Evening star., 1924-09-05

didate.' Beyond all that. .'sIackers on
election day are potent auxiliaries of
dangerous radicalism" maintains the
Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. But the
most vital reason why citizens should
vote. in the opinion Of the Salt Lake
Deseret News, is that when public
off1cers know that the people are vitally
interested in civic affairs. then there
Is greater urge than otherwise to
discharge faithfully and we'll the trus,
reposed in them" Moreover, as the
Atlanta Constitution asserts. those
who attempt to ignore the duty Of cit
izenship-leave public affairs for others
to look after-have only themselves to
blame If things go wrong"
There are many ways of bringing
out the vote. Mrs. O. ]. Hammel.
president of a New Jersey branch of
the League of Women Voters, de-
ciares that ''every person who fails
to vote should be fined $780," the
indianapolis Star points out. "The
fact that so per cent Of women of
voting age do not vote seems to show
an indifference to the privilege in
strange contrast to the impassion ed
and prolonged struggle to get the
franchise" the paper continues.
World admits that "a great
deal that is wrong with our Govern
ment is due to the Indifference of the
average person to his right to par
ticipate in that Government" but
"the mere compelling him to exercise
that right isn't likely to help mat
ters in the least" for the voter who
goes to the polls to save himself
from a fine, tiins a coin and votes
accordingly, might just about as well
have stayed at home" 1t is true, the
New York World feels sure, that 1.-The
majority of citizens of voting age
who fail to exercise their right of
suffrage, are found lacking in infor-
nation concerning issues and candi-
dates" and, knowing little about what
was going on, they could only confuse
the result by casting random ballots"
of which too many are cast as it is"
The Louisville Post finds "a better
suggestion made in the Northwest,
whereby those who present a certifi-
cate showing that they have voted
receive at the December period of
paying taxes a slight rebate"
X X x x
There were enough stay -at-homes
in the last presidential election to
have made new political party and
uetcdlSu llc SuCSCSSLdi tiShCt ny
more than 100000 majority that it
had and still left about 100000 stay
at-homes sitting around the house."
the Manchester Leader recalls. But
the Philadelphia Public Ledger sees
the calamity of that in the fact that
"the great mass of those who stay
away from the polls on election days
are people who are independent of
party discipline, and who, if they
could be aroused from their indiffer-
ence and sloth, would be found sup
porting good candidates for public
office and an honest and efficient ad-
ministration of public affairs"
Why do people not vote? The Sa-
vannah Morning News finds "the sim
pie reason for so many failures to do
civic duty in taking part in elections
is that they are not interested. Yet
this is not absolutely true" the paper
continues, for "the people are tre-
mendously interested and haven't
recognized 1t: their interest is ex-
pressive enough when government
rubs this great element the wrong
way" The poorest explanations, and
among the most common, for not vot-
ing, according to. the Springfield
Union, "come from those who say
they intended to vote. but failed to
get around to 1t, and those who
thought that ~ons vote counts for
nothing"