Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1880-11-01
THE BALLOT,

founda,ion-stone oi our Nationst exist
ence.
THE BALLOT,
Tho Most Precious Of All Our National
Treasures, and the Chief Corner Stone
ofOur American Institutions.
Special Dispatch to the Register.
NEW YoRH, October 81.
This morning DR.. Talmage delivered
his second sermon on the Presidential
contest before a congregation which
filed every part of the vast Tabernacle
The opening HYMN was:
"Awake, my soul.
Stretch ever u rye,
Aud press with yigor on.f
DIR. Talmage then expounded the 26;h
chapter Of ii, Corinthians, and comment
ed OH the reign OF King ulz'ah.
The following is the sermon:
Subject: "rhe American Ballot"
Text: Exodus xxxvili., 1.-two cuhitS and a
II III was the lenrsh Of II, and cubiI ani hall
the bread h OF IL, and Cuhit ami 4 mali tle
ItiShtn OF IL, hlt lie ONtIldAu IL hINi l"iN b''"'
within and without
Look at it. the most sacred chest OF
the ancients. 1t was box two and a
half feet high, and two feet broad, Gnd
three feet long. Gold on the outside
and gold on the inside. On the top OF
the box representation OF two angels
facing each other. The book CT the law
and many precious things were in that
box. The fate OF the nation depended
on it. Carried at the front oi the host,
the Jordan parted. Costly, precious,
div;nely charged, momentou3 box! IN.
holy hands might no. touch it. Genct
ally called the ark OF the covenant, you
will understand il was a box, the most
sacred that the world ever saw. Where
is il? Gone forever. No crypt OF an
cient church, no museum of the world,
las q fragment OF 1t.
But, is not the American people Gods
chosen people? Did he not bring us
through the Red Sea? Have We not
been led with pillar oi lire by night?
Have We no ark OF the covenant? les;
the ballot box is the
Sacred Chest of This Nation.
Though it may BE- rough box with
brazen hinges, it is as precious as
though il were within and without OF
gold. The law is in it. Gods revela-
ton and the peoples will are in ii. 1t
is carried at the head OF our national
host. Before it the waters OF our ma
tional trouble part. The fate a. the ma
ton is in it. Keep oil OF it unholy hands.
Next Tuesday let ten million electors
uncover before it. Mighty ark OF the
national covenant, thou ballot box OF
this great people, 1t is a very old box.
In Athens and long before the art OF
printing pebbles were cast into 1t TO de-
eide great questions for tie people.
Afterwards beans were dropped into 1t,
white beans for the affirmative and
black beans for the negative, and, by
this mode, il was easily seen OF the peo-
pie which way a man voted. In some
cases the election was by night. When
a man was to be voted out OF citizen
ship or, as it was termed. os,rac!zed, the
mans name was written on shell and
put into the box. In parliament,
O'Connell and Groat and McCauIey AMI
Cobden and Gladstone fought ior the
full introduction Of tho ballot box,
anti. IN 1872, it became one 81 the last
nesses OF the English nation.
l,is Cne oft Corner Stones
OF our American Institutions, ami older
tbsn the Constitution. It's fate will De
the fate of our government. What n
change in the worlds feeling regarding
the ballot box since Sidney Smith shot
at il shafts of his keenest ri1icuie. and
Vim. Cobbett ieit called uron to an
syer thirty.six objections TO i's exist
ence. Without it there can be 10 free
govern ment, and no permanent peace.
Give the people every year, or every
four years, an opportunity To express
their opinion by vote, and Tor Tue most
part you avoid instruction an revo.n-
ton. Ii they cannut lave The vote,
,h:v viii have TIE swori. Wien Gen.
Hamilton visited Italy, he saw the
farmers ploughing on The side oi Nesu-
yius, while the lava was pouring down
the hill. Expressing his surprise in fC-
gard 10 it, the farmers told him that they
were only afraid when the lava was hid
den and the mountain quaked, but al tr
the eruption there was no dang,r -
suppression ot the people makes no!!t'-
cal ear,huuake. Expres>io by sufiraStS
means relief and satisfaction. Sill
there are mighty enemies OF tie ballot
box. and propose this morning to emu
merate some OF them.
FIrst: Ignorance.
The more intelligence man has the
more qualification for the right CT suii-
rage. You, as A citizen, have for twen-
~ or thirty wears been studying the na
ture OF our institutions, and through all
the channels OF information have become
acquainted with the needs %. the coun.
try. You know all that has been said
on both sides OF the tariff question, the
education question. the Chinese question,
the sectional question. Iou have made
up YOUR mind, and day after tomorrow
see YOU coming down you. front steps.
Good morning, neighbor, hoPe-yeu are are
well. Which way are you bound
"Going 10 vote" YOU answer. You get
into the line OF electors and wait MI
your turn comes. You hand out the
printed slip OF paper to the judge q!
election, Your name is ANNOUNCED,
your vote dropped and YOU pass out.
Close behind you comes a man Who can
not spell the word President, Attorney
or Comptroller. He could not write his
own name. His entire epistolary capae-
ity is the faculty 10 make his mark. he
does not know ON which side the Allie
ghenv mountains the Ohio is. There
have been educated hofses and canary
birds that surpassed him in intelligence.