The Butler Weekly Times Newspaper, July 30, 1890, Page 2

to federal elections. Its language is: | “Elections at which representatives | or delegates in congress are voted | be conducted at the expense of the ls notice shall be pasted on its single | | general government. 4. The supervisors are authoriz- That is What the Infamous ¢,,~ 45 is well known, congressmen | ed to administer the state statutory Lodge Bill Means. Desperate Attempt of Desperate Men to Throttle the Liberties of the People. From Nevada Mail, July 25rd. Congressman Stone, in his marks at Wight’s grove, Tuesday, paid his respects more particularly to the Lodge election bill which he handled without gloves. heard his speech on that occasion will be glad to read the subjoined digest of that infamous measure: The Federal Eelections bill gives to republican federal officers the control of all elections. It takes from the states the substance of the right reserved in the constitution, to determine and judge of the dualifi- cations of voters. It is a partisan measure, and the assertion that it is to secure full and free elections is mere pretense. How intensely par- tisan it is shown by the fact that the bill proves that it shall go into op- eration at the coming fall election. The chief supervisors are to be appointed for life, and, as the elec- toral machinery is put into their hands, it will be for years under the control of republican partisans no matter what may be the character of the administration. THE MOTIVE OF THE BILL. The motive of the bill is therefore bad. It is intended to control at Washington the return of congress- men. The business of choosing their representatives is to be traus- ferred from the people to the parti sans of the administration. THE FOUNDATION OF THE BILL. All congressional legislation must find its warrant in the constitution. There can be no difference in opin- ion in the proposition that the states alone have the right to declare who shall be voters. The only limitation upon this right is that suffrage shall not be denied to any one on the ground that he is a negro or was a slave. No one has the right to vote for a congressman unless he is a vo- ter of the state. The constitution says that the electors who shall vote for representatives in congress “in each state shall have the qualifica- tions requisite for electors of the most numerous branch in the state legislature.” This means that every one who is permitted by the laws of the state of Missouri to vote for members of the legislature may vote for members of congress. As the voting is done under the laws of the state, county officers have invariably conducted elections. It is now proposed that the state laws shall be administered by United States officers. The clause of the constitution on which the makers of this new law depend is that which provides that congress may make or alter the regulations which the states are directed to prescribe concerning the ‘manner of holding elections.” If the United States officers have the power to take charge of elections for representative they may also en- ter the state legislature and super- vise and superintend the choice of senators for the constitution also Gives to congress the right to make or alter the regulations concerning All who} and s the same election. In this state they are voted for on the same ballot, and under our reformed ballot law there is only one ballot box at each | There is to be three supervisors, suborninate to the chief re- | supervisor, two of whom shall be of ; polling place. \the same political party, and these | tion. | A partisan could appoint two ‘sound republicans and one democrat ithe polls. The bill provides, in such a case, that all the duties shall be performed by the two remaining su- pervisors. In other words, the two republicans supervisors are to man- age the election. All that these supervisors do must affect the election for state and local officers as well as of congressmen. Supervisors may be appointed on the request to the chief supervisor of 100 persons in any city or town having 20,000 inhabitants or upward or in any entire congressional dis- trict no part of which is in any city or town of 20,000 inhabitants and upward, or on the request of fifty persons “in any one or more counties or parishes in any congressional dis- trict. In a congressional district consist- ing of half a dozen counties, two re- publican and four democratic, the polls in the two democratic counties could be manned by republican su- pervisors, who need not be residents of the counties, but might be brought from distant parts of the district. In the other counties the machinery of elections would be in the hands of local officers. The bill, therefore, is a device by which the republicans may manage all elections, no matter what may be the politics of the com-| munity. Arrangements are made in the bill. whereby local party committees may name the supervisors, so that the most serviceable party workers may be employed. This is effected by a provision authorizing persons to ap- ply to the chief supervisor for ap- pointments. Care is taken also that supervisors may be appointed on the very eve of the election, in order, doubtless, that if it be necessary complaints against the character of the appointees may be avoided. The chief supervisor is permitted to name double the number of su- pervisors that can be raquired in his whole judicial district In this way the republican party can pay anarmy of workers at the polls from the fed- eral treasury. Supervisors may be transferred from one part of a congressional dis- trict to another, so that the voters may have no acquaintance with the men who are “guarding, supervising and scrutinizing” their election. THE WORK OF THE SUPERVISORS. The new bill requires the super- visors to perform all the duties and besides— 1. To challenge the right of any person to be registered, and to “re- quire” of the state or local officer that he do not register the name or that he strike off the name of any person already on the register. the “manner of holding elections for senators. It having been, therefore, the im- memorial usage of the people of each locality to conduct their own elec- tione, and it being also the right of the states to interpret their own laws, among those which determine who shall vote for congressmen, let us see how these immemorial usages and these rights of tne state are af- fected by the federal elections bill. The officer who is to be in charge of elections is called the chief super- visor of elections. There is to be one of each judicial: district. Mis- souri would have two—one in St. Louis and one in Kansas City, He is a judicial officer, for he is @ United States commissioner. He is to have charge of the federal officers who are to be appointed to control elections. He is to examine voters under oath and to recieve returns. He js to have charge of the deputy marshals appointed to assist him, | and will have absolute power to or- der arrests. BILL APPLIES TO STATE ELECTIONS. The bill applies to state as well as This is a distinct interference with state elections. There is only one registry list, and if a person’s name is stricken off he is thereby disquali- fied for voting for state officers. The bill, therefore, permits these federal officers to forbid citizens of a state to vote for their own local officers. A supervisor can thus af- fect even a town election. 2. The supervisors are to have acceass to all books of registration, &c., for the purpose of making evi- dence for a contest. 3. They are to make a house-to- house canvass of persons registered in all cities having 20,000 inhabitants or upward. They may be accompa- nied by deputy marshals. In cities of 100,000 inhabitants or upward they are to make a thorough house- to-house canvass five weeks before election. In other words, the local registers are to be given to a repub- lican campaign workers to enable them to spy upon people, to intimi- | date them as Davenport has done in |New York, and to bring their own | voters to the polls. supervisors are to conduct the elec-} | who was a cripple or too ill to be at, The republican ampaign, state and notional, is to tate officers are voted for at, oath if the local officers decline, and | | to examine persons offering to vote as to their qualifications under the | state law. If the state officers, obeying their | own law, refuse to receive a proffer- | ed ballot, the federal officer may di- rect them to do so, and then, on re- fusal, may themselves receive and | deposit the ballot. | As the law of this state requires , the names of all candidates to be on | one ballot, the force bill gives to federal officers the power to receive or reject votes for state, county and town officers. The law of this state is further in- | requires the presence of the super- visors within the polling place. The reformed ballot law excludes all per sons but the local election officers jand the watchers. This provision is one of the mostimportant features of the new law, for at keeps the workers away from the voters. It is intended by the Lodge bill that this safeguard shall be broken down, and that, in the form of the supervisors, republican workers, paid by the fed- eral government, shall have access to the voter. The proposed secrecy of the new law is also infringed because the su pervisors are authorized to accept rejected ballots, and to write upon them the names of the voters offering them and to count them. Thus the republican supervisors may hold their own elections, receiviug the votes of those found to be disquali- fied by state cflicers. All this will be dune in opposition to state laws, whicl: requires secrecy and a single ballc: box, and it will affect the re- sult of state as well as federal elec tions. 5. They are to have access io the records of naturalization, and to make lists of papers and to inquire into the right of citizenship of the persons named. Special supervisors, callel “discreet” in the bill, are to be detailed to prevent fraudulent naturalization. What can be accom- plished under this power was shown in New York City by Davenport in 1878, when he arrested many per- sons who were not tried, while 8,400 were kept away from the polls by intimidation and threats of arrest. The supervisors may use the deputy marshals and the army in his nefar- ious work. The bill repeals or annulsall state laws that are opposed to it. It directs the manner in which all ballots shall be counted. The super- visors are to tuke part in the count. As there is only one ballot in this state, federal officers would there- fore count the votes for state. coun- ty and town officers. If the ballots for congressman are found in the wrong box in states where there are more boxes than one, the chairman of the supervisors shall take charge of them. THE BOARD OF CANVASSERS. The board of canvassers of the congressional vote is a body which makes the canvass for the United States. It is appointed by the cir- cuit judge, who is dragged into party politics by nearly every section of this extraordinary Dill. The board consists of three, only two of whom are of the same political par- ty. If their certificate differs from that of the state officers their can- didate is to be seated. If the oppos- ing candidate appeals it must be the circuit judge, who is consequently a returning officer. The decision of the judge is to be conclusive with the clerk of the house. The arrange- ments for counting in republicans are almost perfect. PERMANENT LAW. The appropriations for the pay- ment of all the expenses of this fed- eral interference in state affairs, in- cluding the pay of chief supervisor, Supervisors and deputy marshals, are made permanent. This is antici- patory of the refusal of a democratic house to appropriate money for the execution of the law. FURTHER INTERFERENCE WITH STATES. The circuit court is empowered to compel state boards to rectify alleg- ederrors in their count. state, again, this would effect the vote for governor. The reformed law of the state is infringed by the requirements that fringed by the Force bill because it | lence In this ballot box reciting that ballots for representatives in congress are to be deposited there. As the single bal- lot contsining the names of all can- didates is to be placed in this box, the effect on the illiterate voters } mind will be yery contusing. | The supervisor may go iuto the him in the preparation of his ballct, \if a state election officer may go for the purpose of giving needed in- | structions. FEDERAL PUNISHMENT OF STATE OFFICERS | The bill provides for the punish- j ment of state officers for violation of state laws and provides that the jarmy and deputy marshals shall keep the peace. This is in direct jcontravention of the iustructions | given to a United States marshal by | Mr. Evarts in 1868, when he was | Attorney-General of the United iStates. A chief supervisor may also ‘conecntrate the deputies and the troops at any place where he may allege that he expects a breach of the peace. Such in brief is the abstract of the bill by which the republican party proposes to assume supreme control of all elections, state as well as fed- eral. ar Nearly a Fatal Accident. An accident that came near resulting in the death of two men took place Tuesday at Plum Grove school house, about three miles south of Pleasant Hill. Welcome Douglas, a farmer, got a young man named Dick Shelton to go into his well and clean it out. When he reached the bottom, he was overcome with “damps.” Mr. Dougias called some men working near, who let him down to rescue Shelton. He succeeded in getting a rope around Shelton’s body, and the parties on the surface pulled the two men to the top. Just as they reached the mouth of the well, Douglas became exhausted and would have fallen back had not the men caught him and pulled him out. A physician was called and pronounced Shelton’s conditions dangerous and that it would be a long time before he re- covered, if he ever did fully. Doug- las will also be confined to his bed several weeks.—Harrisonville Re-« publican. Washington, D.C. July 23.—The resolution introduced some time ago by congressman Dockery, calling on secretary Windom for information why the six million trade dollars held as bullion in the treasury had not been coined into standard dol- lars as required by the trade dollar redemption act, in addition to the two millions per month under the Blaud act, was reported favorably today by the coinage committee and passed the house. It seems that these trade dollars haye lain dormant in the treasury ever since their redemption, in plain violation of the law, which requires their immed- iate coinage into standard dollars. ~ When by druggists, at ity cents cent Manu! ured by WoRLD's DIsPENsaRY MzDICAL SOCIATION, Main Street, Buffalo, N.Y. SoEeeerarp naires DR, PIERCE’S. PELLETS Bc <r ag Sa voting both with a voter to assist | nn ——APPLY TO THE—— } Western Farm Morigage Trust Compan UNDER MANAGEMENT OF G. M. Canterbury and T. W. Silvers, We have a reliable abstract to all Land and Town Lots in Bates coznty, and solicit your patronage in that ling Office in Farmers Bank of Bales Cou, NEW BoOILDING., TL: PETTYS A. O WELTON, PETTYS & WELTOR DHA TES IN Staple:Fancy Groceries, Feed and Pro visions of all Kinds. QUEENSWAKE AND GLASS CICARS AND TOBACCO, Always pay the highest market price for Co Produces East Side Square. Butler. 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