The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-01-23
THE BALLOT AND THE BALLOT
BOX
To the Editor Ocala Banner.

Ine pen or BISHOP warren Gambler,
recently appearing in the Atlanta
Journal:
I'VE laugh at the lagal fcticn o.
monarchies. which says the king can
do no wrong but at the same mo-
ment we regard ourselves as very an
lightened in that we believe the ma
jority can do no wrong
THE fathers and founders OF the
republic did not indulge the foolish
notion that the majority can never be
mistaken and never commit a sin.
They did not profess to believe in the
rule of the majority Neither the
federal nor the state governments.
which they set up, rested on any such
false principle. These governments
we're founded on the rule Of the ma
iority under constitutional limitations
which embodied principles of right
and justice that no popular clamor
should be allowed to override. Tho
great men who fashioned our system
of government were as careful to pro
tect the citizen from the tyranny of the
majority as they were courageous IN
throwing off the oppression OF kings.
But many men among US now, includ-
! ing some who aspire to national lead
ership, are not so wise bur are going
about and crying always, Let the ma
jority rule. Refer everything To the
people. And the tboughtless multi
tude. fattered by such nonsense, fall
in with the folly, forgetting that any
Of them may be oppressed and wrong
ed by the tickle majority any day.
Growing out OF this supcrstitious
esteem OF majority rule are seyera!
other rank superstitions.
We have exalted the ballol box to
the place OF the ark Of the covenant
with the divine laws Of eternal right
! eousness. We vainly IMAGINE that q
new law or a change OF the officers
of the old law will remedy all evils
and promote every form OF good. b.
consequence we have an over-s@ppl-
of legislation and far too many elec-
tions. We neglect to make the efforts
of a moral and religious sort which
would really cure many evils, and eX-
haust our energies on making laws to
cure these evils which laws really
cannot reach the source of the trou-
BILE. Then, when our laws fail, We
proceed to hold elections with reefr-
ence to repealilg or amending the
| laws which have failed, or for turning
out of office men to whom we attach
the blame for the failure OF our inef-
fective statutes. Thus our statutes
are kept perpetually in a f!ux state,
and our country is filed with Office
/ seekers who are ready to promise
anything 10 get the official positions
occupied by the men against whom
we complain. BY such conditions Of
changeful legislation, multiplied can
didates for office, and manifold elec-
tions, respect for all authority is de
stroyed If the process is followed
to its end. it will lead US to anarchy
and revolution.
1T is time We had learned that ev-
( cry evil cannot be cured by law, and
that elections cannot bring US all the
good we desire. Some things are
accomplished best by other methods.
The bishops write-ups Oh public
questions must impress thoughtful
readers of them, l think, with the
idea that had he given his life to
statecraft he would have ranked well
up with the greatest of the many
great statesmen that Georgia. in the
past, furnished to our country. How
ever, my purpose is not to eulogize
the bishop. but to call the attention
of those who read his article to the
fact that it emanates from one quail
fed to speak on the subject.
The rush to the legislatures, state
and national, by those who think they
have discovered upsound spots in the
body polite with their wild ideas OF
remedial legislation, would not be so
harmful were it not for the class of
men that constitute a very large ma
jority of the membership Of these
bodies. They have neither the men
tai capacity nor the regard for the
peoples welfare necessary to qualify
them to study public measures, but
are constantly looking towards re-
election, or some other Office, and
hope that any nostrum labeled re
form" will get them votes. Unfortu-
nately, some are sent to these bodies
as representatives of some interest or