, 1876-04-12

md frnud on tho part OF tho judges Of c!ec-
tion In those wards, still III election Is not
necessarily to bo nlads void OH auch grounds,
especially in tho other wards Of tho city.
" The RULES rnEscRlnEp NJ THE LAW FOR
CONDUCTING AN ELEoTioN ARE pIhEcronx
MEHELv AND NOT on1ldAToRY."
Having thus swept away all tho safeguards
against cloction.frauds provided by Inv, tho
Court wont further anil sole,nniy Declared
Tint, though tho 5000 Illegal votes counted
for tho chartor largely exceeded tho declared
majority by which tho charter was adopted,
1t WIS imnaterial, because thoro "night
1,ave been equal irregutarty affecting tho re-
turns Of like number of votes against In
corporation" in other wards Tho Court
Ind hcforo it tho fact TINT 5000 frausau!ons
votes had beon given for tho charter; That tho
whola majority for such chartor. including
these votes, was 1000; md tho Court Offset
this fact by assuming tho possibility that
thcro wero 1000 illegal votes givon on the
other eidcl OF which thora wns not tho re-
,notcst suggestion or proof. So tho Court
turned tho people out Of doors, and gnva tho
protection Of the law to- tho criminals who
had stuffed tho ballotbo1cH and forged tho
returns.
AL that aI1KE Evans and En- pH1Lnlrs
llavo to say now in answer to The appeal to
tho courts IL that, in tho language OF tho
Supreme Court, the laws regulating elections
arc " "n,ercly directory and not obligatory" ;"
The inv DIRECTS that elections shRll DO HON
est, but does not make It obligatory! That,
whilo tho Inv directs that the Judges Of eloc-
ton sball count tho ballots Deposited by tho
voters, aud no others, and shall not count
othcr ba'iots put IN the boz by tho Thousand,
still. this is not obligatory on the election
| Judges, who, il thoy include 5000 illegal bal
lota in tho count, mny fairly assume that
they aro only offaetting liko proceeding in
other wards And, in the faco Of, this decis-
ion, there aro Intelligent men who talk Of IN
appeal to tho Courts against baliot-box stuff
ing and fraudulent roturna!
There is no relief or protection for ballot
boz stuflng to DO received from the Courts.
The criminals Of Chicago aro covered by tho
mgis Of tho Supreme Court tho law against
such crime is no longor obligatory-itis is moro.
~ "digsctory." The enptying Of the legal
votes Gust at m election, and tho filling o1
tho boxes with othor ballots not pollcd at oil
by the sworn officers Of tho election, arc ne
longer crimcH; they arc simply non-conforn'
itios with tho uon-obiigatory directions Of ths
statute law Of the State Of Illinois!
There boing no law, and no court to whicl
the four hnn1rel thousand ownors Of fou1
hundred millions Of property In this city ca1
appeal for protection against The organized
criminal c!asscs who haYo naurped all th'
divisions Of tho local government, what ar
the people to do? Arc they poworless
Hnvo they no right to oppose forco by forcs
Ia the law which secures these crinlna
usurpors in their places obligatory" " q
( directory? Have tho poople ever su'
rendered the right to erpel tho uaurper vii
:. enters their houses to take control Of the
, l,ouaeho1ds? Havo tho people in tue aggr'
gato surrcndorod their right to o1po1 the nc
who have aeizcd the Offices to which the
havo nevor boon olocted, and who havo cor
, verted the forms Of Inv and tho Offices {
civil government into license to crime, an
tho ncans Of robbery, plundor, md col
| Harofinn2