Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-11-12
MEMPHIS APPEAL
TUESDAY MORNING. SOW. II, Is7a
OOMPuLsoRY VOTING.

HudAICAnA uCSAcCt 70 NsCLa8Bt TIC uNtl
Incumbent upon all good citizens, has
made us q convert TO the new doctrine
of compulsory voting. The Romans, a
one time, exacted from every citizen an
interest in public and political affairs
The price Of liberty is eternal vigi,
lence.u Good citizens win always fee
interest enough in the politics of the
country to induce them to deposite theiI
votes; and there should be a law com
polling the avarieious political drones to
vote in all elections. Men are compelled
to work on the roads, 70 serve as jurors,
and perform military duty, in order to
promote the public good, and they
should be made to vote for the same
reasons. 1t Is PROPOSED to the present
General Assembly OF France 10 tsx ell
voters who refuse or neglect TO exercise
the right to vote. 1t is no violation
Of personal rights to endow a man with
privilege and then force him to exer-
else it. The evils occasiOned by a fail
ure to vote were fully illustrated in the
Southern States on Tuesday last. Had
the white voters Of this district turned
out and manifested that interest in the
election which every goodcitizen yolun-
tarily bestOws, the result for Congress
would have been far different. Several
of the Northern States have already
made the day Of election a general holt
day, and it has proved successful. The
New York BUeniHg Post, in an able ar
ticle on this subject shows that by this
law a class Of men is relieved from the
ordinary cares and duties of business,
who hitherto have given no other atten-
ton to the election than that Of deposit
ing their votes, and not always even
that. The complaint has always been
that the better portion of the
community, the more orderly, the
more thoughtful, and the more
respectable would not give the time and
attention to political affairs which their
intrinsic importance demands, and that
consequently they have fallen INTO the
hands Of a class more easily controlled
and managed by the designing men who
make politics q trade. Men engaged in
active business pursuits reluct at giving
up a whole day to the performance Of so
abstract a duty Is that Of serving their
country Devotion TO their daily busi-
ness is habitual; it ordinarily occupies
al their thoughts and demands all their
attention. To sacrifice its interests even
for a single day may be an absolute loss
and is, at any rate, to run the risk of the
advantage competitors may gain over
them by their greater diligence. But
the suspension of all business on election
day, by making it a legal holiday, and
10y the passage Of a law forcing men
ID deposit their vote at the ballot
box, viii do away with this diff
Guilty. "The business man then h.s
no notes to take care Of, no pay
ments to look after, no competition to
dread; the cares ofhis Office or his sto: e
can be laid aside; he can permit himself
20 think Of and give attention to those
public affairs which, for a few hours, de-
land public attention, and his private =
terests will not compel him Il deposit ,
bis vote in the least possible time andhur- =
~ away, or, which is quite as often the :
Ease. leave the voting to be attended to at =
the end of the day, at a leisure moment,
does not very likely occur at all I
He has nothing else on a holiday to do
but to vote, and, as a natural conse :
luence, he finds, when he has nothin Q 7,
Else to think of, that voting, after all, is
quite an interesting and important =
BUSINESS. He finds that at the polls =
here is work for an honest and sober !
and respectable man to do, and which il :
5 his duty to attend to. II IS no reply Il
% the argument on behalf Of this new u
arrangement to say that If the day is !
made a day Of leisure law that it does d
70 for one class a much as another; that I"
& releases the turbulelt and Tie vicious o.
rom the restraints of their ordinary av- 7,
cation as much as it does the sober and p
he conscientious citizen. True; but the
lass Of men who need to be controlled
nd brought under better influences have el
lways made Of e~lectiOn-day a holiday. re
hey have always been present in fun .
lrce; either because they have no pri- IT
ate affairs to engage their thoughts %
nd their diligence, or else, because 81
is their private affairs, v
nd they therefore are as busy and u
5 earnest as they are INSCRIPTIONS in p
.onducting elections. It is TO take the !"
out Of their hands, or to compel %
hem to honest and decent conduct that e
he presence OF other men is wanted, and d'
his result can only be attained by max !"
lg that a general holiday which has 'c
itherto been one exclusively for the pr
-orst sort of politicians and the roughs. u
government is a serious business, and ~
overnment is re-created on every cleo II
on day. The nearer we can come TO r.
voting a solemn duty, the near ga
r we approach to purity in politics. VI
the day will come when men Nc
i'll vote with as much serious %
ass, and with the same ccnvic- "a
Of duty as they now go 70 q
iurch-perhaps WheR they go TO church. op
Ieanwhile there is a point gained ca
hen the better part OF the community, 70
le sober, thoughtful men, who are 50
rgely in the majority, shall feel inter
L enough in politics to devote one day m,
the year to the business Of elections, tn,
I'd shall be induced to do - by being lea
leased 10y law from other and impera- sps
We duties, whichmust either have their ed
attention, or dropped alto be
.ther by common consent. Perhaps by Co
practical expedient the way has at last on
en- discovered by which politics are to tbs
made respectable and voting a well ed
me and pleasant duty, rather than, as the
has hitherto been considered by so hel
any, an irksome task, to be Ne
on any pretext." Our insti- mu
tons cannot be preserved; good men a c
mot be elected 10 Office so long as hol
Cd men keep away from the ballot be
x. "a bird that can sing and WON'T
x should be made TO sing;' and the ]
an who can vote and won't voteshOuld a Is
made to vote. In a country where As:
edOm Of discussion is permitted in ing
bic affairs, no nan who is capable Of not
waiting his views beyond objects Of Pan
re personal interest can pass through bal
= without at some time or other en- the
ging in the contests Of party. Ameri titl'
ls have been supposed to be especially rigl
dicted to contests and disputations to /
out Of this source; a fact to be que