The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1910-05-06
M|SC0vERNED
Need OF Short Bal
lot if People Instead
of Politicians Are to
Control :: :: =: ::

Control :: :: :: :: O
->~~<>>>O-o-O-O-O-O-O-O-O
elections under the present Philadel-
phia system they would get the same
kind Of government thar the Phiiadel-
phians are now getting for themselves.
And likewise if the people of Phiiadel-
phia We're transferred Ia Glasgow the
government of that city would con-
tinue to be one of the best in the world
year after year and election after cleo
ton. Human nature is the same IN
Philadelphia and Glasgow.
Apathy. indifference, are reldtire, de-
pending entirely upon how much Is de-
manded Suppose. for instance. there
were but one polling place for an en-
tire city, so that Tie citizens must
travel considerable distances on cleo
ton day in order to cast their votes.
Immediately we should confront the
phenomenon of Il decreased vote-more
'.apat thy" as compared with the pres
ent condition. where there is Il polling
place at every BARRIER shop.
Suppose we put the polling place ten
miles out OF town Oh The top or
mountain. so that every citizen had TO
60 out and scramble. all day to get
there-we should have a still smaller
vote. Most of the citizens would stay
in town and arfeiil To their own bust
ness. and the reformer> would say IN
disgust. The citizens are supremacy
apathetic and Indifferent and won't do
their duty Yet the people of the
town are the same people all the time
no more really apathetic than when
the full vote turned out on election
day under the other conditions.
That Is what l mean by saying that
apathy is relative. depending entirely
upon how much Is required.
The Profession of Citizenship.
We have made citizenship even more
inaccessible to the people than ! have
described when | put the polling place
on the mountain top. II you and l
could. by walking ten miles and climb
Ing mountain once year. become ef-
fectiye participants in politics 1t Is not
at all unlikely that we would make the
effort. But we have Il system OF poll
tics so elaborate by reason OF the null
ttplicity Of elective offices that citizen
ship has come to be considered sep
arate profession. That is the very
climax of inaccessibility: ii removes
citizenship to distance equivalent to
a years journey.
Every citizen knows that. reformers
to the contrary, little is gained in the
effectiveness Of the citizen by attend
ance at caucuses and primaries. A cit
izen must become SO familiar with po-
litical workings, so strenuous in his
opinions and in his political activity,
that he becomes a member of the little
conclave that meets previous to the
caucuses to set the tables for the cleo
torate, before he begins TO exercise any
real control over the business of nomi-
nation and election. He can do that
only at the serious sacrifice Of other
business. In consequence the men who
become and remain effective polft1-
clans are either men who find in poll
ties satisfactory remuneration or else
the leisure class. including millionaires
and tramps.
The hope OF America does not lie
with any such class as this. but rather
with the men whose time is too. valua-
BILE to permit them TO 60 into politics.
When we make politics Il profession
we automatically exclude rs per cent
of the voters-the great unbribabie
mass Of the community To restore
control to 100 per cent of the people,
to secure democracy in place Of gov
eminent by politicians. We must so
simplify politics that 1t will no longer
constitute n sepaAate profession. We
must simplify 1t until busy man can
in his scanty spare time become suf1-
GENTLY versed in its mysteries to be-
come effective.
To simplify politics means that we
must strive to approach our ideal Of
an election. where the candidates come
forward, to get a full hearing and each
voter selects his favorite and has q
reason.
me 0nOft 6a1iot.
One test Of practica biity is the need
for "ticket" or label to guide the
voter, and when we call for the selec-
ton Of ten, twenty or thirty officials
on one day we find that the people be-
gin to vote by tickets. by party labels
instead Of by men, giving themselves
over blfndly to- the guidance OF poll
ticians.
But it is certainly possible to elect
one man on one fday in ideal fashion.
Experience has demonstrated that be-
yond DOUBT The experience of GER
tain western cities that are governed
by commissions Of five elected on q
nonpartisan ballot shows that the av-
erage citizen can manage 10 select FIVE
separate favorite candidates without
the aid Of a ticket. Whether the exact
limit is five or six or seven is, Of
course, matter that cannot be exact
ly demonstrated. But tickets have
been used at times In some Of those
cities, showing that ii,, IL at least near
The border line
Accessibility mus attained IS not
enough, however. The people. will not
inevitably participate even ii they can
Having led our horse 10 water, we
must get him to drink For Instance.
suppose we elected count. clerk and
NO one else. =. :; -i,..n election. There
Is an ideally short ballot just single
place TO be filled-a perfectly ''accessi-
ble'' bit OF politics. Yet the ballot on
thai ocna SION ,I.aIaid fall tn snthSr fha