Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-04-20
Half Indifferent
Continued from Page one)

r
of citizenship, the President said
that it cannot be denied that in the
splendor and glamor of our life the
moral sense is sometimes blinded"
1T cannot be disputed" he said,
that in too many quarters there is a
lack Of reverence for authority and
or obedience to law. Such occurrence
are sporadic and produce their own
remedy. When Society finds that its
life and property are in peril from
evildoers, 1t is very quick to organ
lie its forces for its own protection.
That cannot TAIL to be done in our
own country. for our people as a
whole are thoroughly law abiding"
The President held, however. that
1t was not in violence and crime tina.
the greatest danger lies. for these
evils were quickly apparent and
could be suppressed. A far more
serious danger, he said, turks In the
Sinking of those responsibilities of
citizenship, where the evil may not
be so noticeable but Is more insid-
ious and likely to be more devastat-
ing"
The address was delivered on the
e~sAAAANSAS0ty VI tuC DdbtiSS VI SOIls
cord and Lexington and after refer
ring to the form of government set
up as a result Of the Revolution, Mr..
Coolidge said:
III we are to keep our representa-.
tive form of government and to
maintain the principle that the ma
Jority shall rule, 1t behooves us to
take some drastic action to arouse
the voters of this country to a great
er interest in their civic duties on
election day. Many remedies have
been proposed, from disfranchise-
ment to criminal action. The most
practical, believe, hwoever. is for
all bodies of men and women inter-
ested in the welfare of this country
to join together under some efficient
organization to correct this evil. -
1T is hoped that giving the vote
to women would arouse a more gen.
eral interest in the obligations of
election day. That has not yet
proved to be the case. The presi-
Dental election in 1920 was the first
after the adoption of the universal
suffrage amendment. There is no
way to divide the total vote cast by
men and women. But, after that
election some rather complicated
calculations were made based on the
assumption that the accession of
women might be presumed to double
the vote. The calculators reached
the conclusion that of the approxi-
mate 27,000,000 votes cast only 81
per cent represented the votes of
women. Some say the percentage of
feminine vote was greater in 1924.
Others say it was less.
II am not disposed to accept these
conclusions as altogether fair to the
women. And it stands to reason that
it would take some time for them
to become used to exercising the
privilege which had belonged to the
men of this country for many gener-
atoms.
1T is not my purpose to draw any
distinction between the men and the
women as to the extent to which
they take advantage of their priv
| ilege and perform their duty at the
I ballot box. But rather it is my idea
! to call your attention to the star fling
| fact that in the last two presidential
elections barely so per cent of those
qualified to vote have done so. In
the senatorial elections in off years
the voting percentage is much
smaller.
1.-THE perilous aspect of this situa-
ton lies in it's insidiousness. With
the broadening of popular powers,
the direct election of practically all
public officials, and the direct nomi-
| nation of most of them. there is no
opportunity for an expression of the
public will except at the ballot box.
1t is perfectly evident that all those
who have selfish interests will go to
the polls and will be active and
energetic in securing support for
| their proposals and their candidates.
The average voter supports what he
| believes to be the public interest.
Unless they appear on election day
! that interest will go. unrepresented."