The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1886-10-14

which was enacted Without SHADOW OF tooe
son. for in no city - thG state has there ever
he ballot.
EAGLE GROVE.
JUDGE COOK DsCIINEs.
KAoLR CRoyE, lows, Sept. 81, lSe0.-Cote
Setls, Esq, Chairman COMMITTEES 0f Notice.
ton, La Porte City, I0ird :-DgAR SIN, In obodt-
ence to my promise 70 Jour committee,
have made All effort to 20 arrange my 0ue1.
ness engagements - to enable mo to stand -
candidate for congress 10 this d1strtct, and
regret 10 say that the more consider Il the
more nnd II Impossible 10 do 90. l Am sn
entire stranger to the voters, and to permit
my name IL stand ~ = candidate without .
personal appearance before them In Discus
sion OF questions Involved would neither -.
suit In credit 10 Ie nor benefit TO those sup
porting mo. Ny business arrangements are
such that could not possibly give the can
vass personal attention, and hence must DE-
cline the nomination 30 grAciOusly rendered
TO me by the democratic and greenback con-
vcntions. In doing this ! desire 70 express
my sincere thanks TO the two conventions Tor
tho confidence go generously reposed Ia me
~ shown by their unanimous nominar
ton, As also To tho many kind frtends,
who by their letters Of encouragement
Aid good cheer have urged mo TO accept
The organization which. under the name Of
republican party has so completely controlled
the state, mas grown SO intOierant and UNI
scrupu.ous In it's tyranny that questions ~
state policy overshadow those OF national
character. To retain power 1t has driven the
rxislatare to tho enactment OF laws that are
sabversiye or free popular government. Four
Years ago the state Was gerry wandered into
congressional districts 10 make It impossible,
- they thought. for the opposition 70 elect
single representative in congress.
Last winter. huut the RtiQhtelt 0f0t0yt
or excuse but party necessity, 5000 demo
cratic majority WAS placed 10 ono district 70
prevent tho opposition from having more than
one out Of tho eleven members OF 0Ongrces
although the vote Of the opposition was very
near to the repu blican. In dividing the state
into legislative districts still more shameless
disregard of political honesty ID exhibited. for
here We have the same number Of representa-
tlves given 10 tho republican counties with
tl.12t people as is given 10 democratic COu0
ties With population OF i45,ls5, thus making
Two republican votes count for - much -
he constitutional provision (srticle 8. section
35l which requires that representation ehall
be apportiOncd according - population.
But the iniquity 10 al this 10 ovorShadowed
BY that In the registry Law passed b. the same
legislature. This requires every votsr % ap-
pear In person before the registering board
and disfrAnchise every ono who does not thus
appear. Ii nakcs tho board the absolute and
arbitrary judges OF every electors right "a
sete and from their decision 10 no appeal. no
matter what proof he may offer or what oath
he may take to show his right. Unless thu
aoarc places his name on the register tho cttt-
zen IL DISTINGUISHED. The judges of eiecti01
cannol receive his ballot, and X II ID received
Ii must afterwards be rejected and excluded
from TIE count. Aside from oil this the aCt
Il filed with technicAiities, al Of which viii
seryo only ae stumbling blocks TO the homes
and untnfortned voter.
The voters Of Iowa need no such Law. II
excuse put forth for the act 10 that q y
needed 10 prevent voting by persons who Ar
not legal voters. Tho history Of election con
tests In this state shows that individud
voters arc far moro to be trusted than 70 The
machinery Of partisan election officers. 4
the congressional contest case Of myself
against Sir. Cuts the total votes polled ID
tbs Sixth district was ss.27i. The closenea,
iof the election called out The full strength Ol
ali parties. After the election both sidol
raked the district from one end to the othel
to md illegal sotes, and yet In I'll that o. S6.
ia IL was found that only fourteen lilegd
votes we're cast (seven for him and seven To-
myselfD outside OF the negro vOtcs.
In the later coatest or Frederick Aga1n6
Wilson from the Fifth district tho vote polle1
Was 2i,el2. and though both sides hunted thi
district over tor votes cast BY persons not ID
gal voters, yet only about . dozen uloga
OAeSAAS
number OF nearly $4,000.
| In the case OF Campbell against weaver d
the present congress, the vote cast va
80. sol. Mr.. Campbell set On foot . moG
thorough scrutiny OF the poll lists In ever
township and precinct OF tho entire congres
sional district, but found less than tw0nG!
votes cast for Gen. Weaver By men not v0e
rrs. The old registry law was applicable q
the city of Oskaioosa. That Law was In q
sense 10 be compared 10 technically and CON
plexity with the present. hut even undsl
that law the effort Was we'll nigh successfully
ioosa alone by throwing out their votes. .
not 4 single instance was Il claimed that tn
voter was not bona ndo eloct0r. On thu
contrary II was conceded that every one Was I
legal voter, many OF them had been votol(
there tor twenty years, and were OF the beG
known citizens. The objection TO the vou
being grounded upon the fact that the vote
had not stated the exact street and numba
of his residence, or given sufncient excue
for not registering. This objection Was heb
lby tho congressional committee 70 DO No
good because the provision requiring Il w
construed AS directory aud not mandatory.
Courts and committees In congress hav
shown commendable disposition 70 diam
gard the techncaties and bubbles In mai
tors pertaining TO elections. to tho end thu
the voice OF the people shall have free an
honest expression through the ballot boz
Election officers are not versed In tho intrtCa
cies Of the Law, and hence courts have disre
,gArded defects OF form. All these decisions
however, are set aside By section eight Of th
present law, where II u provided tAat Il shal
be- held by courts and legislative bodies q
mandatory and not directory. This provision
will require the most exact compliance VIC
the slightest details OF the law.
Indeed, IL Is astonishing to note the studie'
effort made BY the authors Of this law =
make technically governing element In ~
lture eit ctions.
we have in tho eastern part Of tho stat
many citizens OF foreign birth who wer
lnaturalzed by the old country court. A
these men came to this county during III
days when the democratic party favored tn
rights OF foreign-born citizens they NATURAL
are democrats. In the congressional cOntes
Of Frederick against Wilson, tho COMMITTEE
unanimously held these men to be voter
The supreme courts OF at least three state
have decided the question the Same way
while not court OF any state 10 the unio
has ever ruled otherwise. But nOtwtthstanC
Ing all this the Iowa senate last winter In th
contest Or Case against keiniger held sue
votes illegal and DISTINGUISHED al these mer
Notwithstanding they had voted for twenty
tve years and had been naturalized by
court which WIS universally regarded - hs,
inx the power TO nAturalize. This show
what partisan board eau do when party 81
igsncy Is placed above political honesty.
can see . plain purpose 70 disfraE
chise 1t the coming election I'll thes
voters, and this decision Of the senai
WAS only to set preccdelt Tor To
smaller fry to follow. Again this act require
that all naturalzed electors shall state th
date of their naturalization and the court l
which they were naturalized. There arc Yer
few or this class OF citizens who presorv
their papers or who can remember the dat
OF naturalization, and many who cannot kiv
the name or style or the court, and yet Z
this must be done to secure registration. Bu
much moro than this under the laws Of Col