Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-06-22

The Great Responsibility of fhe
Voter In Close states-Youns Men
Must Be Made to Understand That
the Value of Vote In beyond
Computations
Young men who will cast their FRS:
vote at the coming national election
| should investigate the fundamental
doctrines that divide the two great 30
litical parties and the issues upon
which the campaign will be decided
III this way they can arrive at tue
proper way to perform the highest pre-
rogative of an American citizen. The
greatest right III a democratic republic
| Ike ours IS represented by the bal
lot ! he poor man and the rich one the
lfSt voter and the most accomplished
statesman i'll the land, are all equal be-
fore the law and are sovereign voters.
Not only IS the act of voting the high
est political function, but it involves
the grcatest responsibility. y few
votes often turn the scale in close
states and political districts, so no yot-
must imagine tllathis ballot is not
OF consequence, as lie may decide is
SUES of. tratfsceudpnt Importance and
eject candidates fer the highest offices
who Will have tIe executive power
placed III thcir halltIs After the clec
tIon is nEor the voters have tIan&fer-
RED their power to those whom they
hay" ei"e'ted TO represent them. and the
| lndNiansi voter is poNerless until the
next election occurs
Among the great issues that Will be
decided at the coming national elee-
ton is one that should appeal to Young
voters with irresistible force. Tie
question Of the protective tariff and
the control Of tie trusts affects the
Focketho"k Of every voter and must
be decided Us interest Dictates Other
issues niay he settled upon patriotic or
humantarian grounds. but the indi.
rect Taxation of the tariff and its ae.
knoWle1iged fostering Of trusts are fast
breaking down that good old Demo.
cratic doctrine of equal rights to all
and special privileges to nome
If the Young voter is the son of Il
trust ma2nate or one who has through
some special privilege become a mo.
nopolist, he may be expected to follow
in his fathers footsteps and vote to
continue Il system that allows enor
nous fortunes 10 he created at the eN
penSe Of the great ma iolity
Tut Were there is one such child of
fortune there are thousands who are
chi j4a IL. f
voter who has nothing or hut little but
Ills oWil eNertions TO prov ide 4 living for
himself and those dependent upon him
must view With tiisnEFy trust prices and
increased cost Of living How mech
more must it set him thinking if he
1Ihets the avenues Of employment less s
cning and the standard of wages de-
eGeasin2 i'll proportion to the Increased
cost of living.
Does ANY well Informed Young man
doubt that the trust and monopoly
breeding tariff is an issue that is of the
utmost interest for him to investigate
and see how it affects his prospects in
life: Does he see fair share Of the
vast wealth Of the country flowing to
those who create il or does he notice
enormous prosperity to corporations
and the comparatively few individuals
who control them:
The position of the two great parties
on economic questions must be an is
sue and perhaps paramount in the alb
senee of war or other great events that
so stir mems souls that they forget
thelr pocketbookS. The young voter
must to vote With Intelligence investi-
gate the evidence on both sides and de-
cide who will represent him most effec-
tually in securing equal rights" and
prevent the favored few from obtain
ing or keeping special privileges" "
There must be no objection to riches
or the rich man if his riches have been
equitably. Neither must Dives
be Worshjpel. and above all the Young
voter must keep at a safe distance the
vote buyer. Your vote is as valuable
rs that of Hockefeller it counts for as
il'lth, and no money value can be
placed upon it. Its value is beyond
computation.