ELECTION DAY MUSINGS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 277, 17 November 1908, Page 4

ELECTION DAY MUSINGS

(]!y Agricola). To-day is; "election day." To-day is the day that the adults look fonvui'd to with even greater zest tlian the youngster throws into his longing for Christmas. "0a<l(ly Christmas," with all its accompaniment of toys and whistles and sweets and trumpets. There is to some measure a similarity or analogy between the two, in more ways 'than one. First, there's the Wast and blare inseparable' alike from the election contest and the children's annual merry-making. There's the hustling around witll handshakes and good words, lmt at Christmas time this is not confined to the two or three gentlemen who at. election time loom most the public eye. Then there's tile secrecy. The hoary-haired old Father Christmas eonies, whence no one knows, ami is. gone, whither none can tell. The voter comes not so silently or stealthily, but his vote goes—no one knows where hut himself. The comparisons might further extend. There are, of course, differences. Elections breed selfishness* self-interest, enmity, deceit. They cause lifetime friends to look askance at each other. They exist and fatten on the strife born" of them. Heart-burnings, hot words, hatred, regrets—all are included in "tile election.'' Christmas is a period of gladness, friendships, wellwishing. But musing takes us Jrom the subject—election day. For months past : the electors have been harangued and cajoled. For months past they have ! been told impressively that "I am the , man" who can right this topsy-turvy world, balance the scale between m m and man, protect the strong, uplift i'it ; weak. They have been told n; 1 ,;c merits of one side of politics. i!i.< demerits of the other. They have had politics hurled at them till one really begins to think that candidates believe votes are given on 'politics, and that people are guided in their votes solely by the pleadings of the .tHOO-lmnters I on one side or the other of party go- | vernment. Whereas a walk in the street shows that "men, not measures,"' ■is the standard. "You don't catch, me voting for A," says one; "I've known him too long." "(Jive men the man I know," says another. "I've got no vote : for your new chum." "Don't talk to me I about remarks a third. "Ilis sister | married Tom X , anil Tom's greatI grandfather's tom-cat killed one of my i ancestor's chickens. Xo, I'm looking for a mail with a genealogical tree as clean as inv own."

And the argument, and the heckling, and the talking, have gone on, until now the election-day is exactly here. To-day tlie "free and intelligent" : n

I scores will take their one triennial'trip in a cab. Doesn't matter to thorn whose cab it is. except that they enjoy the joke of riding along to the pollingbooth in the "other fellow's.'' Some, with a remarkably modern discrimination, will -seek out a flying motor-car to whirl them to the poll. What a collection! There they are. The old man. who hobbles along on two shaky le*s and a stick, and talks to his aged i spouse of the days when they had "real elections"; when the hustings were the ■ scene 01 riot, disorder, and even bloodshed; when votes were openly givea, land when votes—say it gently—were openly bought and sold. And his rambling:* find an attentive listener in the youth who, having just attained his -majority, exercises this particular right and privilege of the Britisher for the first time. Anon, comes his mother, sister, his father—old people, young folks, intelligent voters, blind voters, I political voters, personal voters, TndeI pendent, (Jovernment. Opposition voters i all hopelessly intermingled. And \,he busybodies without quietly "tick ofl' M their numbers, and from time to time give their idea as to "how goes the fight." Often they are nearly right often and nearly always wrong. All classes and creeds in the community join this throng. Here is a man who swears by the white tlag and water—either for himself or for the other fellow. There, close behind, is pother man who believes in water—and something in it. They're all there, and they're all exercising the right of free expression of opinion. Voting over, the votes counted, the results announced—why lift the veil?