The Washington herald., 1912-10-27

Tho Herald to-day presents the ballot
prepared by the District Of Columbia
Suffrage League for the use Of District
voteSs on Tuesday. November s.
| Voting in the District is. Of courss. .
somewhat novel experience. but there Is
no reason why 1t should not at times
be practiced.
There II no election law here. no cor
rupt practices act, none Of the safe
guards ordinarily thrown about voting
In modern. advanced communities. At
the same time. this condition cannot
be charged to the people OF the Dis
| trict. They are governed by Congress.
and. save for suggestion or protest on
| their part have no voice In the matter.
The Suffrage League does not expect
votes polled here on November 5 to
count in the great Presidential contest
1t does. however. expect the expression
Of desire on the part of the people here
for or against self government. for elec-
ton or appointment of commissioners.
for a nonvoting delegate in Congress.
and for his election or appointment. TO
serve as a suggestive straw to the pow
ers that be.
May influence Legislator.
Senator Allen G. Thurman declared. as
early as 1876. that when the people of
the District petitioned for suffrage. he
would then believe they were governed
without their consent; the inference be-
ing that his action as a Senator would
be influenced by their act as petitioners.
In like manner, the acts Of Senators
and Representatives to-day may well be
Influenced by the expression Of the peo-
pie of the District on November 5. either
at the polls or by refraining from i'm
proving the opportunity now afforded
them to express their sentiments.
The Herald believes in self-govern-
ment. and knows no reason why the
principle should not be applied to the
Federal District. On the other hand. 1t
sees reasons, many and constantly in
creasing. why the people Of the District
should. like the people Of other American
communities. manage their own af-
fairs.
In any event. it hopes for a heavy
poll here on election day. and bespeaks
for the District Of Columbia Suffrage
League the cooperation Of citizens.
especially as watchers at<the polls.
DR.. Thomas E. VIII. executive secre-
tary of the District Of Columbia Suffrage |
League. said last night:
7 Vote VIII BE Interesting.
For once in their lives the people Of
the Federal District are about to have |
an opportunity to vote.
"On Tuesday, November 5. the people !
OF the United States will exercise this |
right. On the same day. We shall at |
last feel that We, too. are people Of the |
United States, for we are going to Try
our hand at voting.
True. there is sense in which our
votes will not count We may be ever
SO anxious that Taft or Teddy or Will
son or Debs or some one else may be
elected President, and We may show our
desire by marking our ballot. as We
have heard the American people do.
Further. the result Of this straw vote
may be interesting. end possibly instruc-
tive, to some; at the same time. II will
not affect the results.
We have no representation In the
electoral college: and, II every adult in
the District cast his or her vote for one
OF the candidates, II would count no
more than II he voted for Jackson
But there is another sense in which
'ur votes will count Look at the ballot
There are parts Of 1t. at least. that mean
business
People have said. over and again, that
he residents Of the District are satis-
led with their condition Of political vas
'alage.
May Express Preferences.
l.
now? How can any one know, except
" some expression OF the people Of the
District?
This expression We are providing for.
'eople may SO mark their ballots as to
Row that they want self-government:
'r in such a way as to show they actu-
ally enjoy their present condition Of
ervitude. |,
Should they vote In the latter way, I
hat fact would aftord no valid reason
o. continuing our present political /
tatus. 1t would simply go to show how /
w community may sink In the politi- I
al scale. how completely the love of d
berty may die in them. and how easy '
would be for a body of Manchus to c
lay in the United States the same iden-
cal game they played for centuries in liz
hina
But II. on the other hand, a large I
ercentaKe Of the people demand their Z
!vic and political independence It will b
sow. for one thing. that We are not % .
ar behind the Chinese as some may
ave imagined. a
True. the work before US on Novem- J. n