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Show Vote at Tomorrow'. Primary TiZ most lackadaisical, clammy and uninteresting uninter-esting city campaign comes to a close tonight tomorrow's primsry election will select lour candidates for the city commission and two for uditor to run in the November election to fill two vacancies in the chamber and one in the auditor's office coming as the year ends. The voters will choose two csndidates for the commission com-mission and one for auditor, pluralities determining deter-mining what four commissioner candidates and what two auditor candidates win places on the ballot for the final election. The campaign has developed no burning Issues" and light vote is forecast by political Observers s probable total of between 27,000 and 30,000. Tour years ago in a similar election when no mayoralty contest was on, a total vote ef JI.847 was cast a reproach to the civic-mindedneas civic-mindedneas of a large and lazy part of tha electorate. elec-torate. Two years later when Mayor Erwin was elected a total vota of 30.711 was tallied. Only In presidential campaigns can a respectable turnout at the polls In Salt Lake City be counted en. and aven then thousands do not exercise the franchise. This is not out of step with national figures. With 69.500,000 persona entitled to vota In 1934, only 18,500.000 electors. In round numbers, cast ballots. In the presidential election of two year before about 11,000,000 more voters turned euL In J940 it Is altogether probable increase in number entitled to vote taken Into account, that tha similar ratio between alert and sleepy elector! In that year and in 193S will be repeated. There was little variation in tha elections of 1934 and 1939, when the presidential contest brought out not more than about 40 per cent of those entitled to vote and congressional, state nd local elections stirred only about one-third f the qualified voters to march to the polls. This is the complete answer to the question, "Why, regardless of who is In power in national, tat or local government, is there never-ending complaint about the handling of the public business?" We can scarcely call this a nation of rule by the majority as long as the actual majority stays away from the ballot boxes on election day. Election day is a challenge to the electorate to manifest the quality of its citizenship. Voting Vot-ing at every election Is no leu a duty and responsibility re-sponsibility of citizenship than Is it a right and privilege. Intelligent voting requires that can- didate be weighed one against the other for , character and ability. Unless choice is made on that basis It is precarious to calculate the quality Of government voted into office. So vote at the primaries tomorrow. Vote as you please, but vote. Vote on your primary ballot for two candidates for commissioner and one for auditor. Whatever the outcome, every citizen who marks a ballot can have the easy conscience of having done his duty. |