which Is held to be-
long TO them as q natural and heayen.be.
slowed gilt, however 1t may have been
kept in pbeyance by the tyranny ofmen.
But whether it be right, either natural
or social, or only o privilege which may
be given or withheld according TO the
will OF the majority, Il Is very plain that
voting, as general rule, Is held in the
highest esteem by those who are debarred
from participating 1t. Tobe thus de-
barred Is commonly regarded az an IN
mense grievance. But no sooner Is the
grievance removed and the privilege Or
right oil suffrage freely conferred, thanit
Immediately ceases 10 be cared for and
falls into very general neglect ..-..'-
The East Boston Adpoede maintains
that voting ought 70 be made by law the
duty of citizen, and that a penalty ought
10 be annexed for It's neglect The same
idea has lately been put fourth In other
very respectable journals as a remedy for
the great evils Of the time In this matter Of
suffrage. The corruptions Of the suffrage
arc stupehdous, and they cannot too ire.
quently engage public attention, They SO
obviously vitiate our entire republican sys-
TEN, as TO compel the American people 10
choose one oil the two things. Either these
corruptions must cease or our republican
freedom will come to an end. The DELHI
crate, intelligent and Impoverished ballot
lies at the very foundation ofall our insti-
tltions. A legislator or magistrate chosen
Ia any other way Is not In any true or le-
gal sense chosen at all; and he ought not
TO be permitted TO enter upon any public
service whatever II, for example, man
should become President Of the United
States in virtue Of IN election at which
votes were purchased or the suffrage was
In any way corrupted, his entrance upon
the Office would DO the virtual overthrow
Of the republic, And this would be true,
even though the man himself took no
part whatever in the corruption, and did
not even know OF It's existence. Whether
the Office Is bought and sold like goods In
the market, by him who aspires 10 II, or
by his friends, the result is Of course the
same. The Office might as well be struck
of to the highest bidder, as was the title
Of Emperor in the latter ages Of the Ro-
man Empire, as to be thus bestowed on
any man by purchased votes. ID
II Is quite time, therefore, that we be-
gin TO look upon voting as o duty, rather
than either privilege or fright. II Is u
work which man Is called TO do, not for
himself but for socicty-not 10 promote
his own interest, but to subserve the pub
Lie good There are in all communities
large numbersoi citizens who never think
Of going TO the polls and casting vote
until they are urged by some committee,
and even then they vote with little rcfec-
ton or inquiry as 70 the issue really ut
stake. There are others, and in some
communities we arc sorry TO say they
arc very numerous, who do. not vote i'm.
less in some way or other they, are paid
for it, They hold their vote as they hold
any other commodity, as thing to be
turned to some pecIniary account. Be
You'd this they care nothing for II. II they
cannot sell 4 they have no use to make
of II. let this matter Of choosing lcgis-
lators and magistrates by the suafages Of
the people DO invested with higher sane
tions, or 1t will, ere long, degenerate into
a larce, IL It does not sink into tho still
worse degradation Of being controlled by
mere venality and pecuniary profit