Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-11-11
REcUsANT Voters.


qualified voters is one of the
anomalies of our politics. Null
titudes of men who would rebel
if they were deprived of the
elective franchise neglect to ex-
ercise their right although party
fealty, patriotism and self.inter-
est unite ia condemning their
neglect. The strangest thing is
that it is the intelligent, moral,
self-respecting native-born citi-
zen, the man who has material
interest in the country, whose
family history and traditions run
back at least to Lexington, Bun
ker Hill and Valley Forge who
most frequently remains away
from the polls.
We cannot believe that Ameri-
cans are placing a low value upon
the rights and privileges of citi-.
zenship. nor that they would
cowardly turn aside from any of
the grave responsibilities which
are accident to American citizen
ship, but their apathy suggests
these things.
Parties have been defeated,
policies have been abandoned
and others adopted, laws have
been repealed and others enacted.
the purposes of the majority of
citizens have been frustrated and
the moral sentiment of whole
communities violated because
men have neglected the plain
duty OF freemen in free govern
ment.
With foolish sentiment we
hasten to place the ballet in the
hands of ignorant, vicious Slavs,
and Huns and mongrel creatures
who swarm to Our shores from
certain portions of Europe. While
hundreds of intelligent Ameri-
cans remain away this human
scum marches to the polls and
does our voting. 1t always
votes, and already shows its
strength and purpose in our 1arg-
est cities. The time may not be
distant when all New York state
shall be dominated by the city of
New York; when Chicago shall
give lawmakers and laws 10 the
state of Illinois, and San Fran
cisco shall rule California.
1t is easy to see the dangers we
incur because of this careless,
apathetic feeling which so fire.
quently prevails among the men
who, of all citizens, should
never fail to exercise their right
to vote, but it is more difficult to
see how the spirit of apathy may
be prevented. 1t has been sug-
gested that electors who, without
sufficient cause, shall neglect to
exercise the elective franchise
should be deprived of the right
to do SO. This would seem to be
a just consequence of neglecting
to exercise a privilege which the
state confers on certain of its
citizens for the benefit of the
whole body of citizens-that is,
the state.
Statuary remedies are difficult
to apply if, indeed, they are at
all applicable. The best remedy
is moral suasion, education. |
Men, especially young men,
should be taught that the exer-I
else of the elective franchise is a |
duty which citizens owe the state. |
1t is just as incumbent on all
qualified citizens to discharge
this duty as it is to bear arms in
defense Of the state. No earnest
patriot will evade either duty.
Indeed less public peril would at
tend refusal to fight, for the gov
ernment might easily hire men to
fight but cannot hire men to vote.
Teachers, the public press, all
right agencies should be employ
ed to form a correct opinion con
cerning this duty, and such eff.
forts should not cease until the
recusant voter shall be exposed
to as great public odium as the
Sk 1lkinn oouo rdlx, cold;ar