The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-01-09

WAHtNSA AIAA4pN ASktuAn w buAHnh mAt
q price to strike down existing institl
tlons, or the ballot in the hands Of ire
people be polluted by the brlbe-glyC
and the bribe-taker, the result, in th
end, must be one and the same,
The corruption OF the ballot mus
: bring with 1t loss oil publiccontldGnCe
and the loss OF that confidence can bu
pave lnd make straight the way for th
destruction OF the existing forms,
Upon the ballot rests the entire super
structure OF our political fabric; and Il
corruption is more dangerous than opel
; revolt, for 1t undGrmines the very foun
datlons with insldious dehauchery, AM
yet this IL Il peril to which our who'll
country is this day exposed. Under th
sham OF campaign expenses vast sums o
money are raised and distributed 10 cor
rupt the voter aud defeat the public will
In many instances men are selected fo
exalted public positions whose onlJ
qualifications are enormous wealth anC
u ready willingness to provide money tC
tomptthe INDECENT and detile the ballot
box,
Throughout the country, for months
past, the every atmosphere has been laden
with the cry of fraud, ReprOacli has
been cast upon our own State rs never
before by illegal, fraudulent aud corrupt
voting in almost every county within It's
borders, This is so palpablc, that che
who runs may read," The Capitationso OF
1884 were 1882, and the entire vote,
after the most active political campaign
ever made in the State, 1857. The
uapitations Of 1883 were l47, ,40S, and the
vote 150, ,440 The difference iN the Capi-
tations and the vote, in 1884, was 4,065;
in 1888, it WIS l2,032. This shows an in
crease Of votes in four years OF 2l,S5S,
which, II legitimate, would indicate a
population Of 100000, and an increase In
four years OF much more than 100000.
1t Is certain that 10 such Increase has
taken place,
The purity of our electionsimperative-
ly demands u revision oil the election
laws, THIS public sentiment Of the State
demands 1t, These crimes should be
made so odious that no man with the
slightest claims u common deCenCy can
dare to condOne them.
REGISTRATION LAW RECOMMENDED,
l recommend thata registration law be
enacted, and that our election laws be
amended so that bribery aud fraudulent
voting may be prevented aud the purity
OF the bnllot.boX preserved.
That the certainty und severity Of the
penalty may bo measured by the enor-
nifty Of tho crime, / recommend that
false registering, or voting, or procuring,
or advising tho same tn be done, or brib.
ing or attempting to brlbG, or giving or
otleringto give money or other thing OF
value for the purpose, express or impli.
ed, to influence any person not to vote,
or any shift or device to evade such pro.
visions, and every other violation OF the
registration or election laws, the effect
OF which may hO to destroy, or change
the true result OF all election, DO made
felOuious crimes. That amy person,
whether implicated or not, In commit.
ting any such oilenses, shall be conpell.
ed to testify against any person concern.
ing such otfenses but such witness to be
exempted from punishment for the VIC.
lation OF the law OF which he may have
been guilty, and, concerning which, he
may be compelled to testify. That no
statute OF Limitation shall hlr prosecu-
ton, and that 1t shall be the duty OF the
circuit courts, at every term thereof, to
give theact inspecial charge to the grand
jury.
0fcourse, the recommendation in re.
lntiOn to a registration law, Is necessarily
limited within tho following Constitu.
tional provisions:
"No citizen shall ever be denied, or re.
fused the right or privilege OF voting ut
an election, because his name is not, or
has not been registered or listed US a
qualified voter."--Soc. u, Art. 6, Con.
Stitution.
"The Legislature shall never author.
izo or establish any boartl or court Of reg.
istration of voters. Sec. l2, Art. 0,
Constitution,
Both OF these provisions were intend.
cd for the security Of the elective fran
chisc, and should be construed with re.
ference TO the evils they were designed
to correct. Under our former registra.
ton lnw, every person claiming right
to vote was compelled to apply to the
township, or ward registrar for rcgistra.
ton, and, II rejected, he had no remedy
for the vindication OF his rights but an
appeal to the Board OF Registration.
And 1t was provided that:
1.-THE Board OF Registration OF each
county shall have the sole Jurisdiction
10 try and determine the right Of any
person to vote therein, under the con-
stitution and laws Of this State, whose
right to vote is questioned; and their
decision, In all cases, shall be final, ex.
Cept in cases Of contested elections be.
fore either house OF tho Legislature,
No persons were permitted to vote ex.
cepting those who were registered,
Said section u does not prohibit a
registration Of voters; but only provides
that tho privilege Of voting shall not de-
pend upon registration.
Said section 43 does not prohibit a
registration; but simply declares that
no board nor court OF registration shall
be created. 1t seems to me that the
words "board" and court" in this sec.
ton are used as synonymous terms, and
interpreted, with reference 10 the former
laws Of this State, were intended only to
include registration tribunals having
Jurisdiction TO try aud determine the
right OF voting. However this may be,
Iit is u board, or court Of registration
only, that Is prohibited. A single reg.
istrar for a county, or one for each mag.
isterial district, would not constitute a
board, nor could such constitute q court
unless judicial functions DO conferred.
A law might DO passed for the registra.
tion Of voters, and the registration made
primd fdcie evidence Of tho right TO vote /;
and persons, not registered, Offering 70
vote, required 10 prove their Qualilica.
tions before the commissioners OF cleo.
ton, who should record them Us tin'
registered voters. Each voters ballot
should 10 numbered 10 correspond with
the poll.book, or some other certain
mode adopted 10 identify tho ballot In
case Of oontCst,
uaE or MONEY IN THE sELEdrioN or CAM
plDATEs.
IrCpCat what said upon this subject
In q former message;
Bribery at elections, by our laws, ID
a punishable crime; yet II Is no ylola'