BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-03-03
SAN JUAN, MARCH 3
The Right To Vote.

Harpiug on the utterances mace by Mr..
Matienzo Cintron in the Council the other
day, to the effect that the people were NOT
represented by the Legislature, and thai
anu,ber political party should have been con
suited, the ever changing chameleon, IN
hopeless effort to make Tetuan Street capital
has seen fit to call the Il den'c want TO pla,
ANYMORE spirit the proper one, and to excu
ne it; to make an attack upon the represent.
ative character of the legisture and to at
tack DR. Barbosa for his uttersnces In d.
Tease of that body; and his condemnation
ofathe people who refused TO vcts beeau'
they could not ssbave their oaon wsy about
things.
The BoLETIN has absolutely no interest
in any political party in Porto Rico, mol
does it stand by reason of subsidy tor tht
mistaken or incorrect procedure OF either,
ready to defend the enc under all and any
unwsrranted circumstances, and to just 81
willingly villify the other because of iit
differences. The good performed by botl
has always been defended in this paper, and
the bad has been attacked with visol
which has known no abatement. alway
tryiug hosever to be clean and beyond per
sonality, and at the same time to assist II
the iofmsti0n of new government when
ever possible. Never an Obstructi0nist.
The unwarianted attack upon DR. b ,rbo.
% stands ont to sll uuprejudiced and uaparti
san citizens as one of the grossest lRjnsnce'
ever done to any man, vi hO in this partlcu-
lar instance bad no thonght before hin bu
that of the public service, and the common
Il Iofar <hS,i int.
iity of the laws which are being made and
70 protect those men who saw 1t their duty
to cast . vote in accordance with thell
opinions.
The failure ef certain political party Oi
the island to cast its votes on the day O.
election is now an old story. Man, deieD-
ses Of its action have been attempted, but IL
the light OF procedure in the United States.
the action is as impossible OF justification,
e won d be an attempt to justify tue edito-
rial in the Sunday edition OF the yellowist
The duty OF every citizen Of republic is to
vote, where the right of suffrage Is his. In
the United States private citizens have
taken upon themselves the duty OF casting
their voies In every contest of importance.
and it is this private silent vote which hss
been kpownto root out dishonest politicians
from office. 1t is duty which cannot be
excused.
The lasC sDhile giving every man the right
to vote, can compel none to do so. The
question might be asked then, should all
government be suspended because cersain
class sees ft to refrain from performing iis
dnpi Should law making body be called
non-rtpresentative, when class of unreas
enxbls citizens, forgetting their duties. SEE
a. to refrain from performing themi The
procedure may be European, shere republics
are still in the experimental stage, but in
ours where the crIses Is over this procedure
is never resorted to and has never been
hssfd of.
The surprise of all this contention does NO,
lie in the action OF men, y no have been up
10 some years sgo under European influence,
where it 10 said such things are common,
and not unheard OF but the defense of II
hy . subsidized newspaper owned by an
American is one of the most remarkable
instances Of perversion which have ever
come to the knowledge of the large mi ,rity
Of Americans here and those Por,o R,cans
who we're educated in the United States.
There can surely be no real belief in the
UUUC31y - buo btoboAnCut8 uouO3 1u0 ~ 10
surely fact that the editorial decisyes
neither the leaders of thu Federal party nor
the bipartisan citizen yhom 1t is sought to
influences. Personal benefit as contra to
public good is read in every line Of the
article.
On election day every citizen is supposed
70 cast his vote in accOrdancs sCIIh his
opinions. When those votes are counted
the nen receiying either majority OF q
plurality of votes are elected. No account
e taken of those who do not vote. The lao
never recognizes the individual except in
bis public capacity, and the votes deposited
In ballot box are the only index to the
popular will or desire.
The failure OF certain people to yo.e last
election was ine1cusable, and without reaEe ]
and amounted to . sinking Of duly. Thar
Il will never happen sgain is a certainty.
The editorial ip question might be kept IS q
record Of jnst how far goods for sale can 60,
and compared with past records, and the
probable fall Of the future.