The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-11-22
THE PAJJPER VOTE.

timental stuff that has appeared any where
in print within the present decade may be
found in last Saturdays Democrat, under
the caption of Pauper Stock The OBJ
ject of this rhapsody, that would dc credit
to the most romantic maiden of budding
sixteen, is the molly farm wagon loads of
poor house boarders which were hauled
by Captain Pluck, on last election day.
"They are the wounded strangers of the
way side," says The Democrat-a very
pretty sentence that. But in point of fact
there was not a stranger OF wounded man
among them. Old black Eli Wright comes
the nearest to wounded" having lost
piece of one leg by the surgeons knife
from disease but not from wounds. And
again, alt is Gods house for His poor"
We have heard of three kinds of poor.
The Lords poor, the devils poor and poor
devils, but have never had any one of the
three classes pointed out before. But now
we are informed that the tenants of Cherry
Hill aims house, whom Captain Pluck
hauls down to Elkton in farm wagons on
election days to hand Democrat tickets to
tile Election Judges ocer the curb stone are
Goods poor" Some day when the Re-
publicans get hold of this precious party
of free American citizens and vote them in
a herd, they will be the devils poor, it is
likely, in the eyes Of The Democrat. The
wonder is with that paper, holding up it's
hands and exclaiming in pious horror,
chow any man can find it in his heart to
call these poor creatures stock" Any man
who has seen this Poor House crowd
brought out by their keeper, on election
day without any regard to their wishes,
and voted like cattle, can take no other
| cisely as stock. Is any one asked whether
he has a choice in voting? No. A folded
| Democrat ticket is placed in each hand and
an Election Judge stands on the curbstone
to take it out and put it in the ballot box !.
| Not a question is asked by the poor devils
we beg pardon, Goods poor about
the character of the ticket handed to them
by their keepers. Every candid man does
sag, and every man who has any regard for
truth must admit, that such citizenship,
and such an exercise of the elective fran
chise is a farce. When man becomes the
object of public charity, he loses his in
dependence, and the very essence OF what
constitutes all that is valuable as one of
| the sovereign people. lie is under the con
troll Of keeper. He is as unfit as he can
possibly be for exercising that proud privi-
lege Of freeman which delegates the law
making power to a selected number of fel-
low citizens. When man become a
pauper and dependent on public charity for
support, he should cease to be an elector.
Nine tenths of the community subscribe to
this sentiment. Public paupers are not
permitted to vote in Delaware, and we can
not say in how many other states. 1t is
an abuse of the elective franchise. The
party keeper compels them to vote his
ticket, or rather uses them as automatons
to place as many of his party tickets in the
|
pany. These Goods poor" were told
before the last election that if they left the
Aims House and went among the heather
Republicans to vote, that they need not
come back, that they would have to stay
out in the cold all Winter. This was
treating Goods poor" very much like
stock
We are informed that there are paupers
in the Cherry Hill aims house who are of
the second Or third generation. They and
their fathers and their fathers father, or
mothers-have known no other home.
"Thus the Wings and the Democrats
voted them,' pleads The Democrat; and all
the time it has been an outrage and sar-
casm upon the elective franchise, and not
man but ridiculed and condemned the
practice. We heard Wing ex-deputy
sheriff many years ago, after voting them,
say he might just as we'll have voted his
horse. The thing is an outrage on popular
elections let what party may vote these
poor creatures. Occasionally one-in a
hundred perhaps-may maintain his in.
dependence and be a creditable voter, but
it would be of infinitely more gain to the
community, than loss to the individual, if
all public paupers were DISTINGUISHED. We
apprehend that no candid, intelligent man
will deny this. We have always contended
that this is one of the abuses in our system
of popular government which shonld he
reformed, but because it is old and happens
to add strength to the party vote The
Democrat defends it with a most pltiable
mock piety. Is this pointing public senti.
ment to higher and more noble position,
or toadying to a most AFFECT party interest
u There is nothing needs more prompt
attention and thorough reform than the
present fraud-invting Registry Law of
Maryland. Under it the politics of the
city Of Baltimore and the State generally,
will soon be as corrupt, if they are not
already SO, as New York politics under
Tweed.
\ CHRISTMAS PRESENTING more use
full and at the same time acceptable Christ
mas present can be made by parents to
their children, than one of "Queen' S
Household Microscopes" advertised in The
| Who.