Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1875-12-09

heretofore has been that certain classes
of voters, willing to vote secretly on
the side Of sound principles, would be
deferred from SO doing by the circum~
stances, surrounding them if none but
an open vote were allowed. The very
statement of such an argument for the
secret ballot shows that the design or
the system is to screen those who ac-
tually vote one way and seem to pre-
tend to vote another. In other words,
it is meant to encourage the dlssimula
ton of acting in one direction and of
intentionally seeming to act in a differ
ent one. 1t thus holds out protection
and Inducements to hypocrisy and
falsehood. If there are those who are
ashamed Or afraid to vote openly as
they think secretly, they are unworthy
Of the elective franchise and ought not
to vote at all. If any political party
cannot maintain its supremacy without
the procurement of such assembling
and immortality among the people, or if
it cannot obtain power without frauds
and false returns through the ballot~box
in either case, 1t deserves to go down
in final defeat and ought to perish.
The government depends for its exist
ence upon the truthfulness, manliness,
and honesty as well as intelligence of
the people. The preservation of society
and of civilization itself is staked on
the purity Of the elections. The secret
ballot corrupts the source of all power
and, unless speedily abolished, it will
perpetuate its evil sway by means of
the very. depravity it creates. Under
the system of open voting in Virginia
no: mutual distrust and suspicion, but
good will and confidence, marked the
relations among the people, and such a
thing as fraudulent returns was unheard
of. But the worst crimes against Ibis
city are perpetrated in the name of the
ballot. box. In excited election cons
tests it offers opportunities. and tempta.
tions to deceive voters, 10 repeat votes,
and corruptly to handle both ballots
and returns, which cannot be with>
stood by the INSCRIPTIONS. An honest
party endures by boldly intoxicating
honest principles among the people
but if this were not so, and if the pres
ervation of party by means of the
ballot-box were in issue against the
purity of the people and the govern
ment, we could not hesitate as to which
side to choose.
CRIMINAL EXPENSES.
If the increasing burthen of criminal
charges be not removed from the gen.
eral treasury, it at least ought to be
carefully readjusted and reduced. Steps
should be taken to enlist more active
interest and vigilance, on the part Of
local officers, in preventing many of
these expenses and reducing others.
The State is frequently paying rewards,
as well as all the other charges, for res
prisoners who escape from
the jails, many of which are very inse-
cure: If the counties and corporations
bore all the cost of recapturing escaped
prisoners, they would be induced to
make their jails secure, and escape would
cease.
1t would take up an undue portion
of this message to detail all the defects
and inequalities of the present criminal
expense system and its execution. 1t
will be found among other things
that fines are not accounted for with
The amount of criminal
expenses paid from the Treasury for
the city of Richmond, for the last fiscal
year, was $37,473,20, or nearly one
fourth of such expenses for the entire
State; aud yet the fines and penalties
IN the Police court both under
State law and city ordinances, amount
ing to a considerable sum annually, are
said to be all paid over to the city.
While these fines 60 as gratuity to
the city, another corporation, or a
like Highland, whose criminal
expenses for the year were $50, pays
its fines and portion of the criminal
expense taxation to the State, without
receiving any benefit from the fines i'm
posed in the city. / cite these partic-
llars, not because they are more impor-
tant or more needing special correction
than others, but to illustrate the anomaS
lies of the criminal expense system.
I concur in the opinion, urged by
more than one of my predecessors, that
these expenses, or at least all except
the costs of the Commonwealth in
cases of felony, should be borne by
the counties and corporations severally.
They would in that event be greatly re-
dueed in amount, and the existing If
would certainly cease.
Allowances would then be made inn
under the eye of the tax
payer, expecting to meet them through
direct local taxation, and claims would
be subjected to an inquisition and
scrutiny such as they often do not re-
ceive in being allowed against the
State. More summary and less expen-
sive punishments would be visited on
minor offences, and greater interest and
vigilance would reduce the amount OF
crime. 1t is not doubted that in a
sioie tiino o'Siy CooHty "o0io' III 'i'i'
direct way, pay less than it now pays
indirectly for the same criminal charges.
The objection, that such a change of
the law would break the uniformity of
justice and practice in the sew
eral counties and corporations, is wholly
fallacious. The same crimina, practice
and procedure, prescribed by general
law for the whole State, would con-
time to be enforced uniformly every
where by judges who would be chosen
by and amenable to the General Assem-
bly,. The unity of the administration
of criminal justice, remaining under
central control, would continue to be
not only unbroken, but perfect. The
principal involved in the proposed
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