Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-10-17
WHAT WE ARE
TALKING ABOUT.

of plans and suggestions have been OF
fered. In Belgium 16 per cent OF the
voters used to stay away, notwith-
standing the eXertions of the party
leaders. After the adoption of the
compulsory vote the average rate OF
abstention fell suddenly to between 4
and per cent, and it is sure to de-
crease still more owing to the increased
chance of success that proportional
representation gives to all parties in
terested in the political struggle.
The theoretical question whether
suffrage may be rendered compulsory
by statute was easily put aside. since
the franchise has generally ceased to
be looked upon purely as a right which
n citizen is at liberty to make use of or
to neglect. and is, on the contrary, re-
garded as civic duty, which he is
bound to perform scrupnlously in the
interest of the community for which
every citizen is trustee in a general
way.
The main objection of most political
thinkers to the compulsory vote is the
practical difficulty of enforcing the OBJ
legation efficiently. Obviously public
opinion would not brook severe penal
ties, and ii the penalty is but light, who
will be afraid to incur 1t, if one derives
more profit from attending to ones
business or ones pleasure than from
voting? The answer to the problem
was found in a particular kind of pen
allies at once light, but such as are not
risked lightly by responsible citizens,
ranging from a mere warning in the
case of first offenders, to a small fine of
francs and the suspension of political
rights for Il period of ten years in the
case OF obdurate offenders. This sus-
pension precludes the offender from be-
ing, during that term, a candidate for
any office or promotion whatsoever in
the public service. and from public
honors and deprives him of his fran
chise for the same time. To some it
looked ridiculous to punish u man by
taking from him n right precisely be-
cause he did not care to exercise it.
But it is one thing to wilfully neglect
privilege under certain uninteresting
circumstances, and another to be de-
prived of it altogether for ten years.
The facts, as shown by statistics, fully
bore out the soundness of the con-
fidence which the trainers of the re-
vised constitution of 1898 had put in
the compulsory vote.
Observation-Disclosures m m m m m m
Tho end of the big strike coming
as 1t did close upon McK:niey's assas-
slnatlon, received but little notice from
the press. The Springfield Republican
says:
THE failure of the steel strike, which
is as complete as anything ever known
In the way OF strikes, should not be al
lowed to pass without the notice it mer-
its. 1t proves, for one thing, that in a
time of active employment and when
wages and hours are satisfactory, a
strike merely to compel a more extended
recognition OF unionism than already
exists is doomed from the start, and
chiefly because 1t can not command the
hearty and united support Of the work.
ingmen themselves. Unionism means lit
Tie to them except as d force to MAIN
tain wages and secure better treatment
as to hours of work and otherwise; and
when these are satisfactory for the time
being there Will be lacking dispositionI
Il icok very far ai,ea6. IS the steel
workers were asked to do, to discover a
threatened breaking down of unionism.
On such an issue the Amalgamated AS
ISOLATION leaders were unable to mar
shall their men in compact array and the
strike accordingly began to break down
nearly as soon as declared. Whether or
sanized labor can ever be made strong
enough to cope with so great a combina-
ton of capital as the steel trust repre-
spnts is question not determined by
the recent contest. But the chances are
ell against the combination Of labor and
in favor of the combination of capital.
AS the labor organization increases Its
SIZE 1t tends to become more and more
while with capital this Is
not true, at least In the case OF con-
fiict with labor. The present strike has
exemplified the truth of this proposition
in manner hardly to be mistaken.
"The career Of Won Miguel" is the
subject when the Chicago Tribune re-
marks that few men in modern times
have had careers as picturesque as that
of DR.. Won MIGUEL, the former Prussian
minister of finance, whose death is Just
announced IN the first place 1t Is suf-
ficiently remarkable that the son of a
poor French family should rise to the
leading place in the cabinet of the Ger
man emperor. But that is only the be-
ginning. Won MIGUEL began life as a
radical socialist and revolutionist. He
was one of the Baden rebels of 1913, and
was banished by the government only
to saek refuge in France and become
practically professional conspirator.
That after such an experience he should.|
become minister of finance and the CHIEF
agent in putting into effect the meas
ures directed toward the suppression of
the German socialists is a sufficient
proof of his wonderful ability. In his
youth MIGUEL was a rank atheist. He
closed his life as member of the Evan
gelical church. He was in many ways
a paradox. For years he stood next to
Bismarck as the most influential man
in Germany and one of the most power
full in Europe. He fell from the favor
of the kaiser only last May. and his
death follows closely his retirement
from public life.
Stepped Into Live Goals.
.when child burned my foot
friyhtfully,' writes w. 81. Eads. of
Tanesyille. Va, which caused horrible
s,a. sores for thirty years, but Bucklen's
Arnica salve wholly cured me after
everything else failed" Infallible for
burns. scalds, cuts, sores, bruises and
niles. Sod by George p. Powers; 25
cents.
q. NJ. Phelps. Forestdale. VT. says his
child was completely cured Of a bad case