Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-05-21
A DEEP RESPONSIBILITY.

The prosperity of the United States
depends upon the policy Of the politi-
cal party in power.
1t is not the purpose of this article
to contend that this is good state OF
affairs or bad one. But it Is the in
tention to state so all who read
may understand it, that the first para
graph Of this article is fact.
This being the case, it follows that
the voter should regard it as his i'm
perative duty to see that the men who
are selected to carry out these poll
cies are men who will reflect the
greatest credit on the nation and the
state they represent. That RESPONSE
bility now rests more heavily on the
voter than ever before. If the primary
law gets the government closer to
the people" than is done by the caus
Gus, then by the same token the re-
sponsibility of the people must be
greater than it was by the caucus.
Politics Is business and business is
politics. Added responsibility means
that we have got to give more study,
thought and care to the proposition.
That is one Of the features Of the pri-
mary law. If the voter is to be direct
ly responsible, then he must seriously
consider whom he Is voting for at the
primary election this year, as we'll as
the years to follow.
A condition and not theory some
time confronts us in city, county or
state politics, and we pay but the
of guess it will be all right anyway,
and let it go at that.
But we have just now reached a
time when it will not do to t'let it go
at that" We have lesislated our
selves into responsibility that must
be realized and after we have come to
a realization of this responsibility, we
must shoulder it.
On the second of next month, the
voters of Iowa, for the first time in the
history of the state, will signify by
ballot at the polls, the man whom they
wish to represent Iowa in the senate
of the United States. They will also
express in the same manner, their
choice to represent this district in the
house of representatives
Every man who Is going to vote at
that primary should study deeply the
responsibility of that vote. He should
study the records and get information
concerning the different candidates,
and inform himself so that he can
definitely decide in his own mind
which man he thinks is the most like
ly to use his Judgment and influence
for the business and moral welfare of
the country-the prosperity of the
entire nation.
Every voter should get it indelibly
fixed in his brain that there is vastly
more responsibility attached to voting
for a man who is going to occupy an
Office in which he helps frame laws
for the government of this whole coun-
try, than there is in voting for some
minor Office.
We want to say to the voters of
| Iowa, when you are voting for man
who is going to occupy seat in the
councils of the nation, who is going
to help formulate the laws that are to
govern all the states and possessions,
it is your duty to study deeply as to
how you cast that vote, and who you
cast it for. Bring yourself to reali
cation of these things-that you are
voting for men who are to form
measures that will concern you and
your neighbor and your neighborine
state, and that you as voter. must