The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-05-18
PRESENT DAY THOUGHTS.
By g. Grosvenor Dave.

The Consent of the Governed-Figures
are useful sometimes. particularly when
figures are reliable and rash statements
are unreliable. Now, according to the
census of 1890 there We're in this coun-
try on that date 81, 622, 250 inhabitants,
In 1892, at the Presidential election,
when Grover Cleveland was elected ana
Benjamin Harrison defeated, the total
vote cast for all parties was l2,oo9,5oo,
or considerably. less than one-fifth OF
the entire population of men, women
and children.
Again, according to the census OF Iosto
the number of males of voting age that
year was $780, 81, representing about
one-fourth Of the population. very
nearly $4,000 of these failed to vote
in 1892.
There is another way to look al the
matter. The votes for Grover Cleveland
were 5,556,91 or only 3S0Sl0 more
than the votes cast for Benjamin Har-
rison4 1t is also right to point out That
Cleveland's total vote and the total vote
cast for all other candidates shows
that 6,502, 1872 voters We're opposed to
Cleveland; a greater number, in fact,
than all those who voted for him.
If now it is fair to say that vote is
an unfailing evidence Of the consent OF
the governed, then there were more
people opposed to the successful candi-
date than there were people who con-
scented to his government. Furthermore,
if a vote be the unfailing method OF
learning a peoples will, then against
Mr. Cleveland's 100000 supporters one
must set the whole 81 100000 who did
not vote for him. Yet the will of the
100000 impressed upon the 81 ,0O0,0OO
the form of government they would
have for four years. The unvoting ma
jority did not interfere with the triumph
of the 100000
Furthermore, SO strangely does oar
electoral system work that in 1883,
though Benjamin Harrison secured
100000 votes less than Mr.. Cleveland,
yet Mr.. Harrison was elected.
These figures are not introduced as
having any political bearing, but be-
cause both Of the elections mentioned
come the nearest to the last census.
Now, figures do not lie, unless it is a
liar who uses them; and assuming that
my readers have not found me to belong
make one or two deductions from the
figures that have been given in the
preceding ragraphs, and, even at the
risk of appearing dull and unintertsting,
hold the attention Of the reader down to
certain facts of our national life. This
is with the intention of making one
point clear-that the consent of the gov
erned is learned in an orderly nation by
some other method than universal vote.
This is SO with US, for it has been shown
that at the last election of Mr.. Cleye-
land only about one-edeventh of the ma
tional strength declared itself in his ia
vor at the polls. Does not our past his
tory show that the consent of the gov
erned as enunciated by Jefferson mean
among the men the triumph of one of
two parties and the acquiescence in the
result of the defeated? Among the wo-
men there is practically no voice at all
that expresses Itself in a public way
either in one direction or another yet
the women are more than an important
element in our national life and intel
hgence.
1t fills one with pride to remember
how quiet and orderly is our national
life, in relation to national questions,
though the greater number of US are
always and forever prevented from be-
ing upon the winning side. A Central
American republic is different, for there
the true principles of government are
not understood Our voiceless women
and our equally voiceiess children, and
even our defeated men, live contentedly
under a form Of political belief that
they did not uphold. AS a working
government founded upon declarations
that thrill the heart we find that the
Government goes calmly on its way
and it's members live contentedly under
it, though only q small fraction carry
out the declaration made by our ances-
tors. The practical result up to the
present of government by the people
of the most intelligent, most liberty low
ing republic in the world is that four
fifths of the governed give their con-
sent solely by being content
This line of argument it is hardly
necessary to explain. is introduced to
show the partial unreasona bleness of
some of our thinkers who. are crying
aloud for the consent of the governed
III Tire H1ilPplIIoS- dII0 yet nave Ill lQlS
country nothing that even approximate
ly approaches it. What I pointed out
year ago when the war was on, is still
true, that the better spirit of a nation
that has been harrassed and despite
fully used because of the colonial greed
and the grandee spirit Of it's oppressors
will rise in grateful recognition of even
the shadow of shade of justice, mercy
and truth, as shown by our representa-
tives in governmental positions. For
them to live contentedly for them to
learn to toil instead of to ravage, for
them to yield to the restraining decNn-
ctes of civilized life, for then-bothi men
and Women-to recognize in their new
helpers, not tyrants but men who make
life for them a little more hopeful and
religion a little more liberal-this will
be for all practical purposes of govern
n1enf the consent of the governed suffi-
Gent until such a time as we find a
workable method of giving the fran
chise to our new proteges.
Irvington, N. Y, May 3, 1899.