The Iuka vidette. (Iuka, Miss.) 1894-1912, 1894-11-01
IAN JONES' OPINIONS.
AS to What Constitutes a Model
Citizen and Voter.
An Honest, Upright, Intelligent Man.
Who Regards the Ballot as = Most
Sacred Trust, and Acts and
Votes Accordingly.
ICOPYRIGHT, 1891

life, liberty and property of each cit;-
zen. Every model citizen looks we'll
to, and will protect at any cost, the
honor, the integrity and purity of his
government.
There are governments and govern
ments. ! often hear it said that ours
is the best and freest government in
the world.
! reckon up to date it is, but very
frequently ask myself the question, will
1t last? Can Il government for tho peo-
pie, and of the people, and by the peo-
pie, stand? Arc the people capable of
self-government? Ignorance, prejudice
and vice are no more capable of self
government than the devil Is capable
of righteous and holiness.
The model voter must rid himself of
prejudice and ignorance. He must be
in possession of such facts and right
theories as will enable him wisely to
discern what is best now and best for
the future history of our country. He
must be able to discern between a pol
iticiap and II statesman, between u po-
litical wire-puller and an honest, up
right man, between principles and
party. Political prejudice precipitated
the war between the states; political
prejudice perpetuates Mason's and
Dixon's line; political prejudice seems
now to be dividing this country not only
north and south, but east and west.
I'd rather monkey with gun or
rough on rats than with political preju-
dice where ignorance is dominant
Combine a fool and rascal in one per-
son and you have before you the most
un-get-at-able, unmanagable, urteach-
able, unmitigated jackass that ever dis
turbed the quiet of a barn lot. Why
can't man be as sensible in politics as
in anything else? will buy a certain
brand of flour; when the thing runs
down | will quit it and try some other
but once democrat always demo-
crat No matter how close the thing
gets to the gates of hell, once a repub-
lican always a republican. To quit
either party is to be tabooed by all the
faithful and guyed by the newspapers
and orators from Maine to California as
a traitor to his party and mugwump,
etc.
A model voter Is an honest, upright,
intelligent citizen, who votes in perfect
line with his convictions of right with
no more reference to party lines than
the old negro blowing corn. has refer
ence to the latitudinal and longitudinal
lines made by topographers.
1t is seldom the case that model
voter can vote straight ticket. 1t is
hard to get a ticket from governor
down to constable where every man
named on the straight ticket is an up
right man.
a model voter will not vote for
drunkard, for "A liar for gambler, for
a whoremonger, for any Office in the
world, and when any man gets his own
consent to put his ballot in the box for
an unclean, dirty dog, he stultifies his
own character and stigmatizes his own
ballot
A primary election may nominate, on
the day of the election. the candidate
may be successful, but a man who is
personally mean cannot be officially
good. | have deliberately and unalter-
ably made up my mind to scratch every
dirty dog off of every ticket put in the
ballot box and take a decent man off
of any other ticket and put him in his
stead. If this is not an honest, patri-
otto vote, then | don't know what
honesty and patriotism are. If the
democrats nominate the devil, hoof and
horn, if the republicans take up the
meanest imp in perdition and nominate
him, if the populists should nominate a
yellow dog, what is there in the NOM
nation of the so-called party to make
me march up under the pop and crack
of the party whip? am not going to do
1t. I don't have to do it. | will vote for
whom please. won't vote for any man
when | don't indorse his personal life,
don't care what party nominate him, !
don't care how much be tabooed and
guyed bya subsidized press, or polite
al Office seeker, or ward politician.
am free, white, and twenty-one. If
were free, colored, and forty would
stand ON the same platform and make
my ballot the best expression could of
my desire and my principles.
When the day comes at the ballot
when every candidate knows he stands
upon his merits, as an honest, upright,
true man, and not upon the crack of
the party whip forcing voters to cast
their ballots for him, then the day will
come when no rascal will run for office
and no scoundrel will be nominated by
any party.
Have parties II you will, and let every
party know that each candidate stands
upon his merits as a man of integrity
and uprightness, and that they cannot
force the intelligent, honest voter of
this country to swerve hairs breadth
from his conviction of right
The model voter regards the ballot
in his hands as the most sacred trust
committed to him by any government.
His ballot counts one in the interest of
purity and manhoed4or counts one in
the interest of rascality, rum and dew
iltry. ,.s.sSs l..s.
The model voter demands. that the
qualifications Of him who offers for his
suffrage shall be such that none can
doubt the ability and integrity and
willingness Of such a candidate to adj
here to the right at all cost.
We want to separate and forever dis