Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1884-11-28
The message

The following message from the
Governor, vetoing the Mccormick
Election Bill.
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA,
GOvERNOR's OFFICE,
RICHMOND, November q, 1891. }
10 the Senate Of Virginia:
| respectfully return to your
honorable body, without my APP
proval, Senate bill No. 1903, entitled
an 'Act to provide for the manner
of choosing registrars and judges
and clerks of election, &c.' Ny
regret is sincere in feeling again
compelled to dissent from a policy
which seems TO express the fixed
views of a majority of the General
Assembly.
The bill which | now return Is
identical in substance and effect
with one which / declined TO ap-
prove at the last session Of the
Legislature.
My objections to this measure
were expressed in general but dis
tinct terms in the first message
which | sent to your body after my
election as Governor. a majority
of both houses of the General AS
sembly was then in sympathy with
the party which had elected me to
the Executive chair, and under the
law then existing the county aud
corporation judges had control OF
the election machinery of the state.
Discarding then, as do now, all
pariizan considerations, at a time
which, if Injustice should be done,
my political associates should have
the benefit, ! gave to the LegiS-
lalure my earnest protest against
any system which would be open
to suspicion. said then, and re-
turn Of Unpopular voice should be
estoppcd if statute law can be
framed in language sufficiently
specific to accomplish that purpose.
In my first annual message
dated January 6, 1882, under the
caption of Suffrage ] asked surety
for public confidence in an honest
ballot in this language: In the IN
tcrest of a full and free expression
of the popular will | recommend a
rigid scrutiny and purging of the
election laws, many Of the pro.
visions OF which are subversve OF
the ends prolessedly sought. The
basis of all Republican Govern
ment is popular content and con.
Rdence. Both are secured when
the people are satisfied that hav-
ing freely sought the ballot-box,
their votes have been recorded and
returned according to the truth
ANY system which is so framed as
TO admit doubts upon these points
must, whether it be honestly or
fraudulcntly administered, breed
popular discomfort. Elections
should as far as possible take place
in sight Of the people. | would
recommend the passage OF manda-
tory provisions for the appointment
of Judges Of elections from oppos-
ing political parties, with penalties
attached for failure in the appoint
ing power to observe the require
mcnts aud admitting the presence
ofreprescntativcs of OF each political
party interested in an election
which the vote is received, can
vas,ed, counted and certified
These words were written when
the whole power Of the State was
practically in the hands Of the
party by whose votes | had been
elected. As the law then stood
the entire control Of the election
machinery was in the hands of that
party. ! then insisted, and ! do
now, that such shOnld not be the
case. care nothing as to what
the appointing power may be. l
care only that the appointing
power should be directed to make
such appointments Of registrars
and judges as to prevent any OBJ
structiOns or false returns of the
popular will. The words If practl-
cable were included in the original
bill and are repeated in the pro-
posed enactment. Those words
and the context have been and can
be so construed as to make nuga-
tory Z; Il attempts to have different
political parties represented in the
appointment of registrars and
Judges of election. Having no OBJ
iect to subserve but that which
may be gathered by what is
stated above, | ask Of your body a
review Of your judgment Oh this
Dill.
WILLIAM L. CAMERON.
ELECTION RETURNs.-T say,
when are you going to pay that
bet
'What bctY
sYou bet box of cigars that