Editor,

In response to my letter of the 13th, Dr. Fischer takes me to task for pointing out that the founders feared unfettered democracy as much as a monarchy.

A line from “The Patriot ” illustrates this point. “What difference is there between one tyrant 3,000 miles away, and 3,000 tyrants one mile away?” The good doctor’s history lesson ended with calling our form of government a democratic republic. Hence a republic.

So let us dispense with the idea that democracy is perfect. If five people are stranded on a desert island, three men and two women and one of the men calls for a vote on whether they should accost the women, in a straight democracy the women haven’t a chance. Republics give minorities a voice.

As Ed Hickey so eloquently pointed out in his nearby letter, the reason for tightening the election laws is to insure a fair and impartial polling of the citizens, and has nothing to do with suppressing the vote.

So, Dr. Fischer, I appreciate your trying to educate me, but please don’t confer on me your mistakes.

Fred Wilferth

Coupeville