Evening star., 1940-11-05
The American Wuy

Millions of citizens of this great
democracy are casting their votes
today for presidential candidates
who have pledged themselves to de-
vote all their energies to preservation
of the American, the democratic way
of life. That way of life is threatened
today in the world as it has never
been threatened since the American
colonies threw off the yoke of Eu-
ropean oppression with the cry that
taxation without representation is
tyranny" Against that threat free
America is mobilizing its resources
of man power, machines and raw
materials American democracy is
on the march today-determined to
show by its exercise of the franchise
that it appreciates the liberties of
republic and by its mastering of men
and materiel that it is willing, if
necessary, to fight for them.
But wait-it is not quite accurate
to say that all American citizens
have succeeded in throwing off the
yoke of taxation without representa-
ton, that all enjoy the liberties Of
the American way of life while bear
ing a full share of the obligations of
citizenship. Much to the discredit
of Nation whose leaders, regardless
of party or station in life, join in
condemning un-AmericaniSm of any
form, there is permitted to exist at
the very seat of Government a sys-
tenn of oppression as un-American in
principle as that against which the
Nations founders fought and against
which Europe's democracies are
fighting today.
How can an America which holds
in undemocratic bondage the pa
triotic, taxpaying, arms bearing, in
telligent citizens of its own Capital
denounce, without some pangs of
conscience, the undemocratic proc
esses of government of foreign die
tators? How incomprehensible to
those dictatorS must be the anomaly
of this traditional stronghold of de-
mocracy making a mockery of the
principle of government by consent
of the governed" in so large and i'm
portant a community as the District
of Columbial
To the voteless Washingtonian it
is humiliating, indeed, to hear the
election-eve declarations of the preSi-
Dental candidates regarding the
rights and obligations of free citi-
zens. "It is a duty of the Nation"
said President Roosevelt, in granting
Federal employees time off to vote,
that every citizen should exercise
the solemn right of suffrage guar
anteed under the Constitution. 1t
therefore behooves all citizens to CO.
operate to the end that the largest
number eligible shall register their
preference in the elections ="
And Wendell Willkie said: "Voting is
the only way our citizens have to
control their Government. Failure
to vote is not only an abdication of
the high privilege of American citi-
zenShip, but is an acquieScence in
whatever loss of liberty may come if
the power of the bosses be not out
voted"
Election day is day of high hope
and precious privilege to the millions
of American citizens in the forty
eight States; to the disfranchised
citizens of the Capital of the Nation
it is day of shame. But the shame
is not theirs alone, nor is it of their
making. The shame of this day must
be shared by the Government which,
through apathy or misunderstand-
ing, has failedS year after year, to
remove this stain on the national
honor. The American way should
prevail in this country without un-
American reservations.
MoVOr HoOun Of TnrcnU Citu do