Union and American. [volume] (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1875-1877, 1876-11-02
TIE POLITICAL SITUATION.

complicated this year with Presi
Dental electioa Of extraordinary
Importance, involving interests oI
the widest national scope and con-
I sequences stretching far in the
unseen future. In view of these
elections, and,THpeciafTy, of the
hosts of young men who now. for
the first tire "energize their func
tiens" as voters it is opportune to
ask if they and their fellow voters
all know and appreciate adequate,
ly the rights and duties American
citizens. Doubtless it must be
conceded that too many of them
fall short of so high, yet so rea>
sonable standard. The rank and
file,even in this free and enlighten-
Ell country, are for the most part,
but tools of partisan chiefs, and
at election time, play bliudIy some
thing not unlike the boys gam, Of
E" Follow your Leader" Never
theless each individual freeman in
the United States should know
that, at least theoretically he is a
component part of the governing
nnwer The American peOple
govern themselves by voting,
aud they are governed we'll or i'll
as they vote intelligently or other
wise. Hence IN Americans high.
est duty as citizen is the duty of
voting. The franchise is his right
by the laws Of the land. He can
not claim it as his right by the laws
of nature. The notion that every
white male of American birth, and
,,ot a lunatie or an idiot, has, when
twenty one years ola, the same
right to vote that he has to air, or
to the wages of his labor is as
erroneous as it is widely prevalent.
The like must be said Of the notion
that every ragged illterated emi
grant from Europe who lands on
our shores is entitled to the fran
chi,e simply by his sex, hia avow'
ed intention to become a citizen,
and his possible utility as repeat
er, or that every emnnclpated slave
of African descent is similarly en- :
titled because he is Of full age OF
the ma culine gender, and of a
complexion more or less black.
Pract caIly, the right of the indlvl
dual to take part in the manage
mcns of natural affairs is resolved
into the right of saying what be
thinks as to the way in which ma
tional affairs should be managed =;
and this he does by means of hls
votes. But vote is often much
more than simply an expression OF
opinion. Says athoughtful writer;
"The vote of one man inslgnItl-
cant as it seems, and as is the force
which it derives from his will may
| in certain combination of circum-
stances which robody can foresee
or control, turn the scale in favor
of measure vitality affecting the
condition and destiny of a who {
nation. Moreover, no man ever
casts a vote 90 q question about
which there is any divi i'm of SEN
timent without neutrallzing the
opinion of somebody else. Tht
immediate result of this is to de-
prlve the voice of one of his neigh
bots Of all Weight, Or, in fact, t.
impose silence on him as effectuai
ly as if he were dragged away
from the polls before deposltInlg
his ballot" Any argument II
support Of the natural right OF IN
dividuals to the exercise OF so ire
mendous a power might serve al
most equally well in favor of the
divine right of kings or of the
divine mission of Caesar. IL
Americp. the much-talked>o' right
of all wro paw taxes ard obey tht
laws to share in the Government
has never been acknowledged ir
the constitution of any of tb'
States. No satisfactory scheme
desirable rs it may be-has YET
been anywhere shall enable the
minority, although loosely said tt
share in the Governmentt) obtal?
a direct aud recognized influence
upon it. AS to female suffrage
perhaps the best answer to its advo
Gates is that Offered by revl 'we'
OF John Stuart Mills "ConSlder>
ations on Representative Govern
! ment !" True, we must confess
With one another, women have ar
undoubted right to vote, and, We
would add, to be candidates fo'
votes but We are told, on very
high authority, that all things
uhich nre lawful are not expedl'