Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1889-10-30
New Election Law Does Not Apply
to the Spring Elections.

to the Spring Elections.
A short time ago we published
statement from the State Attorney
General in which that official stated
his opinion in regard to the new cleo
ton law, and that in accordance with
the provisions thereof, all the local
tickets would have to be printed by
the Secretary of State. Since we pub
lished that item we have received
copy of the law, and we desire to re-
cord our opinion that the Attorney
General is wrong, and that the new
election law does not apply to the cleo
tons to be held in the city and town
ships of this county next April. The
city and charter elections next spring
will be held and conducted according
to previous laws, and political COM
mites can get their tickets printed
wherever they desire. Neither will
booths be required at the various poll
ing places. In entering our humble
opinion against that of the State le-
gal adviser, we shall of course be ex-
pected to furnish proof, and we are
ready to do so to show that the At
torney General is wrong.
The Supreme Court has settled the
question that a law to be constitution
al must be expressed by its title, and
the county prohibition law was declar-
ed illegal as the title did not express
some things that were in the law
The title of the new State law is as
follows: Gan act to prescribe the
manner of conducting, and to prevent
fraud and deception at general cleo
tions in this State"
The law in question therefore refers
to general elections, and the next
question is what are general elections?
The answer can be found in the COM
piled laws of the State of Michigan on
page 80. 1t reads as follows "The
words general election shall be con-
strued to mean the election required
by law to be held in the month of
November"
The election in this city is called
the Charter election, and the elections
in the townships are know as township
or spring elections, and both are held
on the first Monday of April. Our
advice to the officials of this city, and
the townships of this county, is to pay
no attention TO the peculiar opinion
of the Attorney General on this sub
ject, and to conduct their elections
according to the provisions of previ-
Gus laws with which they are acquaint-
ed.
The Legislature did not intend the
law to apply to the spring elections,
but only to the elections when State
and national officers are elected. 1t
would be impractical and impossible
for the Secretary of the State to print
the various tickets got up in all the
townships of this State, and if the said
law had applied to the spring election
he would probably have given the job
of printing the tickets for all parties
to the Offices OF Republican papers.
This was probably the scheme that
the Republican officials at Lansing
were trying to engineer. How nice
they could work such scheme. AT
ter their own tickets had been print
ed an accident might, accidentally, of
course, happen to the press, and the
Democratic tickets be delayed. 1t
was nice scheme, but the Attorney
General was too fresh. This legal
opinion of ours is furnished cheaper
than legal opinions are usually re-
warded with. 1t can be obtained for
i've cents per copy, and if person is
not a subscriber or has not five cents,
let him borrow paper from his
neighbor and get the information for
nothing. No person is compelled to
accept our version of the new election
aw.