Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-08-01
From Philadelphia City and State.

From Philadelphia City and State.
There are two or three chief ways in
which it is possible not only, but unfor
tunately not unrarc, for a man under
popular government to show himself
grossly unworthy of citizenship. Even
when boasting, and somewhat largely
perhaps, of his hearty enjoyment of that
sort of government, and his profound
estimate of the high privilege that has
upon him therein, he may yet, at the
very same time betray vicious and
thoroughly disastrous unfaithfnlness To
the most essential principle of a govern
ment OF that nature. He may have an
incorrigibly dull sense of what he ought
to be and ought to do as voter. He
may exercise little or no mind in that
direction and no conscience Mt all. OF
the operative or working principle or
feature, in short, of popular government
on which, in the very nature of the
case, everything depends-he may have,
and too manifestly and unfortunately
often does have, only a dreariy frivolous
or wretchedly debaSed conception. And
there are two or three marked ways as
said, in which this is shown.
The legal voter, so called although
the terms almost savors of sort of
irony, with all his fancied esteem Of Il
government reputedly free existing over
him, together with the very real respon-
sibiltios certainly resting upon him in
onnection-oblgation unreckoned and
immeasurable-ether lightly ncglects
personally the exercise OF his right of
franchise wholly, or, In one way or
another, If sometimes not so lightly yet
even more abominably, misuses or virtu-
ally prostitutes the same. The refusal
OF the responsible citizen to vote when
1T is entirely possible for him to do so
ought to dobar him from citizenship, for
a time at least. He should, after that.
not be allowed a voice in public affairs.
or be intrusted with any public service
therein, until he has purged himself
from the contempt Of so high privilege.
The evil in this connection is motor
lons, but its real gravity is not adequate
y appreciated. Hosts of voters, espcci-
ally in large towns and cities, esteemed.
and in many ways rightly esteemed, as
most qualified confidently to discharge
citizen duties, frequently do not 20 to
the polls; indeed, are known to stay
away from them when important, even
most momontous, interests are at stake.
Only few weeks ago, for example, over
In New Jersey, New Brunswick, citv,
25,OOO population, tho seat of a venerable
college and theological seminary, besides
other schools, the taxpayers, at a special
election were called upon to vote on a
proposition to issue $4,000 worth of
bonds for school purposes, whom only
1i5 persons out Of tho 25, 900 felt it their
duty to cast Il ballot
And something similar to this is going
on all the time and in every part of the
country. When San Francisco, as a
further example, last May adopted an
unusually important new charter, it was
by majority of 2,361 in vote of only
26,0G3 out Of total of registration of
3,ij9. 1t Is no wonder assuredly, i'm
view Of this that there is so wretched
civic management among MS in the
centers of population and influence, and
that civic and municipal corruption thus
Is so abounding and so bold. 1t would
be rather wonderful if it were not so.