Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-07-16
Colonizing Voters.

The people of the State of Indiana
have recently adopted en- amendment
to the State Constitution-among
several changes made at the same time
which is designed to prevent the
practice known as COLONIZATION of
v,ters.' The meaning of this term is,
in brief, the transfer OF voters from the
State or town where they are entitled
to the right Of suffrage, to another
State or town where they have no such
right.
In what is called new country, the
recon! corners very frequently outuum-
Der the old settlers. For example, a
town in Colorado or Dakota grows up
almost in day. There may be, when
the time for an election arrives, half.a-
dozen people who have been residing
in the town q year, but several hun.
dred others who have become iahabi-
tant: less than three months before.
In such a place it is hardly more
than fair that all persons should be al
lowed to vote, 10 matter how short the
time they have been residents. But as
time goes on, and the community be-
| comes more settled as to population,
laws are passed which restrict the
right of suffrage to those who can real
Iy claim to be established citizens. In
general, it will be found that the longer
a community of Americans has existed
rs II political body, the more carefully
il the right of voting guarded, and
the more stringent are the rules that
limit voting men who are real citizens.
The practice OF coloniz alton is relic
of fbp tip,n rv n tha lu yc
right of suffrage were everywhere
more lax than they are now. 1t is but
few years since many Connecticut
towns were recruited from the city of
New York, Ey luen who moved into
| Connecticut short time before an
election, and who helped to carry the
State for tho party that sent them
| there. After their criminal work was
done they movel to New York again.
1t has been frequently said
how truly we do not know-thit In
diana, i'll recent years, has been in
vaded III the same way by voters from
Kentucky and Ohio. Whether the
| statement WAS true or not, it is never
| thcicss fact, that the Constitution and
laws OF Indiana were such that the
fraud could be perpetrated almost with
ont the possibility of preventing it.
The amendment that has just been
! adopted requires that person, in Or
der to be entitled to vote III Indiana,
shall have lived in tho State Sax months,
in the township sixty days, and in the
voting precinct thirty days, before the
election. Besides this, he must have
been "registed" according to law.
This rule throws the burden Of proof
of residence upon the person Offering
to vote. That is where 1t belongs.
In the more primitive state of politi-
cal society, it is presumed that man
who goes to the polls to vote. has the
right to vote, and it is for those who
wish to prevent him from vctlng to
prove that he is not qualified. Under
the new system in Indiana, which is an
old system in most of the States, the
presumption is reversed.
n mau must show that he is qualified.
He must prove that he has lived long
enough in the State, and his name must
have been regularly entered on tho list =
81 voters. The making of such list
is what is known rs registry n regis
try may be either mild or stringent. In
some States u namo may DO placed
upon tho lisG Of voters while voting is
going on. This practice leads to great
abuses. Perhaps there is no moro
| strict registry law in tho United States
than that which is in force i'll Boston,
where I'LL tho names must be upon the
list niue days, at least, before the cleo
ton.
There is one form of colonization of
voters which is very difiicultto prevent.
In tho large cities there are sometimes
several districts as for the election OF
members of Congress. The managers
of II political party can easily remove a
sufficient number of voters from one
part of a city to another, SO as to Affect
tho result of an election, and yet keep
strictly within the law. But oil such
methods of political trickery are crimes
against good government, and III the
end do the party that is unprinciipled
enough to employ them, more harm
than good I0ufh'S COMPANION.