The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1918-05-28
EXERCISE YOUR FRANCHISE ON
JUNE 4-vOTE FOR THE MAN
YOU THINK BEST.

About the biggest thing in the Unit
ed States today is the government it
self. And, readers, had you ever
thought that a little three-by-seven
slip of paper has made this govern
ment the mighty world power it is =?
Fact-the ballot.
The franchise is the one thing of
which all Americans should feel
prouder than of any other or all others
of their possessions. It is the solution
of every question that can possibly
arise, the answer to every objection
that can ever be raised. 1t is the pow
er that unlocks the door to opportuni-
ty and spreads wide the gate to the
field of achievement.
A great statesman has made the as
sertlon that you can trust the people,
when unhampered and uninfuenced. to
do the right thing. We might safely
go a step further and assert that
Whatever the people do, when unham-
Is there a higher power on earth
than nlajsrity Of it's inhabitants If
not, then there can be no appeal from
their expressed will. We do not con-
slider the old world theory of the di-
vine right of kings, because we shook
ourselves free from that superstition
more than century ago. Of course
the question of the Divine Will is to
pered and uninfiuenced, is right.
be considered, but as we are each sup
posed to be following the dictates of
his own conscience, that, to us, is
RIGHT.
But we must qualify and assert that
the voice of the people can not be I'M
questionably right unless it is the
voice of ALL of the people. The
WHOLE can not err. Parties and
factions can and do.
And therein lies the source of all
that is wrong, all that is imperfect. all
that is not RIGHT in our body polite
We do not get free expression of
the will of ALL the people. Let us
repeat: Partial expression may be
right or may be wrong; the expression
of the whole CAN NOT be wrong, be.
cause from it there is no appeal.
All of which is preliminary to the
statement that, besides being priv.
lege of which all should feel proud
the franchise is a DUTY that rests
upon each one, and one from which nc
man may escape and remain blame,
less.
Have you ever thought that, when
the voice of the people is called fol
and your voice is lacking, the answer
is incomplete? Yet such is the fact
and it may be that your voice would
have changed the result.
How many times have you heard il
said of the result of an election, I'll
was the stay-at-home vote that did
it,? And in every such case, if a
wrong was perpetrated, it was the
stay-at-homes who We're responsible
You hadn't thought of it in just that
light, Ell? Well, perhaps not, but
think of it hereafter.
There will be a primary election in
Tarpon Springs on June q, and your
city has right to expect YOUR vote
to be registered. 1t has the right to
expect that your vote will express
YOUR HONEST convictions. And il
has the right to expect the same of
EVERY voter within its confines. And
when, or if, this result is achieved, the
result is RIGHT. 1t may not accord
with your views or your wishes, but it
is RIGHT, because it is ULTIMATE.
The town that, as a whole, can be
brought to view this question of the
franchise in this, its true light, has
taken a long stride forward in civic
well being, and will find as it puts in
to practice these principles, that many
of its vexing questions will answer
themselves and it's knotty problems
will be solved.