The San Francisco call., 1896-09-25
THE FIRST VOTER.

Among the delegations visiting Canton
last Thursday was the First-voters' Club
or Bowling Green, Ohio. But this is not
the first first-voters' club that has visited
Major Mckinley, nor are such clubs few
and far between, so to speak, this year.
Young men ali over the country are or
ganized for the battle, and they are doing
a good work, not only in the way of re-
minding the older voters of their duty,
but they are keeping up a degree of en-
thusiasm that is telling for good in all
communities. Major McKinley's talk to
the Bowling Green Club was addressed to
that particular club. but what he said is
just as applicable to frst-voters' clubs in
Other sections of the country. He said:
1t seldom given to the first voters of this
coui- 10 start in in SO important a National
contest, where so much is involved and where
so many interests are at stake. 1t is year, too,
when old party divisions count for little
when men of all parties are united in the COM
mon object to save the country from dishonor
and the currency from degradation.
In some respects the conditions which
confront the first voter this year are very
much like those which confronted the
young men of the country in 1851 Now
now as then there are issues which tran
scend party obligations and which make
it incumbent upon the first as well as all
other voters to forget party associations
for the time and battle for cause that is
common to all voters. There is no threat
of territorial division and separate Gov
ernments now as in 1861, but the honor
and integrity of the Nation is being
assailed, ana there is a purpose to de-
grade the monetary system of the coun-
try. The first voters ara looked to by the
spirit OF our institutions to stand by the
Government of their fathers.
There is another reason why the first
voter should take an active part in this
campaign against the application of fall
lacious theories of government. 1t is Pc
culiarly an educational campaign. The
personality Of candidates is scarcely being
considered. 1t is campaign that is di-
rected to governmental policies and eco-
nomic questions, with object lessons on
every hand. 1t is not often that first
voters have such an opportunity to hear
the principles of our Government discussed
by able political economists, and the first
voter should be careful student and
PlOHb ny Nudt ne 0edFS anu IeaQS, Tor
upon his shoulders will fall the response
bility OF leadership in the near future, and
now is the time to prepare himself for it.
And, again, the business and financial
interests of the country are deeply in
volved in this campaign. The first voters
this year will have to assume the direc-
ton OF the commerce and the industries OF
the country after awhile. To their care
will all the great and small business and
financial enterprises be committed sooner
or later, and it is to their personal interest
and advantage that the present high
credit and unspotted integrity of the coun-
try be maintained, for in proportion as
Organism prevails this year will the man.
agement OF the country's industries and
commerce be more difficult and unprofita-
BILE when they come to assume their man.
agement. The first voter of 1896 must
strengthen or weaken that which will be
his to superintend in the future, and there
is no middle road for him to take. There
are two roads. The one is the road to
commercial safety and prosperity, and the
other is the road to uncertainty, hesitation
and distrust.