When a citizen gives his suffrage to a man of known immorality

Hear the solemn warning of Noah Webster, the schoolmaster of America, whose pen gave shape to the very language we speak: “When a citizen gives his suffrage to a man of known immorality he abuses his trust; he sacrifices not only his own interest, but that of his neighbor; he betrays the interest of his country.” These words burn with the fire of civic duty, for they remind us that the act of voting is not a private indulgence, but a sacred covenant. In choosing leaders, a people decide not only their own fate, but the fate of their children and of generations yet unborn.

The meaning of Webster’s admonition is this: a republic depends not merely on laws or institutions, but on the virtue of those who govern. To give power to a man of immorality—a liar, a tyrant, a corrupter of the public good—is to wound the whole body of the nation. Such a vote is not harmless preference; it is betrayal. For the ballot is a weapon, and when wielded without conscience, it strikes not only at one’s own prosperity, but at the welfare of every neighbor who shares the same soil. Thus, Webster calls each citizen to bear the heavy weight of responsibility with reverence.

The origin of this wisdom lies in the age of America’s founding, when men like Webster sought to build not only a government, but a moral foundation for liberty. They had seen how corruption and vice destroyed republics of old—how Rome, once a beacon of order, decayed into empire when her citizens gave power to the ambitious and the corrupt. Webster, as a Christian and a patriot, believed that only a virtuous people could preserve freedom. Without moral rulers, he warned, liberty would perish beneath the weight of its own corruption.

History offers us tragic confirmation. Recall the fall of Weimar Germany, when citizens, disillusioned and desperate, gave their suffrage to Adolf Hitler, a man of known cruelty and deceit. In doing so, they did not merely sacrifice their own interest—they condemned their neighbors to terror, and betrayed the interest of their country and of the whole world. One generation’s failure of conscience became the grave of millions. Here is Webster’s wisdom made flesh: when virtue is ignored at the ballot box, nations are led not to prosperity, but to ruin.

Yet history also gives us hope. Consider the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, when the nation stood on the brink of disunion. Many were tempted to trust in compromise or to support men of weaker resolve. But those who placed their suffrage in the hands of Lincoln—a man of honesty, humility, and moral conviction—helped guide the republic through its darkest trial. Though the price was terrible, the country was preserved. Thus, when citizens unite in giving power to virtue rather than vice, they protect not only themselves, but the very soul of the nation.

The lesson, beloved listener, is this: your vote is not your possession alone. It is a trust, a sacred stewardship, given for the sake of the whole community. To cast it carelessly, to give it to one who despises virtue, is to betray your neighbor and imperil your country. But to bestow it upon one who honors truth, justice, and the common good is to strengthen the foundation of liberty for all. Never believe that your choice matters only to you; it matters to the widow, the orphan, the poor, the unborn, and the generations yet unseen.

Therefore, in practical life, do not judge candidates by wealth, fame, or cunning words alone. Ask instead: are they men or women of integrity? Do they serve the people, or themselves? Do they seek power for the sake of justice, or for their own ambition? Let your suffrage be guided not by passion or tribe, but by principle. For every vote cast in virtue is a stone laid in the fortress of liberty, and every vote cast in vice is a crack in its foundation.

So remember always Noah Webster’s admonition: the destiny of a nation rests in the hands of its citizens, and the purity of its future depends on the virtue of its leaders. To give your voice to immorality is treason against your own land; to give it to righteousness is a gift of life to your country. Choose wisely, then, for in your choice lies the fate of your people, the safety of your neighbor, and the honor of your republic.