The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-07
EVERY VOTER AN
 AMERICAN KING
Sovereignty the Most Sacred
 Trust Given to Men
ETHICS OF THE BALLOT
Base of Political Corruption Is the Failure of Public Funetionaries to Recognize the Fiduciary Rea-
 tions to the Community.

subject on which the Rev. Dr. A. J. ] Dickinson preached at the First Baptist church yesterday at the evening service. ] The sermon was an exhortation to the voter to consider the casting of his bal lot and then cast and not dispose of it l otherwise. The text was from the 17th verse of the 2d chapter of First Peter: Honor the King" Dr. Dickinson spoke in part as follows:
 Of course the apostle means here tho Roman Emperor in whom was ultimate ! ly vested the supreme sovereign power. The text, therefore, means that "-e should honor the seat and source of supreme and ultimate authority In society. In a republic we are accustomed to think that there is king, but it would be more accurate to say that in a republic all men are kings, and the meat and source of supreme and ultimate power lies in the people.
 l In our country the electors are the seat and source of sovereign power from which there is no appeal. The elector IS the king, and we should honor the cleo tion. In our state at this time the law makes a certain class of men to hold the sovereign power In society. From this class are eliminated all who by moral and intelligent incompetency are not able to appreciate the sacred and vital re- responsibilities involved in such trust.
 Great Political Problem.
 The great political problem before the American people now is how shall we keep the franchise pure and honorable. A corrupt king whether that king be one person or many, will make a people mourn. No one has ever denied the di vine right of the king to rule right, but all deny the divine right of the king to rule wrong. Ones right to rule de- bends on his competency and efficiency to rule right. This Is true of person, a party, Cabal in deed of every form of rule.
 There is a law to which kings are amen able, and 1t Is the royal law Thou shalt I love thy neighbor thyself.' No man is competent to exercise royal power who does not recognize the claims of this law.
 As trustees of the power of the fran chise, the voters hold the highest and
 
 ment. It Is his to determine what Is .o be the regime under which all the people shall live. It will be impossible to have a government better than that which he i chooses. And he chooses not merely for l himself, but for all the other people, men, women and children. He is their king. So sovereignty Is the most sacred trust which 1t is given to men to bear. No man votes In his own right, but he sustains towards the community a hdu- cary responsibility in the exercise of this function.
 ] Base of Political Corruption.
 At the base of all the political corrup- ton of our day and the mother of un- restrained graft is the failure of public functionares to recognize this fiduciary relation they sustain to the community over whom they are privileged to exercise authority. Such pet phrases as "a pub lie office is private snap" or unto the victors belong the spoils,' show how ut terly we have ignored this first principle of civic ethics.
 When some man changes the stock phrase to "a public office is a public trust and unto the victors belong the responsibilities we were fearfuly shock ed and yet now we see that such truism Is but a commonplace of polit- ical morals No officers in society holds powers save as a trust from the pub lie. whom he is called to serve This is true of the electors. especially. and in the exercise of their power they are under the most sacred obligation to act not in their own personal interest, but that of the community at large.
 The City Council will be in the reach of graft just so long as the electors are moved by considerations of graft in their election. If you voted for the alderman to conserve your own personal interest, you surprised that he voted in the council to conserve his? The motive which impeled you to elect hlm was graft, and he is true to the same after i his election. When we begin to elect men to office for the public good, then We may expect them to conduct their offices for that end.
 It is proposed to investigate the alder men; I move that we investigate the i men Wno, as electors, chose the aldermen. suspect that in that event you will l find that they represent their constit- ueney If you had been true to the trust i put in you as an elector there oculd never have arisen such a dissraceful sit nation as now is clouding the politicll life of our city
 The Voters Trusteeship. ! He who sells his vote for con- 1 sideration personal to himself. or ex- ercises the power of the franchise with which he is vested from motives other than that of the public good, is in morals an embezzeler. or is guilty of a most fragrant breech of trust. For such an offense he ought to be sent to ! the penitentiary, a traitor to the public 1 for consideration which has the func- 1 ton and force of bribe. As an cleo 1 tor he was guardian of the rights and 1 privileges of women and children, tn cir inheritance from their fathers: and he has used it to erS~t-l his own pocket. | Such a man has proven himself un- | worthy of the office of elector, and deserving of public contempt. But an- | other thing follows from this position that the elector is trustee for the rest l of the community. He should always be ready to listen to the petition of those for whom he is trustee.