The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-10-24
FRANCHISE is
A SACRED RIGHT"
Continued from Eighth Page.

Continued from Eighth Page.
the return of the late election. This
wonderful combination might happen
once. Forty times in one election
would be an impossibility. People don't
rent house, work in shops, do
business in any such way and it is
absurd to think they would vote
that way. Such, however, was the
case in the voting list 1 examined, ex-
cept the alphabetic poll ran from ten
in a group to many more What Won
derful discipline the noble 4,500 Demo-
Gratis show that they discover just
when their fellows of the same in
itial will be ready to vote, wait on
each others convenience with beauti-
full patience, fall into alphabetical
ranks and march in sweet unison to
the polls. Lovely sight! Tammany take
lesson. Instead of Dixie the Citi-
zens' Marching Club has adopted a
new campaign tune called the AL
phabetic Quick-Step.
such absurdity is a demonstration
of the arrapt fraud in our last cleo
ton.
THE other day a gentleman said to
me: The boys say you are making
big fuss over a little matter Is it
a little matter? Is a sham election
government little? When you consid-
err the election as a mere form some
may pass it by as Insignificant. When
you examine it as a symptom of pub
lie health as a manifestation of dis
ease in a vital institution it cannot be
regarded as a trivial offense. Men
who will do this wrong under so
slight a temptation will go to any
length when more serious issues are
at stake. Public Indifference to such
gross fraud in so sacred an institu-
ton reduces the sense of civic duty to
a dangerous minimum. Submission, as
one aptly says, proclaims the pu-
silamity of our people. Give me
government founded on might rather
than one built on fraud. l had rather
weigh my shackles than be the an
conscious victim of such subtlety
woven letters
comfy DiscOrdant Element"
''This crime is dangerous in it's rev.
elation of the facility of it's perpetu-
alton. the apathy as to it's existence
and the readiness of it's defense. So
secure are it's sponsors that l am re-
ferred to as the only 'discordant ele-
ment.'
Mote heretofore have only charged
the election managers with this wrong.
The other night, however, the domi-
nant political faction claimed 1t as
their own. By virtue of this claim
I thus treat the matter. If they re-
ceive honor for $500 genuine votes
they should be held responsible If the
bulk of them are shown to be dishon-
est.
Eyes. thank God, am not an ele-
ment in accord with that iniqu1ty.
While I serve Him I shall always be
eI1. frofI dcs
with Sunday dissertation, Illegal liquor
selling, gambling, the policy shop, an
open town, and every other degreda-
ton imposed upon us. When I make
friends with these iniquities let men
suspect my moral character.
"In the Bible we have accounts of
several discordant elements. One
story tells of Mordecai and Hamon.
Old Mordecai was the one diScordant
element in the way of Humans glory
And when Hannah saw that Mordecai
would not, nor did him reverence
then was Hamon full of wrath His
tory repeats itself Let this modern
Mordecai be careful not to build his
gallows for the one discordant ele-
ment too high.
"This fraud is dangerous in its ten
denotes. It tends to weaken the per-
sonal responsibility of the voter
"If proxy can discharge this duty,
why should man exert himself. 1t
tends to sap civic activity. II 1 am
voted without my consent. why regis
ter? Why pay poll taxes? 1t tends
to disregard of all laws. If legislator
and Judge are elected in a ballot box
saturated with lawlessness, why should
the private citizen be expected to?
fandQ ~ TnronnOta vice and crime.
It is the root of a tree bearing twelve
manner of evil fruits. The fruits of
Sabbath Dissertation, selling liquor to
minors and drunkards. gambling and
all that class of iniquity. 1t is the
parent of the lawless spirit of the COM
munity and the times. 1t tends to
weaken faith in education as prepara-
tion for civic duty. The object lessons
of such practices unrebuked make
school lessons in citizenship and the
flag the sheerest mockerY.
II am criticized because turning
light on these practices will injure
Savannah. 1t is not the revelation,
but the existence of evil, that hurts
people Continue these evils in silence
and disgrace will burst forth from
every pore of the body polite. Cure
them, and it's true beauty will be man.
ifest.
an conclusion, the Augusta Chroni-
Gle is right. If / have libeled the au-
thorities, arrest and punish me. Gladly
would / spend a term in jail TO clean
Savannah Of this blot
"If, however the authorities have
made the mud, put 1t on your escutch-
con and have only exposed It. Your
honor demands that you should avenge
the wrong and punish the guilty"
TO CURE A COLD IN ONE DAY