The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-07-31
TO COMPEL MEN TO VOTE.
PURPOSE Of an Amendment Pro-
posed BY M. Hollis
constitutional Convention TO Hear
from Woman Suffrage Thursday.


ALBANY. --.v S..-F-iur - the open
irc @. .4s Constitutional Convention to-
4aN Nj G--ri-u the Chairman CO the
: f,A.- Cp-sr-.ti.-. SAID TIA; me re
psrt = hi> Committee N Woman SUI
frage would not be ready before Thurs
day. There viii l. t~o minority reports
The women who are IN attendance At
each session looked disappointed and
contcntei themselves with presenting
figure to show that women IN Albany
pay taxes on sl5.gta.s; Of property AMI
in Troy on sl7,42.,7.i.
when the Convention met. there We're
read communications from the various
counties IN the STATE in response TO
resolution Of Mir. Lincoln. asking how
many people were naturaliZed in l&5
The total Of - counties lsix not report
ingJ shows Il total Of 1881 tt these.
isg1 were German. G1Ui British, lSi
Russian. 80 Italian and l.3js Austrian.
The balance Is divided among minor
uationaiiticS. The counties Reporting
j,3j-; Monroe, j92; New YORK; y'-lo. %
ondaga ~; Rensselaer,, 23s; Albany, 3ol.
The Convention went into Committee
OF the Whole on Mi Hols's amendment
+ lJmpel compulsory voting.
MIR Hollis took up the discussion OF his
amendment, detailing at great lehsth
the systems Of voting from, viva voce
to system Of registry. and advocated
the compelling OF all persons TO Not" or
else lose their right OF franchise for a
certain period, to be prescribed by the
. Leg sidtUr@.
II had been held tina, suffrage is a
personal right and that a man should
exercise mis- own discretion on the sub
ject, because he voted not for others; but
for himSef That was ridiculous.
t."erytninr tended TO show that voter
voted for the benefit Of the people.
otherwise. as John Stuart Mill said, II
a vote was personal FAVOR man had
right 10 II il
. II this amendment was adopted it
would tend TO purify politics in a great
measure, and would compei the tax
citizen. wao now stays Al home. to do
his duty. Mr.. Hollis quoted Senator Hill
As in favor # ne amendment and as
having favored cympulsory voting In sew
erai messages.
showing that very often from 10 to L
per cent OF the registered voters OF the
STATE az no; vote many times. he
thought that IL a man accepted the right
OF franchise. it should be the duty OF
such a man 10 vote. and the STATE
should MT allow MIN to shirk 1t. II
would not be an tn.raction Of liberty an,
more than the drawing of jur5Ts. II Wa
no. surreptJry legislation. Mr.. Hol:
finished amid applause. after having
spoken for an hour AMI ten minutes.
Mr.. Mcclure rather ridiculed the ide2
as being merely phantom conjured VI
by that body that had swamped tn,
Convention with proposed amendment
the Good Government club. II
thought that it was an infringement
upon personal rights. a great infringe
ment. 10 try TO compel a man to Vot
when his conscience and his whole be
ing was opposed to the candidates an,
mayhap the principles Of the party.
He knew OF instances where men o
} Intelligence could not find a candida {
that they thought fit to elect. Wha
lao. he n a si
his views than by refusing to vote 70
unfit candidates. 1t would be as mucl
Of an outrage 10 force man to tn
polls as to bride a voter.