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Show Election By Default - A National Sin By Senator J. Howard McGrath Chairman, Democratic National Committee "That Government is the strongest of which every man feels himself a part." So wrote Thomas Jefferson to his friend Gov. H. D. . Tiffin in 1807. The truth of that sa&e observation ob-servation has particular significance signifi-cance for all Americans in 1948. This year American citizens have the inescapable responsibility responsi-bility of electing a President who will be charged for the next four years with the anxious duty of guiding the nation's destiny in what may well be its most crucial phase. In thinking about the elections elec-tions of 1948 (it is inconceivable that Americans can avoid thought about them), we must frankly face some disturbing phenomena that reflect serious discredit on the evaluation of our heritage of democratic government. gov-ernment. How do we respond to our responsibilities of citizenship? citizen-ship? What active part do we take in our government? An honest self-catechizing- will reveal the most disturbing fact that, of all countries of the world where even a semblance of stable government exists, the proportion of American citizens who take the trouble to vote is lower in the United States than anywhere else. The United States Bureau of the Census in July of 1946 estimated es-timated that over 91,000,000 Americans were 21 years of age or older. In the national elections elec-tions of that year only 35.000,000 persons bothered to vote. It would be academic to argue that the mere act of voting is conclusive. In totalitarian countries coun-tries almost everyone who is physically able to get to the polls is forced to vote or suffer severe punishment; . The fact ' that over 90 per cent of those who vote in those countries affirm the dictatorship in power means nothing except that the military or secret-police have performed their tasks efficiently. :. : ' : Even in some democratic, countries, coun-tries, Australia and Belgium for example, citizens . who fail tg vote are subject to fines or do-, nied certain privileges of citizenship. citi-zenship. Certainly the elections of 1946 did not reflect the precise -and recorded will of the majority of this nation. I believe that it can be properly called an election by default. - - s What is the reason for political politic-al apathy? There is m danger.pt over-simplification in attempting attempt-ing an answer. There are many factors that contribute to political polit-ical indifference. I believe that the most compelling- one is sheer indolence. Certainly in our modern life there can be no sense in any complaint of lack of information. informa-tion. On the contrary, there may be justified complaint about the vast quantity and the uncertain quality of information on public pub-lic questions clamoring for the attention of the reading and listening public. It would be unreasonable to expect the average voter ; to comprehend fully every political question in its almost baffling complexity; but it is not unreasonable un-reasonable to expect that he will make - an honest efftrt it his own interest to examine the major issues, and to expand his interest to include at least a working knowledge of major political po-litical problems, and demonstrate, demon-strate, through1 his political affiliation, af-filiation, his real concern about them..' , .. - -; ; . The man" or woman" in America Amer-ica who plaintively says: "What difference does it make? What difference will my one vote make?", is: unwittingly uttering a . piteous cry of - sheer frustration frustra-tion arid' senile impotence. Neither Neith-er is characteristic of America, and most Americans would vigorously vig-orously resent such an imputation. imputa-tion. But the political indifference indiffer-ence of great masses of our citizens citi-zens confronts us as an insistent fact. - Anyone who seeks to find escape es-cape from the. duty of voting in the thought thpt a single vote is ineffectual might be startled out of complaisancy by recalling recall-ing that the history of the human hu-man race abounds with examples where a single voice or a single vote turned the destiny of an entire en-tire nation, sometimes of the world. Our'American ideas of democracy democ-racy admittedly have abundant imperfections. At times our actions ac-tions and policies may not seem to be coherent with our avowed ideals; but there is always inherent in-herent in our American democracy democ-racy the visible, tangible deposit of their own remedies. The individual citizen must concern himself with intelligent analysis of his government, understanding un-derstanding that America will need all its strength and resources resourc-es to weather the crisis it must face in the oncoming decades. |
