Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1876-06-09
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER,
Special Correspondence of Courier.
Il WAsnIxeroN, D. ca
81 May 25, 1875.


4 May Is, 1876. i
Alox- estisate, made By our privste
..statisiician shows that there are one mil
lion young men born in the United States
q who will for the first time have the oppor.
Iaunity to vote for President this year.
I'VE very often hear. and particularly among
1.-The weather. people, the privilege Ut voe-
ling decried and belittled. Many Of them
lido NOT pretend to exercise IT, and rail
against .'the abuses" which they say 1t
lgivos riseto. The writer oflhis was some
lye.rs aso talking 20 an old friend in New
|Orleans. THIS friend was the proprietor
of one of the largest hardware establish
lments Ia That city, and was complaining
Iabout 1.-THE high taxation" stealing aud
:, oppression that the rulers OF the city were
guilty Of. Theeleesios-wss near at hand
and the registration closed thai day. l
asked ''haye you registeredf' ''Oh. no, y
was the answer. II have not time" Have
your employees registered? NO." How
| many have you? "Over forty" Would
|they vote for candidates oppos ed to this
high Misunderstanding and oppression of
which, you complain? ''Certainly they
wou!d.'' Then why not close your store,
take your forty clerks and porters, and G"
to the proper place and register and on
election cay see that they all go to the
polls and votc? .''Oh, can't do that:
some Of my customers might want TO buy
Just there the lecture de-
|livered by Saxon con men ced. He told
this man, ''YOu are gentleman OF wealth
and culture; you have large monetary in
terests il this city and graf stake in its
good government; you coull leaitimateIy
influence forty votes 10 your own house in
favor of that kind of government; by
talking 10 your neighbors an, friends you
could influence n any others similarly stu
in political affairs and rescue your city .
from men whom you call band of
thieves, and yet you deliberately refuse
to take any. part in elections. The truth IL
your taxes instead OF being five per cent,
as you say, they are or ought to be made
fifty per cent. 90 that your property would
be taken from You and given to men who
will take an interest in seeing that honest
and competent men are selected to fill al
official positions"
This is what Saxon said to his friend
years ago, and much of it applies to this
'nc million of young men who this year
nave the high privilege of voting, for the
irst time, tor q President of the United \,
States. Your duties as citizens are of the
highest order. Many men have classed
hem next to your duties to your God, and :
'efore those to your family. and they Ger.
ainly rank with the latter. Even from 81
eItish standpoint you are required 10 takeI
q active part in politics. Good laws hon
silly administered help you no matter '
'hether you are rich or poor-a curled|
arIing Of the upper ten, mechanic or
'borer. Every class of society is bene- -
tied by good government, 80 that even j
Or selfish reasons you should use every
Hort to secure it. Then you are protect
] In life, labor and the pursuit of nappi-
ess by the government. Think you that
'ssOnest or incompetent men can do this r
'ork? Again. remember that this year Il
IS peculiar claims upon you. One hun
red years your sizes were fighting to OBJ
In liberty. They accomplished their
1rpose AID transmitted the country and
e prize for which they had ba'tled to >
~. Will you by earelessness or neglect +
ffer the bright jewel 10 BIZ dimmed. or
st erhaps? I hope not. hope to see
these young men-this million of maid
voters actively engaged in selecting the
oper men tor officials, and then more
lively engaged in endeavoring 20 elect
EN-. The time taken from your business !
your pleasures for this purpose is not VI ,
1T. The one will be enjoyed with greater
st when you return to il, and the other
ndered more profitable by the certainty
good laws, well administered. Let the
Jung men pay no. the slightest attention.
the grumb!crs who say that ''i:s NO use -.
dabble in politics" but let them gol fnt
hit in with vim and the result viii beI red
II each ct the, political parties will pull
Cd men in nomination and the success IL
either will not endanger the country. y
'e instincts Of the young men are yerv
'stworthy in selecting honest men.
SAXON