Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-02-21
Practical
:. Politics
By.
WILLIAM II. HlNRfCHSEN

N.-lnstructions to the lndi-
vidual Voter.
8 the campaign progresses the
labors of the county and pre-
q cinct committees increase. In
addition to the general work
heretofore enumerated, the individual
voter must receive considerable atten-
ton.
While the speakers, the writer's. the
special pleaders and other agents are
trying to convince him that it Is best
10 vote their ticket, another class of
agents must not only see that he is
qualified to vote, but that he is famil-
lar with the mechanical process of
casting his ballot.
Most of the states have adopted what
ID known as the Australian ballot in
some form, and as the laws governing
this method of voting are sometimes
very complicated it is necessary that
each new voter and many of the old
voters should be carefully instructed
as to how to mark their ballots.
This work is frequently assigned to
the precinct committeeman, who are
first carefully drilled for the purpose.
In any event such instruction must be
given direct to each voter who is not
known to be thoroughly familiar with
the law.
The poll Of each precinct has no
doubt been completed and several
weeks before the election it is care
fully corrected. 1t should furnish the
information which the committee will
require in order to begin the work.
! The student should revise and correct
the poll of his precinct which he made
early, and he will by this time have
discovered its value. His knowledge
Of election laws so freshly obtained
will qualify him as an instructor, and
he should volunteer for that work.
Sometimes regular schools are held,
with sample ballots, boxes, judges, etc.
This is good plan. Sometimes in
voter and sometimes a combination of
both plans is used. No matter how
! instruction is given, the student should
never rest until he knows that every
member of his party entitled to vote
in his precinct knows how to mark
his ballot and knows it so we'll that
he will not be likely to make a mis-
take through nervousness or from any
other cause.
The student should also see that
, every man is made fully acquainted
! with his rights and duties as a voter
and should never cease to impress
upon him the Importance Of exercising
the right OF suffrage
Registration.
The poll, being fully revised, should
receive 4 final examination prepara-
tory to registration. In some places
registration is necessary; in others it is
not, but whether it is or not the stu
dent should see that every voter in his
precinct is registered. The man who is
registered, whether it is necessary or
not, is more likely to vote on election
day than the one who is not registered.
The student should carefully review
his study Of the laws governing regis
tration, so that he may make no mis-
take, and should prepare himself care
fully for the work.
The work of getting the vote regis
tered is so similar to that of getting
out the vote on election day that it will
he discussed under the latter head only
and will be treated in a later lesson,
which should, of course, be studied
carefully.
Use Of Money In Politics.
At this point it would be we'll for the
student to give some attention to the
important question of the use of money
in elections.
In undertaking this course of study
it is presumed that he has determined
to do nothing illegal and nothing which
he might feel is dishonest. As lille
gal and dishonest action in politics is
generally associated with the use of
money, he ought by this time to have
made up his mind as to how far he
might go in the use of money without
violating his principles.
Some states have laws limiting the
amount Of the campaign expenses of a
candidate, while nearly all states have
laws forbidding the use of money in
elections except for certain purposes
and, although laws of this kind are
usually violated with IMMUNITY, they
should be scrupulously observed.
Men absolutely honest differ in opin
ion as to what may be called legitimate
or ilegit1mate use Of money in order
to gain party success, and, within the
law, each mans conscience must be his
! guide.
It is generally conceded that it is
proper to use money for the following
purposes:
To pay the rent of the headquarters
/ to er,Dlov clerical HELM and to pur