The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1908-04-18
The Citizens Highest Moral
Obligation.

We have had much mpralizing and
newspaper preaching since the Demo
cratic primary. Most OF it, like all
dogmatic discussion, is intended to ae-
complish specific purpose rather
than to get at the truth, SO ignores
some of the fundamentals.
It would seem good sometimes to go
back to first principles.
Under our institutions there is and
can be no niger duty a citizen is
called on to perform than the casting
of his ballot. That is the very foun-
datton of our institutions and on it all
else rests. Anything that affects it
harmfu1ly undermines the found alton
of our house political. This is ele-
mentary.
It applies, however, not only and
alone to any tampering with the ballot
after it has been made and cast, but
also to the making and casting OF it
by every individual.
The whole scheme of our system
rests on the idea that every man shall
vote and that in voting he shall
register his honest convictions, or as.
near to them as the situation makes
possible. This is not only the right
of the voter, but in the very highest
degree is his duty. The election is. the
only opportunity the individual voter
has TO put on record his calm and de-
liberste judgment of men and meas
ures. He owes it to himself and to the
community tn do SO. No man has a
right To fail or refuse to vote. No
man has right to deny to his fellow
citizens the expression or record OF
his convictions on the situation. But
this expression must be his honest,
conscientious conviction. 1t should
not be dictated or controlled by any
other man or set OF men, except in so
far as the situation may in the very
nature OF things hamper him in ex-
pressing his judgment with exactness.
No voter can with propriety pledge
himself at any time. Still less can
any binding pledge be exacted. No
rule OF any party or act of any legis-
lature can exact d pledge that can or
ought TO be binding. With as much
propriety could it be proposed that d
judge or juror about to try cause be
expected or required to pledge him
self in favor OF one side or the other
before he commences the trial or votes
upon his verdict or judgment. E may
be admitted that all these things are
dons. TAAs does nos establish the
righteousness OF the doiug, but only
the frailly Of human nature.
II can be affirmed without the fear
Of successful contradiction that no
man has right TO tie his own hands
by a pledge Of his vote, but that his
only and highest right and duty is to
prepare and cast his ballot according
to the honest dictates OF his own con-
science under the best light and fullest
Information he can get.
It would seem that this point Of view
should appeal specially to tall those
who do profess and call themselves
Christian" of whatsoever church,
sect, creed or communion. Do we not
find the Palmist prophesying that
Christ at his second coming stshall.
judge the people righteously and gov
ern the nations upon earth. = Here,
then, we find that according to their
faith the act of judging and governing
are functions of Almighty God. Those
who fill those functions here and now
take part in acts divine. Can any,
thing IN human life be more exalted.
How dare they be otherwise than hon
est and conscientious? How dare they
fail or refuse to vote and by such fail
ure or refusal dodge The duty their re
ligion as we'll as their country I'M
poses on them? Above all things,
how can they dare to let any man or
set OF men tell them at any time or
1o "A4IA Y St1hc oAlCy a1O%OE GdI GG Qd-
der any obligation whatsoever to do
other than that which in their own
hearts their conscience tells them is
right?
There will of course be much spe.
cious and plausible argument to show
that certain course is right. But
may We not feel tolerably sure, when
We find the foundation of that argu-
ment to be that a binding pledge has
been given, that the thing Itself is OF
more than doubtful righteousness?
A position that cannot stand as its
own 10 trinsic righteousness, but
rests on foundation that is intrinsic.
ally wrt ng, must come very near being
wrong itself.