The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1908-05-07
Carmaek's Disfranchisement Humbug.

adopted by the committee disfranchls-
ed democratic voters and they have
been waiting anxiously for his explana-
ton. 1t seems to be as follows:
If he gets, in Washington county for
instance, 1000 votes and Patterson gets
1901, then the delegation from the
county will go to the state convention
instructed for Patterson and the 1000
men who voted for him will be disfran-
chised.
According to this argument, il 9OO,-
900 voters in q state vote the democratic
ticket for president of the United States
and 200, OO1 vote the republican, thus
giving the electoral vote of the state to
the latter, then the democratic voters |
are DISTINGUISHED.
1t is said our people are fond of being |
humbugged, but surely no one will be
taken in by such an argument as thls.
A voter is DISTINGUISHED when he is pre-
vented from voting, or when his vote is
not counted but not because his vote
does not count for as much as two by
his opponents. The ex-senator loses
sight of the distinction between votes
that are not counted and votes that,
though counted, do not count for as
much as those cast by majority voting
on the opposite side. What troubles
him is the fear that the votes for him
will not CONT for as much as the votes
for Gov. Patteron and not that they will
not be counted.
But he says that the committee has
ruled that those who did not vote the
straight democratic state ticket in the
last election will not be qualified to
vote in the primary, and that thus
many democrats will be disfranchised.
Now, there must be some standard
by which to determine who are demo-
cratic voters, and the gentleman has
not, in his speeches as published, pro-
posed any standard other or better
than the committees so far as we have
been able to see. Unless some rigid
test is made, any amount of voters,
who have never affiliated with the dem
ocratic party, may vote in the primary
and carry the election against those
who have been true to democracy. We
can not have several different tests to
determine who are democrats; and, il
those who have not been true to the
party lose their votes in the primary, ii
is because they have disfranchised
themselves, not because the committee
has done so. AS to who may vote in
the regular election, on this point the
committee has no power to speak, fol
the law gives every qualified voter the
right to vote, whether he be democra
or not, and he may vote for whom ht
chooses democrat, republican, popu
list or what not.
That candidate may be nominated
or elected without getting a majorit.
of all the vote, even when only two ar
running, is possible and sometime
happens in a representative form O
government, but not often, 1t is FIRE
quently the case, when three or NOR
are running for Office, that the on
chosen is elected by q plurality vote
with the majority against him. Q
Mr.. Carmack's theory, that majorit
would be DISTINGUISHED, which is al
surd.
All of this talk about the majorit
rule on all occasions, and about resor
ing to and standing by the votes of a
the people always, is the merest 70
Never have there been any strictl
democratic governments, where all IL
people ruled all the time, worthy
consideration, except in Greece; al
history shows them to have been IL
weakest, aud often the most CORFU
aud most tyrannical governments {
earth. They were only too often Il
tools of INSCRIPTIONS; and, in the nan
of liberty, equality and fraternity tho
sands of atrocious crimes have be-
committed against good governme
and against the welfare of mankind.
Bat, according to Mr., Carmack, tho
people, whose votes are cast in nnr