But the two cases appear to me to differ in the point
on which the benefits of the expedient depend. In a local election for
a special kind of administrative business, which consists mainly in
the dispensation of a public fund, it is an object to prevent the
choice from being exclusively in the hands of those who actively
concern themselves about it; for the public interest which attaches to
the election being of a limited kind, and in most cases not very great
in degree, the disposition to make themselves busy in the matter is
apt to be in a great measure confined to persons who hope to turn
their activity to their own private advantage; and it may be very
desirable to render the intervention of other people as little onerous
to them as possible, if only for the purpose of swamping these private
interests. But when the matter in hand is the great business of
national government, in which every one must take an interest who
cares for anything out of himself, or who cares even for himself
intelligently, it is much rather an object to prevent those from
voting who are indifferent to the subject, than to induce them to vote
by any other means than that of awakening their dormant minds. The
voter who does not care enough about the election to go to the poll,
is the very man who, if he can vote without that small trouble, will
give his vote to the first person who asks for it, or on the most
trifling or frivolous inducement.
Pages:
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244