The Portland daily press., 1891-09-09
Compulsory Voting

Among the suggestions thrown out Ia the
Labor Day speeches at Lake Sebago was one
by ME- o. b. Clason of Gardiner, gentle
man who did valuable work for the cause of
ballot reform In the last legislature, that
voting be made compulsory, that is, that
every citizen, physically and mentally able,
be compelled to deposit ballot on election
day. Mr.. Clason's suggestion has been
made in other States and has been received
in some quarters with considerable favor.
No doubt good many cities of the country
are suffering on account of lack of interest
on the part of many of their intelligent citi-
zens in municipal government. but we
do not believe this indifference can be cured
by any law that can be devised, and until
that is done the trouble is not removed. 1t
might be possible to compel every able-bod-
led citizen to go to the polls on election day
and deposit ballot, though we very much
doubt it, but that would be far from CON-
polling them to vote in the true sense of the
word. Voting is the expression of a judg-
ment In regard to principles or men. There
can be no true voting without sufficient men,
tai capacity and sufficient knowledge of
principles or men to form an init lligent
judgment. An idiot may be made TO deposit
ballot, but he cannot be made to vote in
the true sense. A man too ignorant to un-
derstand the questions at issue In an election
or too Indifferent to give them attention, can
be made perhaps by law to deposit ballot,
but he cannot be made by law to vote. No
body will claim that our politics would be
likely to BIZ purified or our municipal govern.
ments be improved by compelling lot Of
men too ignorant or too Indifferent to COM
prehend the questions at issue, or to esti.
mate correctly the characters or capacities
OF the candidates for office, to go to the polls
and deposit ballots for somebody. The ten.
dency OF such compulsion as that would
rather be In the other direction, for these
Ignorant and Indifferent voters would be
likely to be the easy prey of designing dema-
gogues. who would dictate to them how to
vote. What is needed to better our poll
tics and our government is an interest
which will rouse to a study of cues
lions and Of men that will incite to action.
But that interest can never be created by
declaring in the statutes that every man
shall go to the polls and deposit a ballot.
The State might just as reasonably under
take to make its citizens religious by com.
pelling them to get down on their knees
three times day.
But not only would this kind of compul.
sorry voting have very slight IL any tendency
to encourage true voting-that IS the ex-
preston OF an intelligent judgment-and
therefore be productive of no real good: IL
would be productive frequently of real
harm. The men who do not vote are not al
ways men who are Indifferent to the issues.
heirainlng from voting is oftentimes just as
much positive act as voting, and almost as
much OF an expression of opinion. A. is a
hepuDlican who believes In the PRINCIPLES of
MS party, but distrusts the character or ca
pacity OF Its candidates. On election dav he
stays at home. not because of indifference but
as protest against the men his party has
selected. His course is dictated by an in
tellgent opinion that this is the best way to
IeDuke his party and compel it in the future
70 select better men. The result of Compel
ing MIN to deposit a ballot on election day
"oulo De to compel him to vote for men
%noh ne disapproved or for principles he
ulu no' DeheVe In or to vote in the air. The
oause VI democratic government would be
Piono'eu Dy none of these three processes,
DooiueS us freedom would be abridged with
out any sufficient reason. WIN
10 sum up, the compelling Of men to de-
post ballot on election day even If it could
Ue oohe' would In the first place have varv
snsnt tendency to cure the indifference ~
wnicn our cities complain; In the second
place IL would compel many men not in.
dineIeht TO do violence to their convictiono
All That the law can properly do, we believe
is to afford every man a chance to vote 90 NJ,
opinion dictates and to give tho tn1I
est protection in the exercise Of ,h;,
privilege The ballot is only means rs
an end-the end being good government
1t is a means, however. which must be IN
telligently used to accomplish the end. |