The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-02-01

governor 1leuUTlChS uiSco VIC lSiOA uIo
ton. of the election laws of Indiana
which are made as pervious to fraud as q
seive is to water. He suggests that all
political, parties be represented on the
board ofE election officers; that voting
places be made numerous and the pre-
cincts small that 9 reasonable residence
be required to qualify voter, and that
some steps be taken to prevent the use OF
money to influence elections. "If in The
contest for power" says Governor Hen
dricks, money shall become stronger
than the people, we will have the worst
government possible" He recommends
as tending to further the purity of cleo
tions, that the time of holding them be
changed to the Tuesday after the second
Monday in November. Such step will
deprive the October elections iof ALI sig
nifcance.. Z
1t is of the utmost importance that the
election laws should be reformed, and
that such legal safeguards and guarantees
should be thrown around the ballot box
as will not only efectually preserve its
purity, but will inspire the confidence
and respect of the people. Any attempt,
however, TO reform the present defective
system that does not provide uniform
and fair method of counting the votes
and establishing definitely and beyond
the suspicion Of fraud, the result Of the
polling be deficient. . =" :
It would be we'll if the several States
of the Union would adopt-for the govt
ernment of Federal elections at least-a
uniform election law, so framed that un-
der its provisions the people would be
enabled to give certain and irreversible
expression to their sovereign will through
the ballot box. To accomplish this end
the law should provide for the appoint
ment of trustworthy and responsible citi-
zens, equally representing both political
parties, who should be amply protected
by the local civil authorities in conduct
ing the election in fair and. orderly
should be the duty of the managers TO
proceed at once to count the votes in
presence of representatives of both par
ties, and the counting should be
continued without intermission, by
reliefs if necessary-the ballot box not
being removed from public view-until
all the votes are counted. On the COM
pletion of the counting the result should
be properly certified by the managers of
the election, and publicly proclaimed and
an official certificate of the result, giving
the vote polled for each candidate, posted
in some conspicuous place at each polling
place. The result of the balloting; thus
officially certified, publicly proclaimed
and conspicuously posted should be de-
clared by law.to be authentic, valid aud
final, and should be subjected to no after
revision or manipulation by any other
tribunal than the managers of the elec-
tion under whose supervision the votes
were cast.
The official result thus made public
could not afterwards be falsifed or sup
pressed. The law should make provision
for the adjudication, on the spot, of all
questions of legality, and should prescribe
a uniform system of registration also
the manner of conducting the election
and of certifying the returns, which being
strictly complied with, should render the
official return of the managers conclusive
and irreversible.
Such regulations properly enforced
would insure fair elections and prevent
fraud OF the suspicion ofsfraud; would do
away with all pretext for State canyassers
and returning boards, that are bringing
our boasted elective system into merited
contempt and put an end to contested
elections and the strifes OF faction which
threatens the destruction of the republic.
The purity of the ballot box should be
held sacred, but the purity of the ballot
box is not to be preserved through the
means of corrupt and irresponsible re.
turning boards. The ballot box is the
source of free, popular government, and
if it is to continue to express the popular
will, the closer it is kept in hand by the
people the surer will it subserve the pur'
pose for which it was instituted.