The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1906-05-17
DO THE VOTERS RULE?

and nation rule? In theory, yes.
The constitution vests in them the
power of sovereignty and by the
law they have the right to rule ii
they choose to exercise the right.
In actual fact four-ifths of the
voters of this state and of the nation
have no more to say about the
running of public affairs than they
dc about how the Gar of all the
Russians shall govern his subjects,
or the Sultan Of Turkey run his
harem. Four-ffths of the voters
who elect the officers have no more
to do with their selection than the
man who with lamp in his cap
delving in the bowels of the earth
for anthracite, has with selecting
the officers of the Coal Trust, and
they have no more voice in the
management of public affairs than
a man has in the management of
his home during the house cleaning
season. They are as much of a
nonentity as bridegroom at his
own wedding. 1t is necessary in
order to have wedding to have a
bridegroom and it is necessary to
have voters to have officials, but
their function like that of the bride
groom is supposed to be looking
pleasant and going through the
ceremonies as they are hidden.
Thirty years ago we went to
school in Sank Centre. We studied
"Mitchell's Primary Geography"
and recited to Mrs. Newman. She
kept singing little rawhide in her
hand and if we did not make good
she did. We always had our lesson.
We were never quite as much
afraid of anything we have since
met in life as we we're of that raw
hide. We can repeat that
geography from beginning to end
to this day. We we'll remember
the following questions and answers
that followed the map of the United
States:
@. What is the Capital of the
United States?
A. Washington.
@. What kind of Government
has it?
A. A federal republic.
@. How is it governed?
A. By officers chosen by the
voters.
For years we devoutly believed
this but if we, today, we're asked
elbow is it governed?" we would
answer, "By officers selected by less
than twenty per cent of the voters"
Everyone knows that with few
exceptions officers are nominated
out of conventions and county con-
ventions are made up Of delegates
elected at precinct caucusses held
in the various voting precincts
throughout the country.
Everyone knows that the caucus
and not the voting booth is the real
source of political power in this
country and if the voter stays away
fromthe caucus he has no more to say
about the selection of officers than
a pig does about the time when he
shall be slaughtered. Our Puritan
forefathers understood this and if
any freeman stayed away from
"Town Meeting" which was the
forerunner of the caucus, without
legitimate excuse, and it took a
mighty good excuse to satisfy those
stern old s'Selectmen," he was tied
up to post and the law Of Moses
Forty stripes save one-applied to
his bare back.
1t is matter of common
knowledge that legislators spend
much more time in .devising means
to circumvent the will ofsthe people
than they do in endeavoring to
carry out it's wishes. 80,
This is well exempli6ed in the
action on the crate BILL Ninety
per cent Of the voters wanted il
passed practically in accordance
with the recommendations Of the
President. Yet Congress has
1o11;nd xy;th;+ for ,<hron month.