Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-06-24

nave only one vote. What differ
ence does 1t make If / use it or no?
There will be no change In the result
because l do not go to the polls" This
is the most frequent form of excuse
with which careless or indolent citi-
zens soothe their consciences on cleo.
| ton day.
Of course the excuse carries it's own
refutation with it. If everybody thought
and acted thus. there would be no cleo
ton at all.
But. moreover, there have been
many cases known in this country
when single vote not merely on the
bench OF in the legislative hall, but
even at the polling booth, where it
would appear that It's individuality
would be absolutely lost, has decided
the fate of great men and important
causes.
In the gubernatorial campaign In
Massachusetts in November 1889, Mar.
Gus Morton defeated Edward Everett
by single vote in a total poll Of
100,622. This defeat interrupted the
hitherto triumphant political career Of
Everett, and withdrew him from the
field of possible presidential candidates
until 1860, when he reluctantly con-
sented to run as vice presidential nom
inee on the ticket headed by John Bell
and was showed out of sight"
The famous Tom Corwin, United
States senator from and governor of
Ohio, was fond of telling the following
story
I'm the spring of 1911, at the annual
election in Rhode Island, there was a
town precinct closely contested by the
federal and the republican (the peace
and war; parties. federal farmer,
hurrying down to vote just before clos
ing time, was stopped on the way by
| finding one Of his valuable pigs fast be-
tween the planks Of fence. He tried
to pull the pig out, and failed. Then
with some difficulty he pried away one
of the planks, released the pig and
started on run for the voting place.
Just as he got within a hundred feet
of it the town clock struck six. The
polls closed without his vote The re-
suit was that war representative was
elected by one vote.
when the general assembly met a
| few weeks afterward a war senator
was chosen by one majority on Joint
ballot. In 1872 the declaration of war
against England was carried in the
United States senate by one vote. Gen
eral Jackson was nominated as a ma
jor general and confirmed by one vote,
January s, 1916 He commanded the
army at the battle Of New Orleans,
won great victory, became popular
military hero, was elected and re-
| elected president of the United States,
turned all the wings out of office, re-
moved all the deposits from the ma
tional banks, vetoed the bill and played
havoc generally, and all because that
pig away up in Rhode Island got fast
In plank fence"
In the more limited area of congress
single vote has frequently lost or
carried an important measure. In 1868
one vote transferred from nineteen
negatives to the thirty-fve alternatives
! in the Andrew Johnson impeachment
case would have given the Presidents
enemies the two-thirds majority neces-
sary for conviction and removal. In
1916 the revenue reform or "free
trade" tariff, an act Of the greatest
financial significance, was carried by
the casting vote Of Vice President
George M. Dallas, who had at one time
pledged himself against it.
But the Importance of one vote was
never more signally demonstrated than
in 1901.
Suppose that just one of the seventy
three presidential electors who de-
clared for both Jefferson and Burr had
cast for somebody else the vote he
gave to Jefferson? There would have
been no tie, the election would not have
been transferred to the house of repre-
sentatives, and Aaron Burr and not
Thomas Jefferson would have been
president of the United States.