Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1885-01-08

AnAm"ndmcnt rrOpOsed-Thc Same
Endorsed by aSeniinel Correspond.
ent-rhe Present q Bad state Of
ARairs-Am Appeal 10 our Iegisia-

W 6St1tAhhCH eOEECS BOnus
ent-The Present q Bad State ol
ARairs-Am Appeal TO our Legisia.
ture.
EUREKA, New, Jan. 6, 1885.
EDITOR SENTINEL: By an item in last
Saturdays SENTINEL l learned that an
amendment to our election law was being
prepared by a member of the bar of this
town, and, on investigation, I find that
the SENTINEL has been rightly informed.
The amendment proposed is to Section
IA Of our election law, and consists in
making it the imperative duty OF one
OF the inspectors Of election at each
polling place to administer the following
oath to each elector before depositing
said electors vote in the ballot box:
IL, do solemly swear or affirm
that | have not either directly or indi-
rectly given, offered, promised or received,
nor will | give, offer, promise or receive,
nor do l expect any money or other valu.
able thing or reward, nor have / furnished
nor will / furnish directly or indirectly
any money or other valuable thing to any
person, to give, offer or promise to another
for this or any other vote cast, or to be
cast at this election, and / cast this vote OF
my own free will and accord without hope,
fear or favor from any source whatever,
except the desire Of the success OF the can.
didates named thereon; SO help me God
or under the pains and penalties Of per.
jury. +"
There can be little doubt. sir, that if the
above amendment is adopted by the pres
ent Legislature, the prostitution of the
ballot box, which is the standing disgrace
Of this State, and more especially this
county, consequent upon the wholesale
and retail purchasing of votes on every re-
curing election day, will be obviated.
And is it not time that some such law
should be enacted? 1t is, to be sure,
humilating to us as q community that
there should be any necessity for the
enactment Of such a stringent measure.
Blu. the necessity existing-and who shall
gsiDsay it2-is it not the duty of our
| Legislators to take at once the bull by
the horns" and make of the proposed
amendment a part and parcel Of our cleo.
ton law
As things go at present, the will Of the
people-that is To say, the free and honest
will Of the people-has nothing TO do with
the election of a citizen to Office, for while
it may be said that the citizen is at liberty
to reject a proffered bride, yet as long az
| people are poor, or ignorant, or selfish, OF
unpatriotic, wealthy and designing scoun-
| drels can and will succeed in %corrupting
some, and in administering to the evil
tendencies Of the others, to the great degre-
/ l..,1 .-1 n.l~xa.1- 81 4Ea nAaf1 AAfnnt
in the establishment Of our secret ballot
system.
Take our late election in this town
and county as a sample. Was there
ever witnessed, since the foundation Of
free government, such gross corruption
and bribery as was seen here on that day Z
| Was there any secret about it? Was there
aay bones made about paying men from
ten to forty dollars for their votes? Yes,
the bribers and the bribe-takers must have
| the justice done them, of admitting that
their illegal work WAS lone openly and
shove board I! IL was practiced under the
eyes OF our law officers. No effort was
made to stop it. Herders-men herders,
Of course-might have been seen leading
and driving citizens to the various rendez-
yous OF the corruption funds; candidates
L lOI OllACs EOiuk INV haAOOhot IN n
men what price they demanded for their
suffrages.
Law makers-God save the markl-en.
gagged the whole day in law breaking; high
toned, or would-be heightened. profess
sional men. permitting their offices to be
made ballot brothels Of. "Get Office, and
d-n the odds how you get it," was the
principle on which all seemed to stand.
II such a decentralization of the public
conscience existed anything like it gener-
ally throughout our great Republic, 1t
would not take much of a Vennor to fore.
tell the dread hour when our form of gov
eminent were a thing of the past. But,
thank Heaven, it does not obtain gener-
ally. 1t is confined within the narrow
limits of our own State, and there only
because OF our sparse population and the
unfortunate ~ascendancy of a few abnor-
mslly wealthy fellows, without conscience
or patriotism. and to whom nothing is
sacred, save their " personal advance
ment. But, il the proposed reformatory
measure should be incorporated into our
law, the future efforts. by the aid of vote
buying of the individuals above referred
TO, would in a great way be baked, and a
practice put an end to that strikes at the
| foundation OF free government. 1t is TO
| the press OF the State, sir, that all law-ob-
serving and patriotic citizens should look
for the most powerful aid in helping
| through a measure designed to purify the
| ballot box, nor would il be a dispsrage-
ment to the SENTINEL to lead the van.
JEFFERSON.
~