Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-02-23
THAT NEW CHARTER
OF MIsCONCBpTION

Editor Every EveninR-Free govern
ment depends on the voice of tho people.
Mind Ia tho parent OF Ideas and ideas
are tho base of political policies. Eleo-
tions are held TO place man In Office,
his right To our votes depends on hia
| political policies. and divergent policies
draw men into oppoaing parties, hence
| offices are hlled by tho party method.
| Thls Ia no invention of today. II IL
woven nto the fabric of our polity. 10y
1870 years of universal precedent FREQ
| government la impossible without polit-
! zeal parties. When tho millennium ar.
rivos. officials and parties will not be
needed. non ~partsanship connotea para
| disc whore all are of ono mind. Have
we yet reached this high moral status2
| Charter advocates do not prove this. by
| saying that tho old system is hnaed ON
wrong doing. bossiatn and reckless
waste of public revenue, Thia does not
harmonize with paradise. Then In not
/ tho plea for "a non partisan charter NIL
bosh and fallaey7
our present view against tho charter
! la not from prejudice but IL founded ON
! scientific investigation begun two years
! ago and ended IN 1920 with the publica-
/ tion of the treatise, Tho Constitution
/ Triumphant" The chapter political
I Partias' treats at length OH tho neces-
/ sity Of political parties I'm Republican
/ government. the chapter closes by saw
! ing There is faction everywhere In
! industry. politics. religion. science and
often In tho family itself Minds diff
. fer. hence in oil human society motives
thought. ideas and actions nre diver
| gent and opposing The chapter would
! be useful lesson tn those anxious for
an oppressive and unconstitutional
charter II IL impossible To stop frcemeu
from forming opinions and policies IN
government wo cannot deude our
selves for the constitution viii not per-
init II
short line in the bill Of Rights aayr
/ Al elections shall be- free and equal.
Article of tho Constitution Rnya that
the General Assembly may prescribe
tho means and Instruments IF voting
50 as to secure tho Independence Of
III" voter and preserve tho freedom
and purity - elections. How could
i league dfaft a charter without being
caught M ~ those commanding pro-
visions ~ fhe Conatitution9 How could
club or hody II merchants lndorse a
non partisan charter which wholly tx
norya the highest law u the state2
There cannot ho free and equal elec-
tiona Ia half of the state and restricted
elections It'll the ether half The con-
atttution does not compel n non-nertiean |
election anywhere because "A non-p par
tisan election has handicap attach |
ment which prevents freedom ard In |
dependence in voting
Tho constitution ard legal decisions |
control the making ~ charter. and |
club resolutions must bow t. this higher |
and con;rolliug authority Tho CON |
~titgtiou says that no moro than throe
uf fho law Judges shall como from tho /
sam. political party" Il compels tho |
recognition of party" government. |
RESOLUTIONS cannot brush this aside |
Tho same high law IN Article speaks OF /
primary elections for general. special /
AMI municipal purposes The whole /
constitution cautcmrlatca that elections |
shall he free and equal this is the In I
teut and purpose
Now vr place ourselves on the rock |
~ Gthralfer The word election" de- |
notes partsanship Il means volun- |
tarv selection choice between one |
or mnny. nm alliance for the occasion /
II the election were not partisan. why /
g - fhe expense TO hold 1T II would /
Ia unanimous II there were no parties /
the very progre ssive thinkers overthrow /
themselves The term non artissn |
election is a contradiction Il is hased |
on air. like the indorsing resolutions
are. \ work on political government
IS needed and that badly Political |
nonsense IS IN the very wind that
blows No wonder Senator Robertson
told the resolvers 10 read tho charter
before vociferous action An election
cannon be ron partisan Marriage can
not be non partisan except in extreme
socialism and IN the infdeIty Of
mormonism Politics and marriage
cannot be other than based on partisan
ship
Two late cases in the New York
Court Of Appaels I911. 1922. abso-
luteiy indorse tho proposition that party
government is a part Of the system of
all free nations that il is a part OF
our history These cases show CON
clusively that no unjust burdens can
be placed on the liberty of the citizen
in casting his vote That in this one
matter he must have freedom or he is
denied constitutional protection The
legislature cannot burden down
mans right To partisanship for 1t is
given TO him by the Constitution. He
has the right to he partisan In any
political or religious matter Nom
means nonontity The
Now the utter absurdity of the
charter For any man TO get. on the Of
fetal ballot he must get a petition sign
Ell by 500 legal voters and swear that
the petition is true man would be I
hungry for ofiec TO do this Then every
petitioner must buy his way To publit
office. by the gift of s100--in cold cash
II there We're five petitions, $500 must
be paid Does this charter mean 10 in
still the idea that a man can have Of
Zee only on a money basis? Do the
resolutions indorse this The Senator /
says you had better read the charter '
first Put up S100-before you can I
1ave a candidate OF your choice. for
whom you can vote And is this the I
.ind of paradise into which we are TO be c
Initiated Let the charter speak,
George A. Talley. t
Wilmington. February %. 1921.
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