The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1900-09-19
A FULL VOTE.
That is What the November
Election Should Show I'm
Mississippi.

Inat IL nat tie november
Election Should Show I'm
Mississippi.
The Central Democratic Club at
jackson has adopted the following re-
port submitted by q committee APP
pointed to investigate the subject;
Your committee to consider the very
small popular vote at general elections
in this State, and to suggest how and
why the same should be increased, beg
leave to report that we have carefully
inquired into this important matter
and submit few facts and figures,
the mere statement of which, it is
hoped, will demonstrate the propriety
of this action of the Central Club.
The total registered vote of the Sew
enth Congressional District in 1896
was 16,64S. The total vote for Con-
gress in that district in 1898 was 3,604.
The registered vote of all the dis
tricts in 1896 was 1851 of which 100,
337 were white and 1924 colored.
The total vote in all the districts for
members of Congress in 1898 was q,
1913, of which 25,l27 were for Demo-
cratic candidates. At the same cleo
ton there we're only 29,Sl3 votes cast
on the elective judiciary amendment.
A carefully prepared tabulation of
the entire registered vote in 1899 shows
total of 140,S94, of which 1885, are
white and 1870 colored. The total
vote for Governor at the election the
same year was 1880, which was the
highest vote cast for any of the State
officers. The primary vote for Gov
ernor in seventeen counties was
20,5S4. The primary vote for
United States Senator in fifty-two
counties was 66,759. The total regis
tered vote (white) of Kinds county in
1899 was 1918. The total vote for Gov
ernor at the general election in Kinds
county the same year was only 794, or
or 100 votes less than were cast at the
primary for county Office
If there are 1878 white registered
voters in Kinds and $500 of these
were cast in primary, is it not unfor-
tunate that the vote that must be Off
oially tabulated and that goes into the
records of the country Is that cast at
the general elections? If there are 10,
III registered voters In the Seventh
District, why should the certified re-
suit of Hon. G. E. Hooker's election be
total of 5000 or less? If Col. Hooker
was the choice of the primary why
should not the choice be ratified at the
general elections If the primary
is to govern in the selection Of candi-
dates for public office, why should not
the law be amended so as to require
that the primary vote be tabulated
with the same care as the vote at the
general election, and officially pub
lished, so as to show the entire voting
strength of the State? Why should
it be matter of continuous comment
and inquiry and explanation that our
representatives take their seats in
Congress with only one-sixth of the
registered vote?
That the Democratic candidate in
the Seventh District will be elected,
goes without saying, but that he would
be proud to receive popular instead
of fragmentary vote all will admit.
So let US in 1900 make new depa rt-
ure from the usage that has obtained
in general elections, and let every
qualified voter who can go to the
polls give expression to his choice of
candidates
This is more important in a presi-
dental year, when not only the cleo
toral vote decides, but when there is
much stress laid upon the popular
vote of the whole country. In the
presidential election of 1896 there
were 13,914,494 votes cast for all the
candidates. Of these Mr.. Mckinley
received 7,10O,269 and Mr.. Bryan 6,497,
323' Had the more than 10000 white
Democrats of Mississippi who staid
away from the polls that year, with
proportionate nonvoters in all the
Southern States done their full duty,
Mr. Bryan would have received the
largest popular vote in 1896, and the
moral effect of such fact would be
felt in the present contest.
We submit that it should be our spe-
cial aim as Democrtic clubs and as in
dividuals to bring out full vote so
Mr.. Bryan may know that Mississippi
is for him, first, last ami all the time:
that Congressman may not have to
spend any of their valuable time ex-
planning why their constituents don't
vote, and that there may be full ex-
preston on the two amendments to
the Constitution that are to be part
of the ballot in November,
u. L. POWER,
&c. E. HOOKER, JR.
~. r. SHOWERS,
Committee"