| Show PURE POLITICS ALLEN G is an honored name in the history of american politics his ellis views are of value whether they be read by democrats or republicans he has been giving some of his ideas on simple political leal matters to a clu club b of columbus ohio which is called by his celebrated name we append here an extract or two not because any new principle is conveyed therein but be oatis the ides ideas are good and expressed in a forc forcible ibio manner which every reader can understand he says by the ballot is meant the manner by which people are supposed to express their sovereign will or in other words the ballot is a medium by which they delegato delegate their sovereign power ower to others for it must always ae be remembered that while theoretically under our oar form of government the people govern yet in reality they do not for this sovereignty or power possessed by them can only be exercised by them at certain times that is when it has reverted to them from frem those to whom it had been delegated by them the people then do not in reality govern but are separate and distinct from the government therefore it follows that as t the e people are in truth only sovereigns upon days of elections any surrounding conditions or manner of conducting elections that interferes either directly or indirectly with their being able freely and absolutely to exercise this sovereignty cannot help but deprive the people le of the power which belongs to ta themselves at this thia the only time when they can exercise it and indirectly transfer it to some other power this then brings us to the question why do the people exercise this power or right of suffrage to which the answer evidently is for the par pose of saying who shall administer their affairs that is who shall hold their offices now at present do the people say who shall administer their affairs theoretically they do in truth they do not and until this be true in fact as well as theory until you can provide a way by which the people can absolutely say who shall adm administer their affairs and not be I compelled as they are now simply to ratify the actions of men who are principally interested in fleecing fleeming flee cing them neither ballot nor municipal ref reform orval as they are popularly understood will amount to anything other than that they are steps in the be right direction vy in regard to the place where government by the people should begin he remarks here then is the place to begin J throw every practical safeguard that thag can be conceived of around these primary elections make them so BO t e people themselves selves can if they wish to say who shall be the candidates for the different offices make then them bo that it will be an imps impossibility i for any kinf ring of of politicians Politic ciana ianis to select candidates far ar in advance and then by manipulation illation of one kind or w another make it ii impossible for the people to vote for any other with tae hope of success now to bring this about thedro the first thing that is necessary necessary to be done it can not be done W without it is ig not only to improve the manner of ct ing out ballots but also to provide how the candidates to be voted for at the primary elections shall be named both of these features could be incorporated into one law lawand and the australian system should be the type followed r ol 01 in addition to 10 the machinery to be used upon the day of election every one should be required to register registe te r before being allowed to vote at a primary prim iary primary elections of au all P political parties should be held on the same day and at the same polling places the polls should be kept ke open all day sad and that day should C be made a legal holiday A precinct should net contain over two hundred voters there may be wide differences in opinions as to the holding of primaries all on the same day and as to 0 other er minor matters connected with elections but it if is certain that some other methods than those in vogue should be adopted to bring about the reforms which all thinking people see are necessary I 1 in n order to take away the control of at fairs fain from the professional politicians who have no higher aims than those that relate to their personal and party advantage if the country is ever to be governed by its best beat citizens the best citizens must take active personal interest in political movements and be present at political gatherings and they must be ready truly to sacrifice themselves for the good of their country which is genuine patriotism riot ism the politics of the times is nut not statesmanship but intrigue speculation roguery and conspiracy politics will not be purified until many of the men who now keep in the back ground come to the front and figure in the affairs of the nation bending the energies they now employ in their business or profession toward the public good and the cause of true republicanism |
