The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-11-08
CTrIzENsInp MORALE.

CITIZENSHIP MORALE.
10 we as a people fully appreciate the bless
inEs OF popular government or arc We slowly
coming to dstrust It and therefore neglect the
personal service which alone mako 1t
success?
sucn seems to be the question raised by
census survey now under way. InHt year the
campaign wna unusually acrimonious. ny rca-
OF the great issuca involved It appeared tho
whole voting population had direct and per-
sonal interest In tho deoislon. Tho vote itself.
when The decision registered. was the great
est Of record as was also the majority For a
son many commented on the apparent fact that
srcat national issue brought all citizens to
the ballot box.
hut recent figures show such Il conclusion Ia
violently In opposition TO the facts The latest
census return disclose that the vote Of last
year Gigantic though IL was. represents only
about one-half the legal voters of the United
States. In other words, even In n campaign of
vast national importance and unusual viruience.
half the eovereigns OF this republic remain at
home. In stlil other words. haIf OF our citizens
arc political siaekers
And It ts quite certain, although the means
of determining the point with metouious cer-
tanty not at hand, that those who shlrk-
ing their obligations In this respect very
Gar fre-., being those least qualified 20 pass on
the political Issues which are being settled from
time to time by mere majority vote. We have
the impression. and II ls very strong. that n
very substantial number OF the silent voters
are men and women who In other circumstances
ana roles consider themselves the very cream OF
the republlo-who could become influential fac
tors for the best phases OF oonstitutonalism did
they attend tho polls with the same religious
fervor that they attend their social functions
and their clubs
A recent survey OF fifty American cities over
100000 population dscioses somo very startling
figures For instance, Dayton, Ohio with a
population OF 1889 cast a vote OF SOAR In
1921. In Dayton ASS citizens of each 1000
population actually voted one would natural lily
expect that relatively more people voted In the
Buckeye state than elsewhere for there politics
IA not only the chief aim Of man, Il is also the
peoples greatest outdoor snort,
hut ~ Dayton, which heads the list is to be
accepted as normal with 4a5 people prr thou.
sand voting, what is to bo said OF Norfolk
Va. with only 20 pcopla Ter thousa nd
exercising the franchise Norfolk has a
population almoF; equal TO Dayton yet it's total
vote in the presidential campaign OF 1891 wa,
only s,s95. And throughout the llst of fifty
OF the largest cities in the United States tn,
ratio steadily declines from Dayton with 4at
people per thousand voting, 20 Norfolk viii
cnly 70 people per thousand voting
vaus in New orleans only l26 pr housant
voted; Richmond. i91, Nashville t36, But les
some viii assume that this low voting ratior
IN due to conditions In the old South conside
the fact that Bridgeport Conn, stands mex
with only l5l per thousand voting while Mem
phis Tenn goes ahead Of II with l59 per thou
S.nd and Prtsburg. Pa. only scores 1T,
after Dayton, Ohio, 1t is western com
munity. Kansas city which scores highest wi;l
AL per thousand 81 Louis reports 36A. Min
neapolis, 352; Oakland, Cal 94S In fact al
western communities reporting stand wei
towards the top OF The list, evidently losulu
some comfort to those intense westernors VIII
have long asserted that it is In the West tn
heart and soul Of America stlu beats strong
But the really startling aspect OF ,hc figure
presented is to be found In the effect of thi
citizenship slackerism in local elections A
disappointing as the figures are with respec
TO national elections. remember that by an
large The vote IN national campaign Is fror
ufty 20 eighty per cent greater than in a purel
local election FROM which fact It is not a
am difficult TO deduce the additional fact tina
only mere minority is ordering our govern
mental activities
Probably ii would be fine thing to organic
some sort OF a club other devoted to train
ing the citizen for his duties as such. said clu
TO exton the virtues OF political activity instea
% benttling them as is usually the case wit
ezisting clubs,