The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1899-05-18
pRESEN'T DAY THOUGHTS
DISCREPANCY TN NUMBERS
Between the Governed and the Gov-
erning.
BY G. GROSvENOR DAVE.

Written # The Commonwealth.
/ ThgEonsent of the Governed.-Fig
ures are useful sometimes, particular,
when figures are reliable and rash state
ments are unreliable. Now, accordin.
to the census Of 1890 there were in tll
country on that date Sc, ,622,2 ,25O lnbal7
| itants. In 1892 at the Presldentia
Ielection, when Grover Cleyeland we:
! elected and Benjamin Harrison defeat
ed, the total vote cast for all parties was
12,Oo3,35O, Or considerably less thar
one-fifth OF the entire population Q
men, women and children.
Again, according to the census q
1890 the number Of males Of VOTING
age that year was l6,940, 81, represen {
ing about one-fourti of the population
Very nearly five million Of these failed
to vote in 1892
| Look at the matter another way. Oh
the 62,O0O,O0O over thirty million were
ferales, leaving balance OF thirty-two
million males, of whom, as I have said
before, only 100000 voted.
There is another way to look at the
matter. The votes for Grover Cleveland 4
were 5,55G,91S or only 380,ST0 more
than the votes cast for Benjamin Hal-
rison. It Is also right to point out
that Cleveland's total vote and the total
vote cast for all other candidates shows
that 6,5O2,z32 voters we're opposed to
Cleveland greater number, in TACT,
than all those who voted for him.
If now 1t is fair to say that vote is
an unfalllng evidence of the consent Of
the governed, then there were more
people opposed to the successful candi-
date than there were people who con
sented to his government. Further
more, If a vote be the unfaillng method
OF learning q peoples will then against
Mr.. Clevelaud's five million supporters
one must set the whole fifty seven mil.
lion who did not vote for him. Yet
tie will OF the FIVE million impressed
upon the ffty-seyen million the form OF
government they would have for four
years. The unvoting majority did not
interfere with the triumph Of the five
million and half
Furthermore, SO strangely Goes our
electoral system work that in 1883
though Benjamin Harrison secured
hundred thousand votes less than Mr.
Cleveland, yet Mr.. Harrison was elected.
#s*
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 be-
long to that category OF evIldoers, l |
shall make one Or two deductions from
the figures that have been given III |
the preceding paragraphs, and, even at
the risk Of appearing dull and uninter-
esting, hold the attention Of the reader |
down to certain facts OF orr national |
lie. This is with the intention oF |
making one point clear-that the con-
sent Of the governed is learned in an
orderly nation by some other method |
than universal vote. This is SO Will, |
us for it has been shown that at the
last election of Mr.. Cleveland only about
OF the national strength
declared Itself in his favor at the polls
Does not our past history show that
The consent OF the governed as enunci-
ated by jefferson means among the
men the triumph Of one Of the two
parties and the acquiesence in the re-
suit OF the defeated? Among the wo-
men there is practically no voice at all
hat expresses itself in public way
either in one direction or another, vet
,he women are more than an i'm portant
clement in our national lie and in
diligence.
~
1t fills one with pride to remember
how quiet and orderly is our national
lie, in relation to national questions,
,hough the greater number Of Us are
always and forever prevented from be-
ng upon the winning side. A Central
American republic IS different, for
here the true priuci Piles OF government
ire not understood. Our yolceless wo-
men and our equally volceless children
md even our defeated men live con-
;entedly under form CT political be-
ief that they did not uphold. As a
working government founded upon
declarations that thrill the heart we
ind that the government goes calmly
IN its way and Its members live con-