The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-11-11

suitable teXL WIN WHICH Jo pTelaC6 Ills
second instalment of remarks on the po
litical situation, lighted Sunday, Oct, 81,
upon the first verse of the 37th chap
ter of Exodus, 1.-TWO Cubits and half
the length of it, and one cubit and half
the breadth of it, and one cubit and a
half the height of it; and he overaid it
with gold without and within" For
the first time this season Mr., Talmage
stood out against a background of flow.
ers. Some people said these floral offer
ings were live Goals from the generous
and forgiving hand of Major Corwn;
others declared Mr.. Talmage bought
them himself of Fulton street florist.
In either or neither case they were fra
grant, pretty and refreshing-particularly
refreshing under the Circumstanoes-to
look at.
Having established the parallel be.
tween the Ark of the Covenant and the
modern ballot-box, Mr., Talmsge eaid
20 mighty ark Of the American Coven.
ant, thou ballot.box Of free people, ten
million voters will approach thee with
uncovered d heads on Tuesday. And yet
thou art beset by dangers, will, as a
Christian patriot, (he turned his eyes
from an imaginary and airy ballot-box
to the faces of his audience), tell you
this morning of some of the dangers.
The first enemy of the ballot-box is ig-
noranCe. Next Tuesday morning see
you, my intelligent, we'll educated
friend, take your place in the line; you
hand to the Judge of election your ballot.
You see it deposited and you retire with
the happy consciousness that you have
done your duty as man and citizen.
But just behind you comes person who
can't spell, who can't tell where Ohio is,
who is very ignorant. He cancels your
vote; his ignorance CounterbslanCes your
intelligence. How shall we correct this
evil2 By compulsory education prop
erly enforced. l tell you what l believe.
l believe that until man can read and
understand the Declaration of Indepen-
dence and the Constitution of tNe United
States, and understand the principles of
Government, he has no right to vote at
any polls between Key West and Alas
ka. In fact, 90 in for a law which, af
ter certain time, shall make ignorance
a crime.
The next enemy of the ballot.box is
spurious voting. Even here in Brook
lyn, the cleanest and best city in the
Union, one thousand sCoundrels have
already been discovered who seek to
cheat the ballot.bOG | warrant you
there are at least 10 900 names on the
books of registration in New York that
have no right to be there. The law is
not severe enough against repeaters and
political crime of any sort. When
man touched the Ark of the Covenant
of the Scriptures he dropped Dead and
when men lay spurious hands on this |
American Ark, they merit extermna
ton. The ballot-box cannot be too Wig
ilantly guarded.
Again. There are corporations who |
force their employees to vote against their |
convictions. That is damnaole, to say
the least. say, let there be no mono.
cratic or military, or mobocratiC intimi.
dation at the ensuing election. And |
bribery is just as bad, if not worse. No.
body will ever know how many millions
have been raised and expended during
the late campaign. do not know what
party raised the most money. l know
the chief affront of one CT the candidates
ia tlat he would not subscribe but $40
600, and on the other hand | know the
Republican party have levied a tax Of p
per cent on the army of oficeholders,
which, taking the verage of salaries at
SEQ, would give a total of something
like 81 100000 Now this is sho king,
disgraCeful, wicked. And money does
not represent all the bribery that takes
place. Is it not painfal fact that money
is the chief fac or in our elections; that
men are bought and sold iG the political
markets like cattle. Men are not rated
according to their ability and integrity
of character; but, how muth money can
they give, and what amount of cheating
can they do, that their party may sue.
ceed And, political promotion depends
in many cases upon the amount of pat.
ronage or benefit conferred. You give
me your eloquenCe and money, and
will make you Cabinet officer or some.
thing else. WHAT sense of shame and
modification must fill every honest
American citizens breast, as he contem.
plates this mountain of corruption and
infamy. This great wickedness. 1t is
shame and disgrace to the people, and
sacrilege to the sacred ark of the cove
nant. In the name of God / denounce
the whole infamy.
The next enemy to the ballot.bo is
the drunken caucus. IT is too late to re.
pair the evil this year. But l charge
you, Christian men, who love your coun-
try, when the time shall come again, to
go there yourselves and take possession
Of the caucus. In some cities the men
selected at the caucus are such greasy,
scaly, stenChful crew, that when election
u"y aiilNOpB tu0 hOu6sJj Clbdu ClUH6O
finds he can vote for none of them. And
again, the caucuses are generally con-
trolled, not by the best and most intelli-
gent men, but by the most disreputable
and unworthy class in a community.
Why is thieP Because the better class
Of men are Indifferent and don't seem to
care, Just as long as this apathy exists
on the part Of the better class of men, to
permit the hummer element to rule, so
long we may expect to haYe bad govern.
ment.
do not believe in the property quail.
hCalion. 1t would shut out some of the
best brains in the untry. The most
stupid and ignorant people are often the
richest This principle is contrary to
and inconsistent with the character of
our government and its free institutions.
1t not only paraly zes and destroys man.
hood, but crushes freedom. 1t is the
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