The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1889-09-29

forced it through the Legislature with
indecent haste" and that | had over
turned wisdom and sense and had bank
rupted the State. Ever since the Court of
Errors and Appeals declared the act con-
st1tutional the claim of the Republican
party on this question has changed. am
no longer responsible for the act; the
Democratic House of Assembly is no
longer responsible for the act, but the Re-
publican Senate, which hampered and
fettered all efforts toward equal taxation,
by limitations and exemptions, is extolled
for all the good which the people of the
State have found in the measure.
/ do not desire to take from any citizen
OF the State who honestly stood by the
people in that fight for equal taxation
one iota of credit for his work. / recog-
nize and acknowledge the valuable assist
ance given by all the friends of equal
taxation in that memorable struggle. All
honor and praise to them; but denounce
the hypocrisy of those men and those
newspapers which, within few months,
arraigned me for the passage of the law,
and then, because the situation had
changed. attempt to falsely impose upon
the people the idea that | had no parcel
or lot in that which they had previously
condemned me Tor accomplishing.
| submit to the people of the State who
today pay no direct State tax, to the mu-
inequalities whose burdens have been
liRhtened by partial taxation of cor
porate property, and to all fair-minded
men, my record and services to the State
upon this question of taxation.
The attempt upon the part of the Re-
publican minority, in the Legislature of
1889, to impose direct State tax, whose
only object could be to relieve corporate
property at the expense of the individual
taxpayer, is one that should arouse the
rffpt1 az NJ oil
am today, as l was six years ago, I'M
alterably opposed to the imposition of any
direct State tax, and l know that the
other sources of revenue of the State are
sufficient to meet it's expenditures under
an honest and economical admins
tration. No such tax shall be imposed il
it can be prevented by my determined
opposition.
BALLOT REFORM AND HONEST ELECTIONS.
| am In hearty accord with the plat
form which denounces the corrupt use of
money at elections and the comforting of
official position upon those connected
with such use, and with its appeal to the
patriotism of all honest citizens to join in
every attempt to prevent the debasement
of the elective franchise, and to secure
legislation which will guarantee to every
voter absolute secrecy in the casting Of
his ballot and the punishment of all who
attempt to corrupt or intimidate voters.
These questions are not purely party
questions. A crime against the ballot is
a crime against the Republic itself. 1t
tire atens it's existence; it exalts money
over manhood, and fraud and force over
free Judgment. 1t should be met by
strong, positive, practical laws which will
eradicate the evils complained of, and
secure the speedy and condign punish
ment of all. who seek to debase and de-
stroy the elective franchise.
The people of the State have right to
know my position on this subject, and
shall frankly and fully state It, All as
sertions, by whomsoever made, that l
have ever in any way interfered with or
attempted to influence legislation adj
versely to ballot reform, or that l ever
was in any conference with anybody upon
the subject for the purpose of defeating
Legislation in the interests of ballot re-
form are false | am in favor of any law
which viii secure the absolute secrecy of
the ballot. The object of such a law is
to enable the citizen to cast his vote
secretly and without fear of intimidation
by corporations or individuals, and to
render futile the attempt of those who
seek to buy the voter individually or Gin
blOcks-of fiyeV by reason of their inability
to see that he delivers that which they
have purchased.
There Is feature connected with cleo
tions which, in my Judgment, is equally
dangerous with the evils arising from the
want of an absolutely secret ballot The
condition of the public mind, SO far as
party machinery is concerned, seems to be
debauched upon the great question of the
use of money at elections. AS the plat
form states:-'"The success of the National
Republican ticket was brought about by
the corrupt use of money, and this shame
has been made the more glaring by the
official honors conferred upon the con-
tributors to the corruption funds"
When millions of dollars can be OBJ
tanned from men claiming to be uprigh5
citizens, who contribute it without know
ing or desiring to know the purposes for
which it is to be used, and being aware,
as they must be. that such vast sums can
not be honestly expended in any cam
paign, the time has certainly come for the
enactment of stringent laws to abate this
evil.
The purchase Of voters by disreputable
party agents should be rendered i'm
possible. There is, in my judgement,
but one way to accomplish this reform.
That is, the publicity, absolute and COM
plete, of all expenditures of money for
party purposes. Any law to carry out
electoral reform should have engrafted
upon 1t provision by which every ex-
penditure of money by corporations or
individuals for political purposes, should
be made matter of public record. The
provisions should be SO comprehensive
that there could be no escape from official
investigation upon the suggestion of q
citizen that there had been an improper
use of money in q political campaign.
Men will not contribute money to agents
who will use 1t dishonesty when public
exposure may connect them with crime
or cause them to face public sentiment
which will ostracize them. The contri-
button of money to be used for political
purposes in honest and proper work needs
no concealment. There is no reason why
the State should not be able to ascertain
everything that has been done in the
election of its servants, nor why prompt
investigation should not follow sug-
gestion of corruption. With such pub
licity, and free and independent press
to voice public sentiment, there would no
longer be contributions of vast corruption
funds, because they would no longer lead
to the success of the candidate but to
the contempt of every honest citizen.
The election laws also need revision, by
over the whole State, a system
OF registration which is now applied only
to municipalities of q certain population
A registration of all the voters in the
State could be made without great incon-
veniene9 to its citizens, and a revision of
the list made under judicial authority, so
as to effectually prevent fraudulent
voting
promise the people of the State, if
chosen by their suffrages, to urge upon
the Legislature the passage of an act
which will secure pure, secret and free
ballot for all its citizens.
L