Grand Forks daily herald., 1914-11-06
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1914.
OUR BIG BALLOT.

Now that election is over. how
many voters are there who can re-
member who were the candidates? :?
How many can remember how many
candidates there were. How many
knew anything about more than per-
haps half a dozen of those candidates? !?
And how many cared anything about
most of the persons whose names
were on the ballot?
The number of names on the ballots
varied somewhat with the county and
district. but there were usually about
70 names of persons who were can
dtdates for all sorts of offices, from
United States senator to justice Of the
peace. This. Of course, does not in
clude the candidates for judicial or
educational positions, who were nomi-
mated without reference to party. and
were voted for on separate ballots.
The 20 names all appeared on the big
general ballot, and from these names
the voter was expected to choose the
persons whom he desired to fill some
two dozen positions.
There Is every reason why the vot-
ers should chose directly their Uni
ted States senator, congressman, gov
ernor, members Of the two branches
Of the legislature. and county COM
nlissioners. A fairly intelligent man
can express an intelligent judgment
on these positions. for they are all
truly representative. and if the choice
were limited to about that many per-
sons, there would be no trouble in
keeping track of the situation. The
duties of each position are generally
fairly we'll understood. and the voter
has opportunity to know in some
measure. at least, Of the fitness of
each candidate for any one of these
positions.
But when it comes to Offices which
are purely administrative or clerical
in character, whose work never comes
to the personal attention of the voter,
the choice OF officials by direct vote
becomes solemn farce.
The Herald stands by every word
that 1t has uttered with reference to
the general fitness Of the republican
candidates on the state ticket. It is
glad that they were elected. Most Of
them it knows personally and pleas
antly, and all of them it knows by
reputation. But everyone knows that
thousands of voters voted for all can
didates below the rank Of governor
without knowing or caring anything
hp f,f%
ply especially to the voters whose gen.
eral information is below par 1t ap-
plies to voters in all circles, and in
cludes the farmer, the merchant, the
laborer, and in fact all but q very
small number of persons whose busi-
ness happens to throw them into clos
er contact with state administrative
work than Is usual with the ordinary
citizen. And the simple fact is that
on most of these offices, most of the
votes were cast unintelligently, be-
cause they were cast without knowl-
edge.
Contrast the method Of choosing
our state officials with that followed
In the selection of public servants by
the nation. We have a nation of one
hundred million people. Its affairs
are vast and intricate. Yet those
hundred million people govern them
selves. and do it pretty effectively,
too, by electing, so far as the indi-
vidual voter is concerned, Just three
men, president, senator, and a rep
resentative. And the country is in
hnitely better off. and the will Of its
people is more fully followed, than
would be possible II we elected all
the heads Of departments and bureau
chiefs and so on, as we do in state af-
fairs. To apply this system to the
government Of the state would in
volve no departure from the prin-
ciples Of democracy which we cher
ish SO fondly. The question is that
of adopting the method which will Sc
cure the best results. and it Is absurd
TO argue that system which compels
the voter to do his work blindly is
in reality. popular government. 1,
II rather government by luck.
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