Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-05-12

criticism of last week The idea oil
such a man crying for fairness" OF
for "quiet" and peace, is simply de-
ception and intended under deceptive
words to again deceive the Repuoll-
cans of this county.
What Does It Mean ? Be on the
Look Out.
The following appeared from Mr.
Robinson in the Eagle of last week :
Primary Election.
The Republicans of Butler county are re-
ouested to meet in their several election dis
tricts. as designated by the County Committee,
on Saturday the 29th of May, between the
hours of one o'clock p. NJ and eight p. NJ, OF
said day, and vote by ballot for the following
officers, viz
One person for Congress.
One person for State Senate.
Two persons for Assembly.
One person for Associate Judge.
One person for District Attorney.
One person for County Surveyor.
One person for Return Judge.
A numerical list is to be kept of the voters
and the tickets numbered.
~ THOMAS ROBINSON, Chairman.
The above was sent to this office
and we declined publishing it for two
reasons. First, Mr.. Robinson has no
authority or right under any of our
primary rules to put out such paper
Nor was there any necessity for it
even if any of our rules allowed it.
The County Committee had met and
done that work, fixed the primaries,
etc., and the papers, both Eagle and
CITIZEN, had standing in them for
weeks a list of all the officers to be
voted for, and thousands of tickets had
already been printed with all the Off
ces to nominate for named thereon.
Why then this extra official, uncalled
for notice Why does he attempt to
add to and supplement the work of the
County Committee The secret will
be seen in the two closing lines, and
to this, in the second place, we call the
special attention of the Republicans of
the county. 1t assumes to direct that
"a numerical last is to kept OF the
voters and the tickets numbered "
Now what is "a numerical list ?"
Simply list of figures or numbers, l,
Q. 8, 4, and so on. According to that
unheard of innovation for holding our
primaries list may come in to the
meeting of Return Judges on the 3lst,
inst, with nothing but the number of
votes cast, acithout the names of those
casting them. To illustrate, there
may be, say fifty or hundred Demo-
cratic votes cast at one of our polling
places at the coming primary, duly
numbered but without the names OPP
posite the numbers. Who then could
tell who they were, Democrats or Re-
publicans That is "a numerical list, "
and if objected to in Convention it
could he answered in favor of its re-
ception that the Chairman of the
County Convention had so ordered it.
If it means a list of voters why not say
so? Our rule on the subject, and our
only rule, requires "list of voters" to
be returned. This is our practice.
But he further adds and orders that
ssthe tickets be numbered" Where did
he get that authority, and who ever
heard of that before now? We have
no such rule as requiring at our pri-
maries "the tickets numbered" This,
it is surmised by some old Republi-
can friends who have brought it to our
notice, is an attempt to pry into and
ascertain how every man votes at our
coming primary. The secrecy of his
ballot would be thus destroyed. The
party has never authorized all this
change. Our rule in substance
directs "a list of all voting to be kept,
which list, with the talley papers, and
the votes or ballots themselves, shall
be sealed up by the Judge and clerks
holding the election, and handed to
the Return Judge and by him laid be.
fore the Convention" etc. Before
there is any alteration of these rules ii
must be done by the party acting
through its County Committee, and
we think it will be long time before
such changes are made as are indicated
in this unusual manner We have called
attention to the above at the request
of some of the leading Republicans OF
the county. The present primaries
will be held in the usual way and none
but Republicans should be allowed to
vote at them. Let all see to it that
there is fair primary.
THE familiar name of j. D. McJun
kin, of Butler, appears in our announce
ment column for Congress in the 26th
district. Mr.. McJunkin is gentle
man well known to hundreds of oul
readers as an upright, honest gentle