OCR Text |
Show OUR LOCAL ELECTIONS HOW TO INTEREST IN-TEREST THE VOTZES. The local journals are moralizing in reference to the August elections in this territory, and the Herald is glad to see this evidence of an increasing in-creasing popular interest m home politics. Although there are no "millions" in our county affairs, still the results of the elections affect to a greater or less extent every individual , in tho community. The question of , local government is too important to be trifled with or to be neglected by the cozens who are publicly responsible respon-sible for the choice of the agents elected elec-ted to perform official functions, and ! the earnest discussions by the press of tbe results of the late election are therefore timely and, if properly followed up, may be useful in the future. In this country the ballot box rules. That ia, the majority of the legally authorized voters elect the agenU who are to administer the laws. Tbe first essential to a air election is a law clearly defining the qualifications ol voters, and establishing es-tablishing stringent rules for governing govern-ing elections. In the absence of these it is next to impossible to as-certain as-certain who are voters, and to prevent pre-vent illegal votes being cast. A stringent registry law is in many states and cities deemed necessary in order to prevent illegal voting and "repeating," and in a territory like L'tab, where the voter are divided by a line, upon one side of which are to be found a great part of tbe permanent per-manent residents and citizens, and on the other the bulk of the temporary population, here to-day and gone tomorrow, to-morrow, the latter being led by an unscrupulous and spiteful ring, which hesitates at no stops or tricks to break down tho majority and supercede it, special care should be taken in framing fram-ing tbe election laws and in enforcing them, that nothing is left to chances or contingencies. Tbe poplo owe it to themselves, while protecting the legal right of suffrage to tho fullest eitent, to restrict by law any violation viola-tion of the ballot box and to hold all voters strictly to their legal responsibilities. responsi-bilities. In selecting candidates for public office Iho history of American politics clearly shows that if the opinions, j wishes and prejudices of tho citizens and voter aro not respected, they naturally fail to interest themselves in the elections, and wise political managers man-agers havs therefore deemed it prudent pru-dent to give tho voters, as far as possible, pos-sible, tho choice of their candidates through Iho machinery of primary olectiuns. In many cases theio cau-CUaw cau-CUaw Uayc degenerated, into Diachin- ery managed and ruri by selfish ' politicians; but this misdirection of i the caucus, when carried too far, engenders disgust and brings about its own defeat, and so far no better system sys-tem baa been do vised for making nominations than that of the primary pri-mary assemblage of the people, in which the claims of all candidates are l subjected to the test of the popular : vote. ComplaiuU are made in some of the local journals "of the manifestation manifesta-tion of indiil'drenco" by the voters in regard to the recent election, and it is forcibly and justly affirmed, that it is "tho duty of every elector to jealously and energetically guard and defend the rights and liberties of the commonwealth, com-monwealth, as well in times of peace as iu times of formidable and always unscrupulous opposition." True, every citizen and voter should find a sufficient motive for the discharge of his duty in the fact that it is a duty; but experience shows that people often grow careless and neglect their duties. It is tho business ot politicians politi-cians and rulors to study the best methods by which an active interest may be felt in the performance of public duties by all citizens. It is impossible to maintain such an interest in-terest without a strong motive and an efficient organization. To bring about theso results every citizen should be made to foel that he is an actual participant in the nomination and election of all the officers to be be chosen by ballot. The greatest statesman and the best politician in a republican country is he who best understands and thoroughly trusts the people. To recapitulate, the lack of interest complained of in our local elections is really a dangerous symptom of the limes; but it is evidently within the reach of timely remedies. In the first place the condition of the territory terri-tory requires a stringent election law which shall bring every voter to the legal test, if such law does not exist already; second, the voters Bhould become be-come interested to a greater extent in the elections and their results; thirdly, a more efficient organization should be maintained both at the primary elections, which should have the choice of candidates, and at the polls. |