The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-11-04
President Confines Re.
marks To Voting Duty /.
OF Citizens
(By Associated Press.

from the faith which we have i'm
ourselves. The right action of all
of us is made UP Of the right action
of each one Of us. Unless each
Of us IL determined to meet the
duty that comes to us, we can have
no right to expect that others will
meet the duties that come to them.
Certainly we cannot expect them to
act as to have us from the c0nse-
quences Of having failed to act.
The immediate and pressing obi
cations for tomorrow is that each
one of us, who is qualified, shall
vote. That is a function which can
not be delegated, which cannot be
postponed. The opportunity will
never arise again. If the individual
fails to discharge that obligation
the whole nation will suffer loss
from that neglect.
America, more thoroughly than any
other country, has adopted a system CT
self-government. Some times we refer
to it as the rule of the people. Certain
ly it is a system under which there is
every opportunity for self-governmen.
and every encouragement for the PEG.
pie to rule. Ours has been described
as a government of. public opinion
OF course, public opinion functions ali
the time. 1t no doubt has its influence
on the actions of the executive and leg
islative branches of our government, and
even though it be imperceptible on any
given occasion, it is probably, as time
passes, reflected in the courts. But all
the influence of public opinion, all the
opportunity of government through
the rule of the people depends upon one
single factor. That is the ballot box
If the time comes when our citizens fail
to respond to their right and duty, in.
dividually and collectively, intelligent.
ly and effectively at the ballot box on
election day, l do not know what form
of government will be substituted fol-
that which we at present have the Op-
portunity to enjoy, but l do know il
will no longer be rule of the people
it will no longer be government.
Abdicate Rights
1.-THE people of our country are
sovereign. If they do not vote they
abdicate their sovereignty and they may
be entirely sure if they yelinquish il
other forces will seize it, and if they
fail to govern themselves some other
power will arise up to govern them. The
choice is always before them-whethel
they will be slaves or whether they
will be free. The only way to be free
is to exercise actively and energetically
the privileges and discharge faithfully
the duties which make freedom.
ITO live up to the full measure OF
citizenship in this nation requires not
only action but it requires intelligent
action. 1t is necessary to secure infor-
nation and to acquire education. The
background of our citizenship is the
meeting house and the school house, the
place of religious worship and the place
of intellectual training. But we can.
not abandon our education at the
school house door. We have to keep il
up through life. A political campaign
can be justified only on the grounds
that it enables the citizens to become
informed as to what policies are best
for themselves and for their country in
order that they may vote to elect those
who from their past record and present
professions they know will put such pol
icies into effect. The purpose of q
campaign is to send an intelligent and
informed voter to the ballot box. AL
the speeches, all the literature, all the
organization, all the effort, all the time
and all the money, which are not fin
ally registered on election day, are
wasted.
Mature Conclusions
"We are always confronted with the
question of whether we wish to be ruled
by all the people or a part of the
people; by the minority or the major
ity; whether we wish our elections tc
be dominated by those who have beer
misled, through the presentation of hall
truths, into the formation of hasty
illogical and unsound conclusions; OIL
whether we wish those to determine the
| course of our government who have
through due elaboration and careful
consideration of all the factors involved
reached a sound and mature conclus
ion. We shall always have with us ar
element of discomfort, AMI element in
spired with more zeal than knowledge
They will always be active and ener
getic and they seldom fail to vote OF
election day.
But the people at large in this coun
try are not represented by them. They
are greatly in the minority. But theil
number is large enough to be decisive
factor in many elections, unless it il
offset by the sober second thought Of
the people who have something al
stake, whether it be earnings from in
vestment or from employment, who are
| considering not only their own welfare
but the welfare of their children anC
| of coming generations. Our institution.
never contemplated that the conduc
of this country, the direction of its af
fairs, the adoption of its policies SHOULD
be decided by minority moved in par
by self interest and prejudice. The!
were framed on the theory that de
clsions would be made by the grea
body of voters inspired by patriot,
motives. Faith in the people does no
mean faith in part of the people. /
means faith in all the people. Oul
country is always safe when decisions
are made by majority of those whC
are entitled to vote 1t is always il
peril when decisions are made by
minority.
Women Added
Lately we have added to our vot
ing population tn womanhood of til,
nation. do not suppose that Georg
| Washington could be counted as on,
who would have favored placing upol
the women of his time the duty and re
sponsibllity of taking part in elections
Nevertheless, he had such u deep real
ization of the Importance of their influ
ence upon public affairs at the tim
when he were adopting our federal con
stitution, that he wrote to one of then
as follows:
n spirit of accommodation was
happily infused into the leading
characters of the continent and the
minds Of men were gradually pre-
pared, by disappointment, for the
reception of good government.
Nor could ! rob the fairer sex of
their share in the glory of a reyOIu.
ton SO honorable to human nature
for, indeed. think you ladies are
in the number of the best patroits
| America ran hoaSf'