About Veritas. ([Athens, Georgia]) 1970-1970 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 1970)
Perhaps the most curious phenom enon of democracy is the spectacle of politicians from both parties exhorting the citizenry to exercise their right to vote. It matters not, they say, whom you vote for, just so you vote. The non-partisan voting cam paign has reached such enthusiastic limits, in fact, that we now see Democrats offering Republicans free rides to the polls and vice versa. On the surface the voting campaign is curious because one would suppose that a particular candidate or party would stand to gain by a low voter turnout. But there is really no paradox, for an examination of the underlying purposes of political parties will show that election victory is not their sine qua non. The first and overriding demand that democracy places on political parties is that they recognize and seek to bolster the image of governmental power as legitimate power. Political parties may challenge the man who rules, but never his right to rule. Thus political parties urge citizens of all persuasions to vote and then claim a large voter turnout as a mandate to rule. Like the one-party state which forces citizens to vote, the Democrats and Republicans are not concerned so much with determining a ruler of the institution as with legitimating that institution's power. Now what lesson does this hold for the person who wishes to withhold his consent from a government he regards as essentially immoral? Whatever his intentions, any man who participates in an election thereby sanctions its results. By joining in the game the player has in effect acknowledged the authority of the rules, even if he loses. The proper course for the serious dissenter is to refuse to exercise his voting franchise; to boycott the elections. In so doing he will deny the politician the key to his claim to power: that he is representative of the people. Those who believe that change can be effected by voting for the better candidate are entertaining a disarming fantasy. They are pinning their strategy on the mistaken belief that there are appreciable differences among the men who seek an office. (Because they the economics of racial tension - Veritas thanks the United Free Press for the permission to reprint some of their material. This permission does not reflect compliance of the UFP with Veritas' policy. Have you ever thought about the economic causes of racial tension? When jobs are scarce, people are forced to compete for them. When people are poor, they have to take whatever jobs they can get. When people are poor and Black, they have a hard time getting any kind of job. When people are poor and White, they are consoled by the idea that they are "better" than the Blacks. Poor Blacks and Whites are made to see each other as enemies. This false picture keeps them from seeing that their real enemy is an economic situation which forces them to remain poor. According to the 1960 census, 8,604 persons in Clarke County had family incomes of 52,000 or less. This includes over 18% of the people living in Clarke County. Over one-third of the people in Clarke County, 15,008 people, had family incomes of $3,000 or less. This amounts to $57.69 a week family income. Is "Advancing Athens" an accurate slogan when one third of the County's citizens had to get by on family incomes of $57.69 or less a week? The government and business leaders of this area have been greatly concerned recently because the case against voting must win a majority, all candidates will necessarily endorse the weaker, middle-of the-road, consensus on most issues.) Further more, they ignore the shamefully long record of elected officials who, when confronted with the awesome power of their position, betray the public trust for personal gain. New Left Notes offers this empirical argument against voting: "We should not give the 'peace candidates one more chance to do what they have consistently done in the past: continue and/or expand the war. Jack Kennedy propped up the Diem regime and began the escalation. LBJ (who defeated hawk Gold water) sent in half a million troops." Every November more than half of the eligible voters fail to cast ballots. The reason is either that they are unconcerned or feel impotent to affect the outcome. But purposeful voter strikes as a part of a larger civil disobedience could have a profound ideological impact. They would signify the determination of the people to control their own lives. They would be a massive cry for personal autonomy, voicing the desire of each man to live independently of the will of 50 million others. SDS is calling for national demon strations on election day in Detroit and San Francisco. Their purpose is to say louldy and clearly that the elections are a hoax. But the best demonstration on November 3 will be the simple act of remaining at home. Unlike the anonymous act of secret balloting, the refusal to vote will be an individual declaration of independence. Voters boycotts are not an admis sion of weakness of default. Rather, they are an expression of the unwillingness to resist in terms set by the oppressor. They are the recognition that questions of right and wrong cannot be resolved by a vote. To quote Thoreau: "Voting for the right is doing nothing for it. It is only expressing to men feebly your desire that it should prevail. A wise man will not leave the right to the mercy of chance, nor wish it to prevail through the power of majority." David Rosinger the 1970 census showed a slower growth rate than local officials had predicted. Os much greater concern should be the question of whether the people of this community have made economic gains during the last ten years. In spite of the poor economic conditions in the Athens and Clarke County areas, a number of organizations are working to improve the quality of living for community residents. These agencies—such as Model Cities, ACTION, Community Partici pation Council for Action—are largely financ ed by federal funds. For these programs to be successful in helping area residents, local employers must take the initiative in provid ing jobsfor qualified persons and in ending discriminatory hiring practices. By doing this, local employers would help ease racial tensions in Athens. Instead of resisting the efforts of area residents to better their lives, all citizens should do what they can to improve the situation. Poor Blacks and Whites are not asking for handouts. They want jobs paying decent wages. If Athens employers and government officials continue to make the mistake of thinking that a healthy, harmoni ous community can be built for $57.69 a week or less, they will not be able to blame the next demonstrations on "outsiders." -tfd^ PHIL WYATT- Editor JANESE DOUKAS Editor DONNA STEWART Editor STEPHEN OF THE NORTH . . . Production Manager ELLEN NORTH JOHN GRANFIELD LARRY SMITH JULIAN SLOMAN JIM GARDNER WHISTLING JOHN (CAUDLE) NSK 111 TIM HAYES CONNIE MORRIS JIM BAIRD LINDA MILWORD JUDY WEEKS MARY HALL DICK HUDSON REGI MULLEN 9 DOUG HYMAN DAVID ROSINGER MARTIN BRENNER JOHN GREER RON FERRAZZUOLO DEBRA HOWINGTON TOM CRAWFORD CARTER JOSEPH RAYMOND WINFREY CURTIS LEWIS REGERO SAMPSON JOHN ENGLISH ... . . . Advisor ^ scmffiMorc of eo&rey For the coming year VERITAS has set very high editorial standards. Our editors will be highly selective and discriminating. Good taste will be the primary criterion. VERITAS promises that it will not publish: 1. The name of sorority pledges. 2. The scores of football games. 3. The activities of the Mortar Board. 4. The speeches of Fred Davison. 5. Campus recruiting information. 6. Editorials on traffic accidents. 7. Editorials on springtime. What other newspaper can promise you all this for only a dime? AD INFINITUM 130 College Ave. (Above Western Union) Health Food, Handcrafted Leather Goods XEROX ,05 Copies , ^ Copies „ Copies' Paperback Books Traded 2 FOR 1 Copies Unlimited 190 West Broad ^ Veritas Page 4
