The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-06-03
ro the PeopIe of Pennsylvania.
Address of the Democratic Members OF
the Legislature.

this statement Of facts in relation to the Phil
adelphia registry law, in the hope and with
the belief that it will arouse attention TO the
palpabe violation of the right OF a large
number of our fellow~citizens to voice IN
the selection of their election officers 10 the
opportunities for fraud, corruption and
forged returns it affords to the excitement
to violence and bloodshed it contains, and
to the desperate character of the men who
perpetuate their own power by these means
des pite the wishes and the ballots of ma
iortv of the people of that city.
The act of assembly known as the registry
law was passed on the 10Th day of April,
1862 The provisions thereof applicable to
the rural districts are essentially different
from those applicable to the city OF Phila-
delphia. An entirely different system was
created therefor. Under the latter the board
of aldermen or justices of the peace for that
city were vested with power to select three
canvassels for each election district therein,
whose duty was to make out the list OF
voters, and who had power conferred upon
/ them to strike from said lists or add thereto
at their pleasure, and such action was to be
! final and could not be appealed from. The
board of alderman also appoints the Ulcers
to hold the elections in each election division,
and by the law they were directed to ap~
point the Judge, one inspector and one re.
| turn inspector from the political party
which polled the majority of legal votes in
| the election division at the next preceding
! general election and one Inspector and one
/ return inspector from the political party
which poed the next highest number at
such election.
l. will thus be seen that this law for
| Philadelphia took from the people OF each
election division therein the right to select
their own election officers, and vested it In
tribunal whose duties under the Constitution
| and laws have no relation to that subject.
| Under the registry law for the rural districts
tho assessors elected by the people make out
the canvass lists and complete the registry,
and the people themselves choose their cleo
ton officers in each election district The
| law for Philadelphia is therefore directly IN
! conflict, upon these two important points,
with the law for the other parts OF the State.
| 1t is, in this, destructive Of vital princ!pe
of local self-g0vernment, and tramples on
right which has come to be recognized as a
| fundamental American principle. Why
were these great powers taken from the peo-
pls of ach division and vested in the board
! Of aldermen Tbs answer is found In the
fact that the board was partisan in its char
acter, and could be depended upon TO exer~
else its authority In the interests OF corrupt
( clique.
The majority of the board of aldermen
constitute the board and that matjrity has
the power to appoint all Of the election Off
GERS, as well those to which the minority are
entitled as those of the majority, yet at the
organization of that board in 1869, its mem.
/ bers by solemn resolution at the suggestion
/ of the court, gave to the minority OF the
board the right to choose the minority OF the
| election officers. In this they acted justly
! aIp Cd he irjr of this
grossly partisan law. This act of fairness
| has been rescinded by tbs action of the board,
and the Republican majority now appoint
| majority of the canvassers, tho Republican
election officers and the Democratic election
officers. URder the dictation of corrupt and
desperate men this power has grown to be
most fruitful source of impurity il the cleo
| tions of Philadelphia. Men are appointed
as canvassers no know no law and recog-
nize no system of morals, but the success OF
their party and the attainment of their own
selfish ends and those of their designing
leaders. They without hesitation strike
| from the registry lists The names Of voters
W ho are duly qualified, and add thereto the
names of those who have no shadow of right
! to vote.
No legal potoer erists to 7reuent these in
! famous .CrOngs. One member of the Legs
laturs holds his place to-day because the
names Of one hundred and forty-eight legal
voters from his district were struck from the
registry without authority of law and for
! purely partisan purposes.
| In the selection of election officers the
| board Of aldermen take especial care to choose
astute and unscrupulous Republicans who
will do the bidding of their party friends
and almost invariably select illiterate,
weak or corruptibls men as Democratic
! In in6aai
| they violate the plain letter of the law by
appointing Republicans instead of Demo
! Gratis One of the officers of the recent Re>
publican State Convention was man who
| had been appointed and had acted as a
! "DemoCratic' election officer at the last
| election By the election of shrewd and
! unscrupulous men upon one side and OF In
| competent and corruptible men upon the
other, the door to fraud and wrong is widely
opened and the purity of the ballot is utter
! ly destroyed. Such has now come to be the
case in the city of Philadelphia, and the voice
of her people is stified by the wiles and
Vaccinations Of lawlsss men acting under
the forms of an unjust statute. Canvass
lists are "doctored :" ballot boxes are stuffed;
returns are altered, forged and manipulated,
and fraud and violence in their worst forms
| are resorted to in order to maiutain the po-
! litical supremacy of desperate and evil men.
The true remedy for these wrongs consists
in restoring to the people the rights taken
from them and in making The general law
applicable to the city Of Philadelphia. We
were poweress to effect this in the present
condition of the Legislature, and we have
sought 30 to amend the law as In some degree
to lessen the evils now so glaring. The
| measures we have again and again during
this session proposed to the Republicans for
J - y
rejected by them, are three in number.
First. That the minority of the board of
aldermen shall have the right to select their
due proportion of the election officers foY
| each election division.
| Second That the judges of the court of
common pleas shall have the right to super
wise the action of the canvassers in making