The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1877-04-13
The Scratched" Ticket.
BY MRS. ANNIE A. PRESTON.

1Sl Mrs. HA-N-NAAl <as AAsEss7AO-N-
"I don't know what to do about vot-
ing Tomorrow" said Roswell Smith to
Stephen Green, the night before the
election. "They have nominated
Thomas Dean for Representative in this
district, and 1 don't understand how
any of our church and temperance folks
can vote for him; / want to cast my
vote for President on the same ticket,
and hardly know how to manage it,"
al don't know myself" said Stephen,
"but 1 do know 1 shall not vote for
Thomas Dean, if never go to the polls
again. He and his brother rumsellers
in the village nearly ruined two-thirds
of the young men in the place, soul and
body. l thank God we are out of his
clutches"
"Amen," responded Roswell, emphat-
ically, and went on after a moments re-
Election, "I'll tell you what we can do,
Stevie: We can ask some one at the
half-hour meeting. OF course there
must be others exercised over the situa-
tion as well as you and l." So the two
walked on to the Young Mems Chris
tian Association rooms, arm in arm.
They had both, since boyhood, been
numbered among the "hard ticketsp of
the village, but, a few months previous
to the time of this conversation, had
been converted during a series of revival
meetings, and had signed a temperance
pledge.
They were now perplexed because
their party had nominated a rumseller,
whose store they had often patronized,
as a representative to the General Court.
There was quite a full meeting, and af-
ter Deacon Billings had offered a fervent
prayer that they might all be led to do
their duty in all things, and that the
newly converted ones might hold out in
the right way to the end, Roswell Smith
found voice to ask with some trepida-
ton, for he was unused to speaking in
public, what they were to do about vot-
ing for Mr.. Dean on the morrow.
Before any one could express an opin-
ion, leading member arose and said:
at is to be hoped that the meeting will
not develop into political gathering" d"
Only one had courage to speak after
that. Mr.. Converse, a gentleman who
said he had walked three miles in the
dark November evening, although he
was already tired, because he had been
urged to be present at the meeting by
Mr.. Sandisfield who had told him dur
ing the afternoon that there was a great
deal of anxiety among the young men,
who, as it happened, were nearly all
Republicans, in regard to their candi-
date being a rumseller, and he thought
they ought, as body, for their OWL
sakes, and for the sake of their influence
on the community, to go against him
And, he added impressively, "If consci.
entious scruples in regard to voting fol
an unworthy man to fill a responsible
position was politics. then he had beer
nlkoorofhor i, dorly harafnforn 20
the meaning of the term"
AS half dozen of the new converts
stood on the sidewalk after the meeting
talking of the morrow's issues, this gen
tlemau who was setting out on his long
lonely, homeward walk which he haC
undertaken for conscience sake, paused
to speak to them.
HE respected their scruples," he told
them, at showed that they were appre,
hending their duties as citizens intelli.
gently, and that they meant to keep OIL
the right side"
"But," asked Roswell Smith, anx.
iously, "how will all our good people
vote? that is what 1 want to know
the ministers, the deacons, the church
members, and all these people who
have talked to US in the past Sc
roundly?"
al heard the parson say not long ago.
said Stephen, "that he always voted
the straight Republican ticket. He saiC
none of US wanted to hand in scratched
tickets here, or hereafter"
"If he votes at all, tomorrow" SAID
Mr.. Converse, "he will, of course, vote
a scratched ticket with the rest of US
1t was shame to the party that rum.
seller should be nominated, from the
mere fact that he belongs to the ring;
but he has not the shadow of a chance
of obtaining the vote of Southfield i
we do our duty, even If an anti-temper
ance man is running on the other side.'
When the votes were counted the
next afternoon, it was found that the
rumselling candidate had carried the
town by large majority. There were
nine scratched tickets, seven were cas-
by the new converts, the other two by
Messrs. Converse and Sandisfield. The
Young Mems Christian Association
alone number fifty legal voters.
Many people wonder that the Tenn.
perance Reform Movement is not more
of a success in Southfieid. And others
who understand and are. grieved by the
situation, cannot help wondering
whether, at the gate of heaven, when
these ranting temperance folks hand iu
their tickets, with long list of theiI
virtues, among which are prominent
long "prayers" and Temperance ex-
horLations," the whole will not be
scratched" by the angel, as across the
entire Pharisaical list, in bold charac-
ters, he writes reprOvingly: Temper.
anee voting as well as temperance
preaching, praying and talking is one
of the requirements of a wholesome
consistent Christian life."