The Elbert County tribune. [volume] (Elbert, Elbert County, Colo.) 18??-1920, 1904-10-27


parties to make a maximum effort to in
fuence the first vote OF the young men
of the country. The young man Is now
one of the most important and most
sought individuals In the Republic. 1t is
not beyond the range of probability that
these first voters may hold the balance
of power and actually decide the COM
ing election.
1t Is not always easy to reckon the
strength of this vote accurately, hence
it offers a fertile field for speculation.
The United States census of 1900 gives
the total male population Of the United
States in 1900 between the ages of II
and 20, inclusive, as 2,959.S01. In other
words in round numbers. three million
voters. These young men being Mt that
age Mt that time. are all now eligible to
cast their first vote for President. In
addition, many thousand young men as
emigrants have become citizens of the
United States since that time. OF course
q number have also died. 1t may not be
very far wrong to conclude that there are
safely between three and three and n
half million first voters now in the Unit
ed States.
or course, there is no accurate way of
knowing just how these votes are pro-
less true that the safely Democratic
States and the safely Republican States
have something of similar quota, and
to that extent of course, the votes in
the electoral college would not be infiu-
encei either way, but how about the
effect of the first voters in the doubtful
States2 Past experience shows that in
these States an increased suffrage in ia
vor of one party or the other from 1
to per cent may change the results
and mark defeat or victory for either
party.
1t Is this first vote in doubtful States
that Is OF supreme Importance. How will
It be east? For Democracy. negation-
policy destructive of all that is good
and ebstructive Of all that is progressive.
or shall 1t be for Roosevelt and Fair
banks, who represent the great construc-
dive business league in America known
as the Republican party?
0ituation and Young Name Duty.
IL 1t should so happen that two fam
flies of distinction should seem TO lay
equal claim to any young man, and IL 1t
should be left to him to decide Ms TO
which one he might cast his lot with. he
would naturally look into the history of
both families intelligently, diligently and
thoroughly. His pride and self-interest
would compel him to cast his lot with
the one that showed the highest self
respect, the greatest personal and ma
tional pride. the best ability for doing
things that ought to be done, calculated
to benefit mankind; and above all. the
one that looked to the future with hope
and aspiration, with a view of meeting
ell new conditions nobly and complete
ly as they might arise.
1t 10 the duty of every young Ameri-
can to perform this duty thoroughly in
connection with the two great political
parties that are asking has first vote on
the issues of the present campaign. He
Will find the work not only instructive,
but II he investigates the records thor
oughly, there cannot We shadow Of n
doubt in his mind, after he has finished
che investigation. as to which way his
duty may lie. He should divest himself
of hereditary bias and inclinations, he
should attempt to lift himself out of has
Immediate or present surroundings and
divorce himself, for the nonce. from all
social or family ties and investigate the
thing for himself.
Parting Of the ways.
This duty. is one of the weightiest
that the generations of progress and the
blood OF his ancestors have made in
cumbent upon him. II he enters upon it
wrongly, he not only stulti6es his own
usefulness and injects n germ of partial
failure into his own life, but he fails most
miserably to measure up TO one of the
highest opportunities ever vouchsa fed to
mankind. 1t is now too late in this pro-
gressive age to allow personal preference
or any inclination of our ancestors or
immediate forefathers TO influence us in
a work which will affect the destinies
of mankind. 1t is sacred privilege aud
an act which affects nearly hundred
million people. Is there not cause for
pause?
Then as Americans, as the inheritors
of all that Is glorious and grand in the
history of the greatest Republic on earth.
what can n young man md in the Demo
cratic party's record that would appeal
to his pride, his patriotism. his sense OF
duty or his idea OF intelligent citizenship?
All any sane and conservatively-m minded
young man has to do is to simply com
pare the records of the two parties for
the last half century. What does he
find? He finds that at every turn one
has been progressive. constructive. patri-
otto. working for the general interests
and welfare OF humanity. The other
has been n. party of negation, predicting
calamity, crying despair and prophesying
wreck and ruin of the government; stand
Ing uniformly aud perpetunlly ms AN OBJ
stacle and obstruction to all measures
calculated for the general good.
Party of Action.
Some Of the accomplishments OF the
Republican party may well be contrast
ri with the nkf$ine acts and obstruction
tactics OF the Marty OF slavery. State
rights, secession. anti-expansion. free
trade and free silver. Brom the imnpr-
tai Lincoln to the illustrious Roosevelt
here is nothing but one long line of brill
liant achievements OF the Republican