The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1897-12-24
WATCH THE RESULT.
PATRIOTS OF AMERICA PRE-
PAIRING TO BALLOT.
chey Will, Early in January, Proclaim
Their Preferences for the Leading
Propositions Now Before AL the
People.

An election. is to. occur in the Order
of the Patriots of America OH the sec
ond "-aesday in January to determine
the ra'2tive Importance of certain ma
tional questions, in the judgment
Of the memLSrs voting.
While the Order does not claim
very large membership, yet it is widely
scattered, being, we are informed, in
about every state and territory in the
Union; and the result Of the vote will
be good indication as to whether the
financial question is to remain the
leading issue. 1t is claimed by the OPP
ponents of "16 to 1" that it is dying
tut and will soon disappear as live
.ssue; this, however, has been pre-
1icted before with disappointment to
the prophets. The vote among the
Patriots will be a sample vote, and a
very fair one, we should Judge, repre-
senting the six million and half vot-
ers who last year voted for Mr.. Bryan,
ing to note the result.
An interesting feature Of the vote
to be taken is, that among the ten
questions submitted are several that
represent the various reform elements,
such as that Of the 'Single Takers"
Socialism," "Greenbacks," and other
questions that will be recognized by
their different followers as important
to them, thus giving each class an OPP
portunity to show the popularity of its
measure with the people. The finan-
cial men cannot afford to have their
question side-tracked, if it is to remain
before the people for paper of such
wide circulation as the Patriots Bulle-
tin, that represents the Order, will
spread the result of the voting to all
parts of the country. 1t is in like
manner an unusual opportunity for
those representing other reforms to
bring them to the front and forge them
to first place if they can.
The ballot is ingenious in being so
arranged as to permit of one voting
eyes" on several questions and then
numbering them in the order of i'm
portance they are regarded by the vot
ers, SO that by voting for what one
might regard as leading proposition
the others to which he is favorable are
not smothered out Of sight, but an OPP
portunity is given to classify them in
their order of Importance. The great
est interest, however, will hinge on
what question is first in Importance in
the minds Of the people.
It would be we'll for the republic if
such elections were frequent, as they
would tend to setting the people to
studying questions of national policy
It would act as an educator and people
would become enlightened on vital
questions, so necessary to free govern
ment. There is gaining sentiment
that questions of national policy should
be separated from partisan politics and
submitted to the judgment of the vot
ers, and elections of the character the
Patriotic Order is submitting to the
people will do much toward bringing
this subject before the country. No
republic can long survive where the
people lapse into apathy and are uned-
ucated on what makes and unmakes re-
publics. The election in January Is the
first of it's kind in the United States
and has much significance aside from
an important bearing it will have on
the congressional campaign issue of
next year as we'll as that of 1900.-Na
tional Democrat.
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