New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1928-08-18

SC'eI' anu yOV AeEb 4a4e ptedS6u
with your ingenuity u you sink
back in tie bottom Of ths canoe to
rest and give your dough- food the
long digestive pariod 1t Inlst have.
But another disaster snahs you out
OF your false security. The rain ac-
cumulating In the botton1 Of the
canoe has now bscene deep and
confident enough to g psowhng and
it comes trucking in undar your
tent. voting YOU and your clothlng
as you lie there.
This is the last straw. You're deae
for the day. You throw of war
nnprovised tent. one sweater falling
into the lake. You reach for a.
raineoat you had put over your had
and find that you have had tie ~
side uppermost, so it is compA(Dky
useless as garment. The only ~
to do is make a run for it and sfynG
you won't absorb enough water -
sink the canoe. Padding rapidlt--
or padding at all-or just being-4n
wet garments is no fun, and you do
not make any too much progress,
while your wet hands begin to In
form you that there are blisters
coming.
Still. you finally do get back to
where you hired the canoe and
srope in OFT of the downpcur.
You now feel inclined to take the
whole affair philosophically 1t
may have been unpleasant, but it
was 4 memorable, new experience
and therefore something to which
YOU can look back in later years.
laughing at yourself for your early
stupidity.
\ new experience. yes. But the
| experience of the following day is
| by no means new, for you have had
nasty colds before.
A woman told us the other day
| that she is not going to vote in the
presidential election because she
cannot understand the issues, doesn't
| take party propaganda seriously,
1 hasn't time to read up on the issues
anyway. and has the conviction that
when a person doesn't understand
what he or she is voting about. good
sense would dictate that he or she
/ should refrain from voting.
Most women who vote as we'll az
| most men who vote, don't know what
IT is all about" she said decisively.
| WHY fool ourselves into thinking
| We are perfectly able to choose the
| right candidate to run the country
when we don't give any time to
studying the issues and really don't
| care about them so long as we get
three squares q day, have enough
clothes to wear. live fairly we'll and
! can take an automobile ride occas-
! ionally. Let those who understand
| the political situation, who have time
to make themselves acquainted with
all the ms and outs of government,
bc the only ones to vote. is my opin-
ion. Such a system might reduce the
voting lists to next to zero, but the
vote at least would be an intelligent
expression of that part Of the cleo
torate capable of settling it,"
1t was in vain that we explained
why every citizen should exercise
his or her. franchise. Her unfailing
rebuttal was that 1t is foolish to
vote on something that Is not un-
derstood.
This was an intelligent woman
who holds a good Job. II was easy
to guess her opinion of those who.
less intelligent and qualified, still
insisted on voting. Her last verbal
dig was that she had voted once.
when women first got the opportu-
nifty to vote. but quickly came to the
conclusion she was merely going
through an automatic rite with no
thought behind it and decided she
would not again take part in such
farce"
One naturally is set to wondering
whether many citizens remain awas,
from the polls for such a reason. e
The percentage of actual voters COM
pared with those eligible has been
decreasing in this country for years,
despite all that the get-out -the-vote
organizations have been able to do
about it.
Recently we read magazine ar
1icle written by all investigator of
this subject. and his conclusion was
that the theory all persons eligible
should vote regardless of whether
they knew what they were voting
about is erroneous and subversive of
the best interests of democratic
government. According TO his thesis.
an intelligent vote in a democracy is
far preferable to an unintelligent
vote; and if the intelligent vote-by
n; \ NJ -ofn hat hnN
take the time and effort to become
thoroughly acquainted with public
questions-is only 40 per cent of the
eligible vote, nothing is lost il the
so per cent unintelligent vote stays
away from the polls. Not only this.
but an unintelligent vote, it was held
by this writer. is the strongest bull
wark of the political machines and
bosses, who depend upon it to re-
tain their hold upon the public crib
and the public offices by their hench-
men.
So there are two sides Of the
Everybody vote discussion. We
have tried to give the other side for
change, leaving it to the intellects
of readers to judge what they care
to think of it.
Returning to women and the bal
lot, however. we wish to make it |
plain that we do not consider the
average woman Us incapable of CIV
ing an intelligent vote. We believe
just the contrary. 1t is our belief. II
all must be said about it, that most
women are lust as intelligent voters
as most men, and that as many men
give just as little time. to studying
the issues as there are women who +
don't bother. Indeed. we would Z
hundred times prefer to rely upon
the instinct of women in judging a