The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1885-04-23
PURITY OF THE BALL0E.
ANA5sTRAor LooloAFoTHEosIs
Iuc Modern Mcihodso' Politicians Con-
dcmueo,-Lct us Haze Voters I'm
trRmmellcd-- Old saws ~ sUr-
mon ON "A Common Vice

iaaII 81 Az Nbhh NNNANaNN u INAAla'
question. Tn, apparent ru'n ls'd down
/ no thc organization OF uur government
/ NO should gratefully hold In perpouu.
trust, though /. may bo tL5 daily export
euoe of nearly every person, th.g he
phrase has passed into an object of
mock lev, ion, as being nothing more
with indifferent citizens .hau I mgAim,
to prove political solecism, and the in.
ouify is thrust back on rs, how may tho
untrammeled will OF the majority not
! be defeated? Furthermore, tho saying
| becomes every day moro common that
we have popular government; gov
| ernment in compliance with It's original
structure shall always uJoy the voice OF
the greatest number. To many these
! terms appear also as meaningless alb
strRctions, and the beuigrant truths,
admitting of no alternative, no depart
IRE from that standpoint which must he
| esteemed the supreme discovery Of ell
civilization, 70 devoutly sought after 5r
| the constitutional fathers ana as clearly
expoupded by their more imnoistc
followers, must strike tho philosIpGlHc
observer of the present day, as ias. tad-
| ing away from popular conception, and
remains only in sbadowy recollection,
au impracSlc sentiment HOW long
the period will last before an entire OBJ
! liberation takes place the people must
answer for themselves.
Consequently, the straightforward
question now arises in the reflection Of
every intelligent, patriotic citizen,
understanding, as he should, the first
and vital principle of democracy. A
governments, if ruled at all by the popu-
| lar will, must have pure suffrage. Can
he, under any consideration, engage in
those practices that may in any wise
perfect or overturn the voluntary wish
of u majority of his fellow'ciuHensT
| Knowing, too, the responsible relation
that exists between himeCif aud the
yell being of his community, he must
be strongly obtuse, when engaging IN
such, not to feel that, in dealing to this
free expression his fatal blow, he gives
example to the ignorant and more
vicious element.
on the pages o. any crilNAnal code. is 10
less seditlous, because made less pubic
i'm Individual cases? A more insiduous
crime has been committed by secretly
cOrrupting and rendering uugatory the
very liie-spriug of our government,
namely, the elective franchise. Pursue
the train OF Thought IN
more personal sense. Is such person
honest TO his own citizenship and to
posterity for whom he stands in sacred
trust to guard and protect the dearest
Gilt which il can inherit, or which his
Generation can bequeath.
This union Of states, now in the vlgor
OF its infacy, not yet past tbs test or eS-
perisnce, should be the last OF ali the
great nations to have its Sensitive or
ganism tempered with, even by the
most affectionate hands. And it takes
no close observer of nations and men to
foretell, with absolute certainty, The
Woeiul combustion that must eventually
oyertake us il election bIibes, corruption
of the ballots and false returns spread
ing with such amazing rapidity over
our whole land, go unchecked. Iher9
is scarcely single precinct, one would
conclude after reading the newspapers,
that does not furnish one or more per-
sOnages, tearing the ulenViaDie
name OF election striker and repeater
or course, he has sold his good name as
a citizen, but is he moro criminal IMAM
his purchaser?
The patriotic press, as a public edu-
Gator, mas solemn duty 10 perform,
not only to discover and eradicate sue
cessfully this class of persons so PERM
cious to our public we'll being, but, from
limo 10 time, reflect the beauty and
original simplicity OF our governmental
functions, as against the complicated,
incomprehensible system with which
|
befuddling the public mind. From the
simple doric outlines, they would feiga
erect column that must necessarily
tumble in dire confusion or account OF
it's super-artiicial weakness,
The shocking reports that come 10 us
thrugh various sources OF eleGuon
frauds, both without as we'll as within
The borders of this state, must surely
awaken the mcst lethargic. The eylI
is not one whit mitigated because the
election OF new town officers was IN
VOWED in the late municipal contests
} The manner of selecting these, in prln'
cipIe, is precisely the same; albeit they
would not be our town rulers ana
Judges. The process and aim OF using
the election franchise, though peculiar
to each state III minor
detail, is identical TO secure
, the ultimate object, the choice OF the
people at the polls. The repeater, the
striker, him who makes false return OF
town election, will resort to like crime
out once weighing the momentous re-
suit his nefarious work may bring
about. Beside, the person who buys a
vote or in any way uses means tenulnS
to defeat the obje of TAR eiectlon,
either to elect himself or his friend TO q
petty office, or to circumvent an enemy
who has similar aspirations, will not
|
more important issues are at stake. III
is trite saying, "Show me man who
will steal penny and l won't nave 10 go
far to show you one who Will steal a
pound" Neither is it curious to observe
, that the candidate who secures his place
by any OF the above means is usually
, the most inefficient among all The com
petitors, though he can be safely put
down az a moneyed man, or put in place
, by corrupt money backing, to subserve
! speculative purpose. 1t is ofhc1ous
4, intermeddling and species OF rank
dishonesty to interfere Wild
the voluntary will OF the voter
and the Individual who corrupts the
ballot during any of its processes Oh
falsely makes return thereof is traitor
to tho best interests of his country
Every community should make him al
; enemy and spurn him as parlah Ill
/, their midst.
Though we have rigorous laws fol
their punishment, it is clear that none
but the patriotic voter, and 1t is his
bounded duty to purge the land OF this
destructive scourge, whom III let alone
will take along with him all good citi-
zens in the final disruption of oul
Democratic social fabric. A fabric
woven, though it be from The impulse
of universal rights, to be preserved
from such calamity, depends solely
upon the integrity of those who enjoy
It's manifold benefits.
49,: