The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1912-03-05
THE CANDIDATE AID THE
PRIMARY. p

slef en- the people. The latest device
is to begin the campaign byspromis
Ting 20 accept nomination should the
sovereign voters force it upon an un-
willing recipient ad then proceed to
force that recipient on the people-in
this there is nothing offensive to mod
esty and nothing terrifying to the
most rugged and shrinking desire to
serve the people by sacrificing ones
self to the public demand for service.
Washington consented to serve his
country; why should not John Smith,
be equally patriotic? 1t would be I'M
kind to note that Washington agreed
to serve without a salary; John Smith
would willingly do so if the request
were made, provided there was a
chance for graft and allowance made
for lips. In our Willingness to sacri-
| flee ease and comfort and even life
itself in the service OF our country
we IRE like Lincoln, and any great
name may be OF service if accidental
resemblance can be exploited.
All candidates believe that the peo-
pie have the wisdom to discriminate
and therefore it is not imm9dest to
insist tiIat qualities are of such high
order as to deserve and force recog-
milton. We cannot know that no need
exists for such qualities as we may
poss 3ss--we offer them, and it is not
the Eeople to accept or refuse them
But the voter can only make choice
between the names offered him; why
not leave him free to choose the best
nan CT his Acquaintance? Who dares
restrict the choice of the voter to sucn
servants as offer themselves Why
sho I'd mot this omniscient voter be
Lefty TO make his own selection?
Perish the thought that the average
voter is not duly qualified to choose
the est possible president among all
the citizens of the country. If the tic
ket contained only printed list of
the Offices to be filled, why could not
the voter be trusted to fill in the
blan6s with the fttest name in all the
country? President Taft resents with
heat the superstition that he said or
thought the average voter was unfit
TO direct the government of this coun-
try in all its detaIs-that the average
citizen could deal with foreign gov
ernments, write tariff bill, direct the
expenditures Of the federal govern
ment with due regard for efficiency
and economy, issue orders to the army
and run battleship with a secretary
of state board
If the average citizen be competent
to revise the opinion of a judge on
point of law, decide on the wisdom of
a veto by the governor and deal with
the corporations who insist on swal-
lowing each other, why not deliver
blank tickets in the primary and let
each OF us choose for himself from
president downward? The wsest,
firm est, most patriotic and finest man
in he country is wanted for presi-
dent; can we doubt that every voter
would choose the same candidate if
he were left free from Vail dictations
from the old parties. from Wall street
and the interests, to use his unbiased
Judgment in the discharge of duty
so solemn? If we doubt that every
voter, left free from dictation and
direction, would choose the same man,
We must suppose that we have many
iittest, ablest and best men in the
country-a conclusion denied by the
language itself. To doubt the wisdom
or the voter is to outrage public sem
timent, to put the critic outside the
pale, to become lonesome felon in a
world where all is trust in the dear
people and devotion to them and al
legtance to their authority.
Let the candidates stand aside
leave the voters free to govern the
country and let the millennium dawn.
The people have made bad selections
befo;e, but that was because they
were deceived; remove the Influences,
partisan, selfish, interest and corpor-
ate, 30 that nothing, not even the law.
can come between the wisdom OF the
voter and his devotion to his country.
Then, at last We shall see what we