The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1911-01-05
Primary Voting Contest on
the Senatorial Question
in the State Is.

!. Quite a hornets nest has been stir.
\ red up by the Democratic newspaper,s
! vottng contest on the sena torship. For
Il instance one finds an apparently In
i spired article by Attorney Fred d.
shinn, Of this city, an active Defno-
! erat in the Weston Democrat. in part
as follows:
| i Is hardly to he feared that the
men who compose our next legislature
are Of the caliber that would he mis-
led by the newspaper straw vote in
the choosing OF successor TO senator
fScott. However various newspapers
throughout the state have inaugurat-
ed coupon system of popular voting
upon fayortes for that high office.
inspired, so far as the writer knows
by none but honest motives. they I'M
\ eertske in this manner to reflect the
popular sentiment regarding the SEN
ntorial choice. 1t may not. therefore.
be artliss TO stop and consider the re-
Fsults calculated to follow this coupon
enterprise, should 1t DE taken as a
criterion to the peoples choice.
Returning to the subject of the
newspaper voting there are some who
believe the result of the coupon ball
lot will, in some measure at least.
reflect the true sentiment of the peo-
pie toward the choice for the toga.
Yet, as an index to the popular Will
It can be nothing but the rankest fail
ure for several reasons.
AS n first reason hundreds OF voters
will utterly ignore this coupon method
OF expression. No voter is so ignorant
as not to know that this. balloting has
as little dignity and legal effect as a
In0wspaper popularity contest. 40
voter halfway understanding our
scheme Of government will feel 1T his
political duty to vote coupon which
can elect no one. defeat no one, ana
bind no one. Hence many are the
hundreds with convictions upon tho
senatorial question who will not NE
heard through the straw vote.
A second reason is that thousands
will yield their coupon signatures up
on the first friends solicitation before
taking time to consult their own
views. 1t isla well known fact that
many Of the enthusiastic are indus
triously engaged+in clipping coupons
filling them out with the name of their
favorites, ana soliciting signatures.
Rightfully regarding such banotlng as
farclcal and mere horse play, the So
lieited ones thoughtlessly. sign and 60
their ways. Then comes the multi
tude of floaters who would barter,
with equal unconcern, their right OF
suffrage or their souls salvation.
thousands of them have brazenly
tratiicked their elective franchises in
real elections where penalties are at
tached. Even more freely then will
this class vend their coupon ballots,
when there is no law to restrain and
no penalty to chasten. There may be
candidates ambitious for the senator
ial toga from whose unlimited purse
depths will come cash in abundance to
buy every pnrchasable thing that
might seem to affect their cause eth
er directly or indirectly. we hope
there are none of this malodorous
brand of statesmen in the races but IN
the light of past and very recent his
tory such is not beyond the realm Of
the possible. If such there are, what
is it they will not grail even though it
be no more than straw or perchancc
a straw vote? If money enters the
contest it will fall for everything cast
ing a shadow moneyward. 1t will NE
a customer at the straw market upon
no other inducement than the mere
cheapness OF the commodity ana the
possible chance OF advantage to be
gained thereby. Here. then, will the
hoater with his insignificant straw
vote shine like june bug. Here he
can peddle his coupon ware for some
figure ranging from the price of a
drink to one dollar note. Thus,
gloriously is public sentiment finding
its coupon way to the eyes Of the
coupon newspaper readers.
The third reason for the tizzle which
must attend this attempted reflection
of the popular choice is the unlimited
scope Of territory in which the ballot
ing may he done. There are no Inn
tied other than the state limits. and n
PRESIDENT voter may vote in each and
Levery state paper conducting sncb,
contest, Thus, the man who engages
in the voting enterprise will cast ten
votes TO his non-votIng. neighbcr,s
none.
Fourth and finally the scheme is n
failure because Of the vast opnortnn;- .
ties 1t affords for fraud. Fake voting
by this method is scarcely more aim.
cult than honest voting, the onlv re- I
quirement being that the coupon no
filled out with q name ana oddrcss
No comparison Of the voted ballot
with official registration lists is made
Furthermore, such comparison # re.
sorted to would be inadequate "a kcc,
fraud out of the contest The lerIons
of the silent dead may, through M I
help of friendly living politicians ron
lister their votes In the coupon eo n,