Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-11-26
AS ONE WOMAN SEES IT
The Matter Of Splitting the Ticket or
Voting Straight 10 One That Has
Absorbing Interest for tho
Newly Enfranchlsed
BY SARAH ID. LOMRIE

TNHE straight ticket voters and the
l. split ticket" voters seem to be able to
discuss the rightness of their several courses
ad infnitum without finding any grounds for
agreement.
The straight ticket votarics put the thing
on moral grounds - they acknowledge the
affirm that it is not playing the game.
The split ticket votarics put 1t on patri
otic grounds. They say the law recognizes
that bad men may corrupt a party and al
lows this method of public rebuke.
The straight tickcters quote Scripture to
the effect that
"All things are lawful, but all things
may not be cXpedicnt.'
The splittcrs quote the constitution Of
PENNSYLVANIA and leave It at that.
Before the election some of the straights
urged that Senator Pcnrose be not cut be-
cause he was n very Ill man and would soon
be dead anyway. The splittcrs urged, on the
other hand that Senator Pcnrose very i'll
was stronger than all the we'll men in his
pnrty-llarding thrown in-and was in no
need of pity.
The straights urged that there was great
danger in invalidating a ballot II IL were
was lost :"
The sllitters urged that che who ran
could read how ticket could be split and
ballot marked correctly by Il dozen diff
fercnt combinations.
TIIERE was still another pons asinorum
l. that loomcd large at least in the minds
of the new voters: How one should declare
oneself.
Republican, Democrat, Independent, No
Party.
You tackled your host at dinner about the
ethics of having to declare at all, since the
ballot was n secret one. At least | did, and
got a very concise and clear argument set
ting forth the good and cogent reasons for
declaring ones party attiliutions--from the
point Of view of the party management.
But later you were shown by others. not
so concise but more vehement. that declaring
your party affiliations invaidated the Sc
crccy of your ballot. And still later certain
cynical ones informed you with tongue in
cheek that the secret ballot could invalidate
your party declaration and that you were in
your rights to ''rcnig," with no one the
wiser.
Getting wind of this whispered counsel
certain griCvcd and indignant ones took YOU
to task for contemplating, such duplicity.
Vote the Rcpub'ica ticket or vote the
whatever You wish, but come out with it aud
let us know whore you stand ~ said they.
We'll. then. what happened in spite of all
this multiplicity of counsel?
The great majority declared for the Re-
publican ticket and voted n straight ticket.
But considerable minOrity-more than has
happened for ycarS-dcclarCd for the Re
publican party and split the ticket on the
ISSUE or the nltpd states SpnatOrShlD.
Which fact is a writing on the WALL that
doubtless will not be disreGarded by the
chiefs of the state Republican party who are
now, putting the final touches to the slate
for which the citizens will be called upon to
vote at next years primaries.
CENATOR PENROSE may not be so
- vastly astutc n maxwell or ill--as |
those who fear him think he is. but he could !
not have gained or kept the power he pos |
seSScs-wcll or ill-unless he was an adept |
at reading things for himself on the wall |
to get Daniel to interpret.
No great political boss who is worth his |
machine salt. believes in dcmocracy--i. e.,
that the people know what IL best for them |
or that the uninStructcd voice of the ma
jority is accurately the voice of God
] remember hearing that Dickensonian |
character, Mr.. William Barnes. of New
York and Albany, 'disquish" on the fool
ishncSS of trusting the people with a real
decision. If the true type boss has his |
way, all the business OF real decisions, from |
the candidates for President to the ward ap- |
preparations, are presented to the people /,
with a take leave IT, ultimatum and |
mo splitting. on your lifc!"
''lf you let all the people into your ideal |
town meeting all will be chaos: if YOU keen |
some of them out all will be unfair; so avoid |
a town meeting The man you want to see
At least that was the advice Of n vcrv
experienced political leader when he was nm
preached in the matter Of certain murS- |
needed reforms that were to be urged ON his |
Legislature.
! remember another representative of the |
people III Congress assembled rcmarking |
casually, apropOS of the somewhat SET nro- |
gram Of his party's national convention:
'Ncll, we run it as the bank directors |
run their yearly stockholders meeting, The |
order OF business and all the motions they |
expect to pass are arranged at thp Inst ox |
cCutIvc meeting. If YOU left it to the stock
holders they would run amuck :"
TT Is perfectly understood of course, TINT |
l. boss does not need to be ponuIor NV |
morally impeccabc or invulnerabic in order |
to boss, but he has got to seem powerful. |
more powerful than his opponents. It stand, |
to reason, therefore, that if little oniet Y |
omitted from before his name on n boIIot |
that is otherwise consistently partisan con |
show him up to the public as far less nov
erful than his party, he is bound TO become |
somewhat thoughtful as he gHzrS at'tho re-
turns. Other persons grow thoughtful, FOO |
his rivals within the party and lessor mar !
sons whose only way of Judging Il man il |
by the votes he polls.
Having discovered that it is not NJ all
difficult to split an otherwise partisan tirLot
the minority of this year may grow to avon
more significant proportions; at The now
general election the stockholders may "yon
bulk at the directors prepared order OF huyi
ness ut the primaries In short, there might
be such thing as split in the marry
far more dreaded catastrophe than now
party or reform party or a rival marty
I'll or WELL Senator Prnrose, astutc man
that he is, will r@Hdcr tho message th".a
minority voters of PCnnSy ylVania sent to Li,n
on November >. ''''
Meme, Meme, Tekel, Upharsin."
II he is as clever as some of us think
him. he will not ponder them in vain.