Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-06-22
NO MONOPOLY OF rNrELL1eENcE.

This ruling greatly Injuries Mr. Rose
waters chances Intelligence will be re-
qured to pick out the delegates. The
Crounse supporters, on the other hand. will
not find the same difficulty in casting their
votes. The decision puts a premium on in
telligence and handicaps the bosses who
hope to control the llliterate vote and
through It the primary. -world-Herald on
rotation ballot decision.
The arrogance by which the rem
nant of Fontanelle Indians in alliance
with the democratic organ assume to
themselves a monopoly of the intelli-
gence OF Omaha is likely to be badly
runctured when the test comes.
There is no question but that the
court order for a rotation ballot in
the coming primary was procured on
the theory that the supporters of Mr..
Rosewater for senator would not have
enough intelligence to pick out the
names of the eighty-three delegates
favorable to him and make eighty
three cross marks opposite their
names. and would thus be wholly or
in part disfTanchised.
This theory is not well founded for
several reasons. In the first place Ed
ward Rosewater is the preferred can
didate of a large majority of all
classes-business men and profess
sional men, as we'll as artisans, clerks
and laboring men Both his delega-
ton and his campaign committee in
clude representation of the most sub
stantial business interests and the best
intelligence of the community. In
fact. 1t is conceded on all sides that
they are the most representative body
of men who have ever been enlisted
In the support Of any candidate in
Omaha and Douglas county.
In the second place. 1t is wide of
the truth that because a man works
with his hands for a living or because
he was born in foreign land and is
an American citizen by adoption he
is not intelligent enough to exercise
the privileges of citizenship. The
wageworker hired by the day has the
same right to register his choice of
candidate for United States senator
as the wealthy capitalist who en-
ploys him. The foreign-born citizen
who has come to this country by an
effort to enjoy the dement's of free in
situations and has taken the oath to
uphold the government and obey it's
laws is entitled to the same voice in
the selection of our public servants as
the man who happens to have been
horn here and was never required to
take such an oath, and as rule they
exercise their rights with a degree of
intelligence higher than the average.
II the source and center of intelligence
were located in a corner OF the Fon-
tanelle club rooms and the small fol-
lowing of the Fontanelle bosses con-
stituted the sum and substance of in
telligent citizenship, Omaha and Doug
las county would, indeed, be in a bad
way. The thing for all to do who do
not train with this bunch of political
tricksters and against whom the
charge of ignorance is made Is to
prove their ability to meet even the
unwarranted test Of the rotation bal
lot outrage by going to the primaries
on July and making the eighty
three cross marks opposite the names
OF the Rosewater delegation. no mat
ter how much time or labor 1t may
take.
No court has any right to disfran-
chise any citizen arbitrarily. Accept
ing the decree of the court that the
rotation ballot does not impose an i'm
possibility. every voter should take his
time to mark his ballot just as he
wants it, calling without hesitation
upon the judges for any desired as
sistance and casting his ballot so that