The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1905-06-29
CENTRE HERALD
SUFFRAGE.

L have IN my former chapters
been discussing financial Legislation
and it is, perhaps, the most I'M
portant of all subjects that ever has
or ever will occupy the attention
of legislators. The God of the
universe implanted one common
paramount desire in the human
heart and this extends to every
mortal endowed with human intelli-
gence and that is longing to
better his temporal condition.
Men migrate across the seas, search
out the inaccessible portions Of the
globe, dig into the bowels Of the
earth, tunnel through mountains,
explore the depth of the sea in
curious contrivances, endure every
conceivable hardship, privation,
danger and suffering and pluck out
the very beard of Death to obtain
the Wherewithal to better their con-
di.ion, to surround themselves and
those dependent upon them with an
increase of real and imaginary
comforts and necessities. 1t is
easier to satisfy this natural and
laudabJe longing in any nation
where wise and benefcient legisla-
ton exists than where it is absent,
and hence financial legislation is
worthy of the closest attention OF
the greatest statesmen and Wisest
philosophers, and he who devlses a
system of laws under which honest
effort and honest toll receives just
recompense, is greater benefactor
to his countrymen and his country
than he who extends the boundaries
of its dominions by diplomatic
skill or leads its warriors to
glorious victories; and he who puts
butter on the dry bread of the
worker, is greater than he who puts
diamond ornaments in the ears of
capital. But Life is more than
meat and body more than raiment."
Important as this class of legisla-
ton is, it is not all that is
necessary. The American citizen
demands more of the legislator than
'good times" He is not satisfied
to be put on "easy street" and left
there to vegetate. He wants to
know and feel that he is a part of
the government, that be is an
integral factor in its affairs. He
may not be a candidate for Office
only very small percentage of our
citizens become candidates for
office, either elective or appoinfive-
but by bis ballot the citizen
delegates the right of administering
the affairs of government to others
and he is rightfully very jealous of
this power of delegation, for if he
is deprived of it or interfered with
in it's exercise he ceases 10 be
citizen and degenerates into mere
subject.
That every citizen who possesses
the constitutional requisites shall
have the right to vote, and to have
that vote figure in the result is the
very foundation of our government.
Any man who tries to defeat this
either by force, connivance, or cor
ruption, is morally, if not technic-
ally, guilty of high treason, just as
surely as if he had conspired against
the nation or taken up arms against
the duly constituted authorities.
No person ought to lose his citizen
ship except as punishment for
crime, and any unconstitutional
abridgement of the right of suffrage
is a stab at the very heart of the
nation. The idea of the founders
of the Republic was:-that it was
to be government of the people, -
but as it was a manifest impossi-
bility for all the people to come
together and formulate laws and
pass upon questions of state, they
vested in the people the right to
delegate this power to representa-
tives to perform these duties for
them; giving to the citizens, in
directly but none the less certainly.
the power of confirming or con-
demning the acts of their repre-
sentatiyes, inasmuch AS AT stated