The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1924-08-07

| D46CfV60A 90 Va SOh0ASAOAo 80 "
brought about strong movement
to get voters to go to the polls ant
cast their ballots. Members of con
gress have made speeches on the
floor of>congress on the subject, tab
ulating the votes in various states
and showing the percentage of votes
cast to the number of qualified vOt.
ers. Editors of newspapers have
written editorials on the subject and
preachers have addressed their con-
gregations on the subject, all with
a view to stimulating the conscience
of the citizen to a realization of his
duty.
The most noticeable thing in this
connection is the fact that those who
shirk their own duty and RESPONSE
bility are the loudest in their denun-
citation of governmental mismanage-
ment and official incompetence.
Having failed to perform their own
duty in taking part in the selection
of proper officials to enact laws and
to enforce those that are enacted,
these civic slackers have no right to
complain If affairs are mismanaged
and no right to find fault If officials
prove lax in administration of their
public duties. 1t is the duty of those
who by training and experience are
best qualified to do SO, to take the
lead in. public affairs and to point
the way to those who have not had
the same advantages. Instead it has
been shown that the newly fran
chised citizens of foreign birth set
a good example in the way of exer-
cising the elective franchise to those
whose forefathers took a glorious
part in founding our free institu-
tions
Writing upon this subject in the
New York Telegram-Mail of July "a,
Simon Michelet, former secretary to
a lawyer in Washington, points out
the humiliating fact that native
born American citizens are the worst |
Offenders, as the census shows 21,-
100000 more native born voters |
than the total presidential vote" 1t |
Is a rather startling thought that |
there is a stay-at-home vote that |
could overthrow the election result
IN every state in the Union.
A shrewd political student has OBJ
served that bad government rests
Upon the consent of the badly gov
,rned" The truth of the observa-
ion is self-evident and is of import
lnce.
A western newspaper published
n a great city in pungent para
,raph calls attention to deplorable
tate Of affairs, when 1t states:
Recently the school board held a
pecial meeting to give taxpayers a
nance to discuss the coming years
'udget, but nobody showed up. That
$ the usual story; but 1t is dollars
o doughnuts there will be the usual
mount of kicking after the board
as gone ahead and done the best
. could without the public's help"
Recently in a famous southern
lty, of 100000 population, there
as held a school election when two
TENDERS of the school board were
} be elected, and the electors were
allied upon to decide whether or l
OF the school tax levy should be
aised from six to ten mills. Obvious
the issues of the election were t
aught with immense Importance to {
lie schools of the city. The record s
lows that forty-two electors voted, a
lirty-one for the new levy and four @
sainst, and the right people were l
ected. But what a commentary d
pom civic interest in democracy's e
ost significant institution. o
The pastor of the Bradford Pres v
yterian church of Brooklyn, DR.. |,
Edward Young. recently created s
of a sensation by SER t.
on he preached in the course of b
hich he proposed that those who t.
Ilfully omit the exercise of the suf- b
age privilege be henceforth de- 8.