Show A POLITICAL CONUNDRUM THE travelers record contains an alk article worthy the attention of every intelligent citizen especially those who take an active interest in affairs of state we do not expect the mere political self seeker to be concerned about anything which does not relate to his own personal profit or ar advancement here to Is the article I 1 lord salisbury in a late speech which was a masterpiece of acute political analysis set forth one of the most embarrassing problems which voters in any free country have to deal with how car can a national vote installing one of two great political parties in power convey any in st ruction as to just what parts of its policy the voters express approval of 01 or what parts of the others policy alicy they condemn each of them aas has done mis done or left undone a score of important things which of them are included in the judgment and how far thus for or example there maybe at onland one and the same time a tariff questions ques tiona currency question a negro vote question a civil service re form question a question as to privilege debate in congress and a question whether one of the candidates is is corrupt and the other immoral each of them may decide and ana very nas has decided votes otherwise wavering but the result gives the victorious party absolutely no oltie clue to public feeling on any one of the points and leaves it tree free to adopt any course it pleases on anything on the ground that the victory wa was i probably due to some other question nothing could prove this better than the violent disputes in the press after every election as to what the people intended to approve or condemn and the voter often finds to his helpless disgust and rage that his hl a party goes to work carrying out the very policy he has voted against he votes for a certain tariff policy and his vote is counted as a verdict on a currency policy or a force bill or he votes for a currency policy polio v and strengthens the bartys hands for a tariff policy he regards as iniquitous and stupid or he merely votes against a candidate he believes to be a buccaneering bucca scoundrel unfit for any office and puts in a party which proceeds to do everything he regards as injurious to the welfare of the cou country nt ry As lord salisbury saida said it I 1 is as th though gh a jury had before 2 ft t at the same time a murder case a libel case and a patent right case and could only give one verdict yes or no on all these at once this would be identical with and no more absurd than what every voter has to do here at every congressional and presidential election it shows that political methods are yet very rough and barbarously insufficient for civilization and that reformers have a great work to do in this direction |