New Britain herald., 1924-10-23
A "BATFLISG FAILURE OF DEMOCRACY"

It Is charged that William M. Butler chairman of the Republican national committee, has a campaign fund of $3,0o0,Q00 at his service; and 1t is fair to Mir. Butler to add that he denies possessing a cam paign fund of such dimensions.
 The New York Herald Tribune doesn't appear to think that a fund of such magnitude is terrible sin for political party to have; at least, one comes to that conclusion from its statement, as follows:
 "1n the same building in
 Chicago where Chairman Butler
 Is at work, William NJ. Wrigley,
 as head of the chewing gum
 organization that bears his
 name, Is directing the expendi-
 lure of an advertising appro-
 priation that sometimes exceeds
 S3,500,000 annually. His pur-
 pose is to sell his chewing gum.
 .... In his own words, what
 MT. Wrigley is doing is to tell
 'em quick and tell 'em often
 In the forgetfulness of the
 public, which costs Mr. Wrigley
 so much for advertising each
 year is concealed the answer
 to the question. Why don't
 Americans vote.
 The inference is that the only way in which all qualified voters can be made to vote is for a poli- tical party to spend enough to lure them to the polls.
 Therefore, if it takes s30OO,00O for the G. o. P. to induce half the qualified voters to go to the polls, then a party expenditure Of s6,000,- O0o would induce all of them to vote.
 It sounds all right in theory, but we have our doubts whether it would work.
 The necessity that compels them (ths campaign managors) to en- ploy the methods of WrigIey, of Barnum, of Belasco, is one of the strangest, most baffling failures of democracy, adds the New York paper
 There are 54,42IS32 persons in the United States who are entitled to vote, according to the last cen- sus; in reality, there are at least hali a million more than that to- day, four years after the last cen sus was taken. In 1920, 27,635.074 failed to vote, and 26,7S6,758 voted which is nearly a million fewer than cast their ballots.
 How to convince more than half our citizens that it is their duty to vote certainly is one of the prob- lems of our democracy All cam paign managers are in favor of getting out the vote" but their efforts are tempered with the ex- pe@atioa that most previous non- voters will vote according to their particular party, The Republicans believe big vote will mean the election of MT. Coolidge; the Demo- crats think a big vote will mean the election of Mr. Davis; and the Progrcssives believe a big vote will mean the election of MT. FaFol- lette. All three of them may be wrong; the "stay-at home" vote, if 1t voted, mght defeat the candi- date of any one Of the three parties, It's total is so great thA nobody can foretcll what would happen should "everybody" vote.
 Federal Judge K. M. Lands re- ccntly stated that non-voters should be given terms in jail As an ex- pert sentcucer of culprits 10 jail, Judge I.andis may regard himself as unsurpassablo; he once even fined inc standard Oil company about $zt,00O.9oa, although it is not on record that the oil company was set back that much after the lawyers got through appealing the decision.
 Prof. Charles F. AArriam, head of the department of political sci epee at the University of Chicago has taken umbrage al the joil-sen- tence idea of Judge Landis and says it wouldn't work. We agree with the professor. In the hrst pIace there wouldn't be enough iails to hold the crowds,
 The professor ciinched his arsn- ment by pointing out that a sur yey of the Chicago mayoralty cleo lions Of 1g12. made by the unlVer- sitv. indicated that Judge Laniis himself had not cast his ballot.
 And go 1t goes; eren the ballot reformers sometimes fail to huip reform the administrations,