Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1871-06-14

tho selection of shrewd and unscrupu-
lous men upon one side and of incompe-
tent orcorruptible men upon the other,
the door to fraud and wrong is widely
opened, and the purity of tho ballot is
utterly destroyed. Such has now
come to be the case in the City of
Philadelphia and the voice of her peo.
pie is stifled by tho wiles and machin.
ations of lawless men acting under
the forms Of an unjust statute. Can.
vass lists are "doctored;" ballot-boxes
are stuffed; returns are altered, forged
and manipulated, and fraud. and VIC,
lcnce in their worst forms are resortcd
to in order to maintain the political
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 powerless
to effect this in the present condition
of the Legislature, and we have sought
30 TO amend the law as in some de.
gree to lessen the evils now so garing,
The measures we have again and
again during this session proposed to
the Republicans for enactment and
which have been invariably 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 for each election
division.
Second That the judges of the Court
of Common Pleas shall have the right
to supervise the action of the canvas.
sers in making up the registry list,
and to restore the name of any legal
voter improperly left of, and to strike
off the name of any improperly placed
thereon.
Third. That the Board of return
judges shall meet to count the returns
of election in the presence of the
aforesaid judges who shall have power
summarily to prevent fraudulent re-
turns from being counted and to dc.
termine any question arising therein.
These provisions are so emincntly
just and proper that the newspaper
press of Philadelphia, without dis.
tinction of party, has approved them,
and we append extracts thercirom
showing this fact Leading members
of the Republican party 10 the House
of Representatives have unqualifcdly
endorsed them, but have been com
PEELED by a party caucus to vote
against them and prevent their enact.
ment. Senator Billingielt, in his
place in the Senate, acted and voted
with us in attempting to bring about
these necessary enactments.
The Press, of Philadelphia, in an
article upon the proposed amendment
of the Registry law, April 2s, 1871,
said
"To the proposition TO have the re-
turn judges meet in the presence of
the Judges of the Court of Common
Pleas, we have no objection save that
the provisions of the law as regards
their meetings is perfectly satisfactory
as it stands"
The Philadelphia Epening Bulletin,
April 27, 1871, says;
"rhe other amendment requires
that the vote shall be counted in the
presence Of the Court of Common
Pleas.
"Now there is no good objection to
this last amendment.
The Philadelphia Post of January
&c, 1871, snid: "Any one who will
succeed in devising plan by which
the usual scenes of violence and dis.
order which have attended these meet.
ings for some years past will be pre-.
cluded, will do Philadelphia an incal.
culable service, and deserve the graft.
tude of the people. The annual meet.
ings of the return judges have become
to be regarded with as much appre.
hension by peaceably disposed people
us would be a pitched battle. They
have been arenas of carnage, rather
than an assemblage Of y jG4ical char
ac,cr, and rioting and fatal casualties
have been the natural concomitanls.
: These may not be incidental to the
system, but the fact remains that they
seem to be part of it, and public
morality and public security demand
a radical change"
The Philadelphia Erening Bulletin
of May II, 1871, said "rhe amend
menls to the Registry law are few
T simple, and, so far as we can see en-
tireiy fair. They are precisely. what
the Republican party would demand
il there was Democratic majority
in our Board of Aldermen. There cat
be no better test than this. They
provide that the minority shall elect
their proportion Of the election officers
with a reserved power to strike OF
the names of bad men when they are
: presented. And they also provide
that the vote shall be counted in the
/, presence of the Court of Common
Pleas. What the arguments are tha
forbid the acceptance Of these amend
ments we do not know, and we hav'
I, such faith in the essential politica
, virtue of the mass of the voters o
= Philadelphia that we believe that thcl
/ would be cheerfully accepted by Re
f publicans as well as Democrats"
5 The Philadelphia Inquirer of Ma
. 5, 1871, said: 1--WE believe thes
G amendments to the Registry law ar
i. necessary, because we believe tha
d under our form of government th
= minority have equal rights with th
n majority Certainly, il is not homes
3 for the Republicans to appoint Repub
}. lcans or luke warm Democrats to reT
0 resent the Democrats as election oil
GERS. Again, when II is remembers
u how, four years past, each meeting {
q the Return Judges has been the OF
!. cusion Of fraud, riot or murder, no on
4 who desires an honest election, or
4 peaceful return of votes, or who d'
:. tests riot or murder can object TO tn
= Return Judges decorously meeting !
the courtroom subject to the wisdom
diyuitv and integrity of the Judg,