Los Angeles herald., 1906-10-27

how to do It will have forgotten all
about II, hence instructors will always
be necessary.
Suppose county board of supervs-
ors, or city council Is under the con-
troll Of the political push, which Is quite
as likely to happen as otherwise, for
the push always attends to business,
while the responsible citizens do not.
That Is to say while they are faithful
I'm regard to their private affairs they
neglect those of the public; that board
of supervisors or city council VIII ap-
point the Instructor or expert i'm man
aging the voting machine, and 1t would
not be wide OF the mark to say that
he would be acceptable to the political
push, or one that the push might be
able to manipulate for a consideration
of some kind or other, and his SER
vices would be immensely valuable in
manipulating the machine so as to
grind out votes to the liking OF the
push.
The only plausible argument in favor
of the voting machine is that 1t expe-
dites voting and. counting Of ballots,
and therefore 1t is practicable to have
fewer voting precincts. 1t is wise that
in this important business there should
be no hurry. There is no limit to the
number of precincts that may be made.
The substituting of bosses will for all
time to come assure the existence of
more or less machine voters.
One thing may be regarded as a
continuing fact, that the trihers with
the freedom and honesty of the ballot
will strive to evade or defy any law
that may be enacted to prevent cleo
tion abuses and crimes. There has been
a neck-and-neck race between the in
ventors of burglar proof safes and the
safe crackers. A similar race has been
contested by legislatures and those
who study how to defraud in elections.
That voters must be hedged about
by laws of complicated and restrict
i've character is a sad reflection on the
virtue and efficiency of popular govern
ment. one unacquainted with what has
so often and extensively occurred
would suppose that in the exercise of
the right of suffrage it would be the
last matter in which free men would
be dishonest, with which they would
trifle, or to which they would be indif-
ferent, for each mans personal interests
are involved as well as those of the
public. We public affairs men should
be governed by that beautiful senti-
ment uttered by Terrence two thousand
years ago, "What concerns my fellow
men is my concern"
Punitive legislation may be neces-
sary for all time to come, but some
thing more and better is required, and
1t is that men should be as honest
in politics as in business or social in
tercourse; that Individual Independence
is an essential quality of good citizen
ship and in the discharge of public
duties. No man should hesitate to
acknowledge how he votes, or to ex-
press his opinions on proper occasions.
Whoever is afraid to aVoW his opinions
Is a moral coward, and if he has an
object to attain by concealment, it may
be assumed to be selfish and un-
worthy one.
Safety of free institutions lies in in
telligent and honest voting, and in
frank and manly declaration of senti-
ment, not in statutes imposing fines
and imprisonment, nor in clever de-
vices to protect from the effect OF In
timidation, fraud, and the corrupt use
Of money. The voting machine AFFORDS
no protection against those legal or
moral crimes with which this country
has been afflicted, against acts of Off
cials that owe their election to the de-
moralizing work Of trusts and monopo-
lies The bosses of the political MAJ
chimes always have their cads watch
ing the conduct of the weaklings and
the corrupt, and seeing to it that they
vote in obedience to instructions. Those
governed by party zeal or prejudice
NAV welcome the voting machine as
it plays into their hands, but it is an
imposition on those who would have
men free to vote their convictions re-
gardless of party.
The voting machine, the machine pol
itjcian and machine voter are able to
successfully cooperate.