Evening star., 1932-11-07

Another 48 hours will show whether
the qualified American electorate has
given better account OF Itself in the
matter of exercising its suffrage rights
than it is accustomed to do. -Four
years ago only two-thirdS CT American
voters went to the polls and cast their
ballots for President, even though the
prohibition and religious issues which
agitated the country. were designed 10
! bring cut heavy vote. In 1882. 49,
965 .23O men and women are entitled to
the priceless privilege of determining
the complexion of their national Gov
ernment for the next four years.
Though we are fond of boaSting that
the United States is the greatest democ-
racy on earth. We are in TACT the Worlo
most inveterate vote slackers. The new
est republic, Germany, far outstrlps us
as voting people, having last Spring
cast more than 30 per cent OF ner
qualified vote for President. Germany
population is around $4,000, ,O00, com,
pared to 125,000,000 for the Unlteo
States That is to say, our 40 otaIes
have nearly double the population OF
GERMANY, vet in 1928. when our largest
noll for President was recorded, the
American popular vote reached only
36 400 600 for all car5idates, while IN
the 1882 German presidential election
the vote reached 37,648000 In other
words the German vote outstripped by
nearly million the record OF America
with a population almost twice as large.
Two other European countries also
o,tdo Americans at national elections.
/ Tn 1929. after Great Britain had eX-
| tended suffrage to women over Il years
of age, the total popular vote IN m c0n- onn
tested districts q aggregated 22,639. .ooV.
This poll for meNlbers of the BRUSH
| House of Commons equaled the totai
congressional vote of 1880 in the Unlteo
states a country with three times the
nopulation of the British Isles. France
! where there are no votes 1or Woinen'
rolled I'D nearly 100000 votes at llle
| Nav. 1882, election for the Frencn Far-
| lament, or about 80 per cent OF tlle
qualified electorate. Even lmperlai
.Japan does far better at the pol!s IMAM
| the United States. In 1881. loilowllls
the introduction of universal mannooo
suffrage. 83 per cent of the voting pop
| 1,Iation took part in the elections LOT
the National Parliament. In that same
wear when the present Congress OF the
United States was elected, roundly, just
about half of our qualified voters TOOK
| the trouble to 90 to the polls. Inc
other half stayed at home. played
bridge went fishing or shot gol1.
4 x 4
From a valued constituent of this
column comes the suggestion that John
Greenleaf Whittier's poem entitled The
Pool Voter on Election Day has
timely significance Here are the open
ing and closing Stanzas:
The proudest now is but my peer,
The highest not more high;
Today, of all the weary year,
A king of men am I.
Today alike are great and small,
The nameleSS and the known;
NV palace is the peoples hall,
The ballot box my throne!
While there's grief to seek redress
Or balance to adjust,
Where weighs our living manhood less
Than mammons vilest dust,
While there's right to need my vote
A wrong to sweep away
Up! clouted knee and ragged coat!
mans a man TO-DAY!
\
Somebody signing himself Edward
,1ames irvine. founder of the Purple
Shirt Movement and United States
presidential candidate OF the People $
PARTY of America" writes post caro-
reading: You recently stated that q
Conrad Reno is running as the presi-
dental candidate of the Peoples Party
T was nominated to that honor on July
20 and have not withdrawn from the
race. The inexperienced people whe
are trying to cash in on my ideas, with
imaginary headquarters in an Office
building in Washington, knew no better
than to call convention on October
%, and nominate Reno, thereby show.
ing their ignorance of election Law
that requires the candidates on thirt
party tickets to file their petitions a
lieast three months In advance. M!