The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1868-11-24
Elections, and how to CurtaiI County Ex


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tion of voters, cost the county Of Ma
rion over four thousand dollars, and
that the other counties have been sub
jected to proportional expense, sug-
gests the inquiry. whether something
cannot be done to diminish the outlay
now required from the County Treasu-
ries for election purposes.
One of our valuable contributors sug
gested, in an article published in this
paper on Friday last, that the day for
holding the State election should be
changed, at least every fourth year, to
that fixed for holding the Presidential
election; and that instead of the costly
machinery of the registry law, each vo
ter should be required to present to the
Inspector of elections the County Treas
urer's receipt for his poll tax, dated at
least thirty days prior to the election at
which he might offer his vote. a
TIE first remedy would give partial
relief once if four years, but that can
not be adopted without change of the
State Constitution, as it declares that,
"All general elections shall be held on
the second Tuesday of October"
The second would not diminish the
number of elections annually held, al
though it might be substituted for reg
istry law and thus save the cost attending
its administration; but as means of
preventing frauds, which is the only OBJ
ject of registry, it would, in our judg
ment, be of little value. There is a
show of justice in requiring man to
pay poll tax at least, before voting to
levy taxes on other men, but there would
always be clamor against such con
stitutional provision, as discrim mating
against poor men, and hostile Legisla-
ture could practically nullify it by redu
cling poll taxes to a merely nominal
amount. t .s
We think we can propose changes in
our election laws that will relieve the tax
paying public of three-fourths of the
amount now expended, and which may
be made by the Legislature, without
awaiting the slow process of am ending
the Constitution. The Contribution, as
we have remarked, fixes the time of
holding all general elections on the Sec
ond Tuesday of October, but it does not
require general election to be had on
the second Tuesday of every October.
1t limits the terms of large number of
officers to two years, SO there must be
an election as often as once in two years.
This would be often enough, but the
Legislature of 1859 enacted one law for
holding general election annually, on
the second Tuesday of October, and
another that an annual township election
should be held on the first Monday Of
April Besides these, almost every city
and incorporated town in the. State
elects its corporate officers on some 9TH
er day than that prescribed for either
the general or township elections 80
What the necessity is for township
election in the Spring and another
election in October; to choose a County
Commissioner, and possibly Sheriff or
Clerk in ambition, is something we have
never been able to comprehend.
Township, as distinguished from gen
eral elections, are utterly unnecessary,
aud ought to be abolished. An act of
dozen lines. continuing the terms of the
present township officers until their sue
cessois shall be chosen at the next Oc-
tober election. and making provision
for elcctiug such successors at that time,
is all that is requisite. This would do
away with the February registration,
and the cost of holding an election in
April for choosing Township Trustees,
Justices of the Peace, Constables and
Road Supervisors, which would af itself
abolish one-half of the usual annual cost
Of elections. t-.rt ...ft.
Next, We would repeal SO much Of the |
irst Section of Chapter Ii of the re-
,isee Statutes of 1852, as provides that
general election shall be held Annually
IN the second Tuesday of October, All
,ur State, and most Of our county Off
,ers are elected in the years having
,ven numbers, while in the alternate
-ears seldom more than two are elected,
including County Commissioners.
1t is poorly worth while for counties
o pay from five hundre to two thou
and dollars each, for making registry
# voters and supplying the necessary
,fficers for such an election. For this
eason the general election" of 1869,
md each alternate year thereafter, ought
o be abolished. The only objection we
AN imagine that weuld be urged against
his proposition is, that it would extend
he terms of some of the present in
= few months beyond the time