The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1924-10-31
A CITIZEN OF NO MEAN COUNTRY

air and sky produces the water lily
life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness are the gentle ministrants
which have produced the lily of
America.
Sour citizenship is blessed priv
ilege, and without the expenditure
of thought we accept its advant-
ages. All understand that with
privileges come responsibilities. If
we use the one we must accept the
other. Remember what he soldier
said-'With great price obtained /
this freedom. Do we fully realize
the price that was paid to obtain
the right of franchise-'this free
DOM. In the face of the attitude
of the people of America it must be
said in sadness that we are Woe
fully ignorant of the costliness of
the ballot. Men in the long ago
were martyred for demanding it.
Jesus said, If I make you free we
shall be free indeed"-and a dread
full death was his lot. The great
Reformation under Luther added it's
share in blood and death to the
price. Cromwell advanced it's cause
but with unspeakable sacrifice.
France gave it new impulse in the
French Revolution and the streets
of Paris ran with blood. The
American Revolution is but another
chapter in the counting of the cost.
The Mexican War, the Civil War
and lastly the Great War, all these,
paid in full with unimaginable
human horrors for this freedom.
Who can add up the sum total of
this great price,. Only the Infinite
Bookkeeper.
"In between these great historical
advances of liberty hosts of people
could say with Paul, but l was born
free. Generations of men enjoyed
this freedom and paid no price.
How many souls between the Revolu-
ton and the Civil War were born to
an atmosphere of freedom? How
many received it as equally avail
able as the air which was breathed
They were born in an atmosphere
where life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness was common and
unmasked for heritage still the
great fact remains that there is a
solemn obligation to preserve the
heritage. Then to hand it to the
next generation unimpaired and
without flaw.
"How in particular may each
citizen preserve his priceless herit-
age? There is one simple way open
to all. I refer to the right and
duty of voting. Would it not seem
the very commonplace of good
sense for every citizen to express
his convictions at the polls? If this
is so then a great majority OF
American citizens do not \ display
simple common sense. At the last
Presidential election only 26,000,O0O
people voted-28,0 1000 did not
Great questions were involved de-
handing the total expression of the
people. Whatever be the response
bilities of the man on the street the
Christian people of America can in
no manner evade their duty at the
polls. 1t is one of the substantial
tions of their claim of Christianity
and as such be who fails to vote
betrays his Master.
because there are some $4,000
900 voters in this land there is a
! natural feeling that man may do
no damage should his one vote be
missing. But you will notice 49,
100000 people at the last election
| thought that very thing. The
minute a man feels his vote is of
no value the soul of America is
plunged into danger. We know that
there is a force at work in this land
for it's ultimate governmental over
throw. We know they are as worms
working at the root of the fair lily
blossom. We know that only one
weapon is in the hands Of loyal
Christian America and that weapon
| is the ballot. If America totters it
will be at the hand of the careless
and Indifferent voter and not at the
hands of the plotter. Let us look
again to history for the confirmation
of the fact that one vote is mighty
factor in a country's destiny. In
DeKalb County, Ind, when election
day arrived there was man who
was in doubt whether or not to vote,
whether to go to the mill or to the
polls. Friends persuaded him to
vote. He voted the Democratic
ticket and by his one vote Demo
cratic member from his district was
sent to the legislature. That Legis-
lature elected a United States Sen
ator and by the vote of the one
member from that district Mr.. Han
nagan was chosen. In turn by throw
| ing his one vote against a tie we
received as additions to the United
States, Texas, New Mexico and
Arizona. One vote did it. One
vote made California part of the
Union. One vote elected Oliver
Cromwell to the famous Long
Pal lament and sent Chas. LIST to
the scaffold. revolutionized England
and made Great Britain free. One
vote in the electoral college In 1876
decided who should be president.
Let no man underestimate the i'm
portance of his one vote.
Granting you are going to vote
now comes the great question How
will you vote?' I do not mean by
that who you will vote for-that is
your own affair. / mean in what
manner will you vote? The truth
| is that there is more vicious voting
than vicious non voting. Between
the vicious voter and the vicious
lnon-voter the patriotic citizen will
y 4 4..I