Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1906-03-16
BRATyLEBoRo, FRIDAY, MAR, 10, 1909,
Not Expedient.

The Right to Vote is the subject OF
the latest of the series of able edito-
rails which the st. Adams Messenger
has directed from time TO time against
the Reformer s plea for an unrestrict.
ed franchise for citizens, uttered orig
inally in discussion of the law disfran
chising the non-taxpayer
Starting with the assumption that
civil government is mere matter of
expediency the object of which must
be the greatest good to the greatest
number, the Messenger quickly reaches
tn "logical conclusion that the unde.
serving should not help make the laws;
the instinct of self preservation max
ing this resolve a natural preeaution.
1t concludes by asking the Reformer:
Would the contemporary urge that
merely for the assumed ethical devel.
opment of the enemy, merely for the
educational possibilities in the exercise
of the franchise, the deserving are
morally bound TO open the gates of
the polls and thus the gates of their
civic stronghold to those whose igno-
rance or vicious designs might destroy
or seriously imperil its safety! Is gov
eminent great educational expert
ment in which the only risk must al
ways be on the side of the deserving!
The Reformer would urge nothing of
the kind; neither would it branch off
into abstract side issues involving
moral obligations and ethical develop,
ment of enemies. The Reformer wants
a fair deal for all citizens and believes
that under popular form of govern
ment, while due punishment should be
made for all sorts of wrong.dong the
franchise should not be restricted.
Whether the right to vote is a nat
ural right or political right is i'm
material to the point we seek to main
tain, which is that an unrestricted
franchise is the wiser policy for this
country.
We admit that, as the Messenger
once suggested, government might be
voiced by better laws and admins
tered by wiser and better men IF
large part of the men now trusted with
the ballot were without it," but this
situation could not be brought about
in this country. In the first place, it
would be impossible to sift out the
"wiser and better men, from the
mass of voters, since knowledge and
tax receipt are not proofs of wis
dom and integrity. In the second
place, the "large part of the men now
trusted with the ballot" would object
to having it taken from them. 1t
couldn' It be done peacefully.
Civil government of this kind is not
expedient for this country and would
not result in the greatest good to the
greatest number. Therefore the "logi-
cal conclusion" of our contemporary
does not follow, in our opinion.
The DISTINGUISHING law in question
makes no approach to the betterment
desired by its advocates. While it
may cut off few of the lesser evils
of corrupt voting, it leaves the great
er ones unrestricted and the influence |
of such discriminative laws on the |
public temper is worse than the evil |
they aim to eliminate. The general re-
suit does not warrant the waving of |
the wise and uplifting policy of gen.
eral participation in government.
The waving of this policy might
more reasonably be allowed in the
cases of candidates for high Office, state
and national, who have bought thou
sands of votes-not all ignorant ones,
either-to crafty personal ambition.
With liberal education and receipts
in full for taxes, such man is still
utterly false to his country and his
fellow-citizens and unfit to have a
voice in the government. He is faith
less at his best The shiftless dead
beat who can neither read nor write
is only faithless at his worst and may
still have within him the germ of man
hood and good citizenship. He should
not be disfranchised, but disciplined
and taught. 1t is not from such as he
that the greatest governmental evils
of our country today are emanating.
Men in high places are working them.
These men have knowledge enough
and power enough but they lack honest
nurnosa