Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-01-03
A GOOD WORK PROPOSED.
Let the Legislature Make tho sanotiiy OF
tho Ballot saio.
nk,rvroN- W Va Ia, , 1890

tho Ballot SAio.
CAMERON, W. Va, Jan. ?, 1889.
Eil0r R.qis,sr.
SIR:-Soon the legislature Of our State
will meet 70 consider the wants Of our
people in matters per,aiaing TO law.
Justice 20 the p0gulace should be the
aim. Laws should he passed with view
Co protect the hOnest Citiz5n. It's the
rogue8 You have 20 watch, ard unless
every loophole is closed these dirty ras-
Gals viii 90 the upperhaad Of those who
wish 10 DO what is right just "a they did
la cur last election. Desiguing, unprin-
c.plsd men formed the election laws OF this
State weak. and without those safeguards
surrounding them that are necessary TO
prCcura a fair election, and they boldly
se'z-d the opportunity and turned the
tables to Their own advantage By cor
mptng the vote Of the State. There al
ways il a floating population who is will
i1g 70 30 anything for money or whisky,
aud these are the men who do the dirty
work ior the men who furnish the Doodle.
The buyeIs OF votes, the men who plan
che Wcrk and apply tie bcoile can only
bel caught hy severe punishment with fines
and impr sonmsnL All such clsei should
De fcionies, and, whel they are caught,
tts law shorli burn them 80 they should
0eyer he guilty OF the same act again. The
illegal voter, % a large extent, can be
curhed by proper safeguards around our
general election laws. la West Virginia
everything depends upoa the Ca,h OF the
voters III he steps up % the ballot box
and swears be has resided In the State one
year, IN the county sixty days, aud IS q
tOla % BE rel lent of the distIic. in which
be proposes 90 vote and nothing can pre-
vent him yoiicg. lie can 10 from place 10
Place AID 90 the slmo thing NJ long 90 he
viii swear 90 the above facts, then skip out
and yet away. Tom Jones msy appear as
y0tiug in enc district and ais name be
iound ia a half zen other precincts where
be had done the same thing simply by
swearicg 10 the above facts and tho only
POINTS be violates the law in Is ia voting.
This law vas good enough IN the prima-
tive days of the State, bot it will not an
saer when fhs Republican party deter
mines to le. their Doodle loose and start TO
Curry the election without regard 10 Justice
o. the preservation of the rights OF the
people jos. a. they did in the last
election.
I see registry law spoken OF as the
means 70 right the difficulty. This is good
enough, SIS ier ~ il goes, il il Is properly
based, but IL mus; have proper aids 70
help il through. Give "a the registry Law
90 rs Co compel the voter 10 register sixty
days before ihe election, comDsl the voter
70 reside IN the district in which he votes
lhhty days prior TO the election, sud have
but one voting place I'M each distrc,, OF II
aecsssary divide the district, compel every
nan inside OF cait4ia boundaries 20 20 to
a certsin place TO vote. aud do rot permit
him o. have the option TO 20 to two OF
three points Compel the voter 10 pay q
S a;e and county tax inside Of two yeare,
sixty days beioIe the election, and mske 1t
obi ga.ory upon him Ga chow that receipt,
ifrsquired, 30 the polls. Then number
the ballot with 8 nUmbsr opposite tie
voter 3 nsme. do this and you will never
have any norc such work as was prlc-
ucsd in Mcdowell, Mercer and other
counties I'M ihis S,a.5 40 the late election.
Some people ohisct 90 the lax claim. This
ia one Of the greate.t restraints, IN con-
junction with the registry law that
,ou can have. No man has a night 20
vote who is not willing to support the com.
monwealih and the municipality wherein
he resides. 10 makes no hardship % any
cne. for he receives back his reward 10 bet
ter laws ard better government. IL makes
no differences how poor be is, this thing Of
disirlnchisigg a man because he receives
support from a neighhOr or an aims house
il wrong. bis situation should no. work
this tairt against him, and that such law
Is ancoustitutiorai Is beyond al question.
Let him comply wish toe law, and make
10 so be can % ie desires, tben II he fails
70 is no disgrace 20 him o. to you. A man
msy throrgh misfortune fall from high
position to that Of a pauper, this is no dis
grace, bat you disgrace him when you ssy,
ar, yO1r position. because you receive
support from somebody else disfrauchises
ven. Thousands of able bodyed men IN
ihisSate step up 20 the ballot box and
deposit ihsir votes 90 tx you aud me, but
when the assessor and tax gatherer comes
sfOund they possess nothing and pay moth
Iifg. Look al the delinquent tax lists Of
Marshall and Ohio counties and zee who
they are Ifyou think this is hardship so
over into Washington county CT Green
county, Pa, where they carry out this
law and see what they say. Esquire about
il, hardships and they will tell you that
no one is paupsrizsd from this law, and no
man complains of Il doing him.iDjusiice.
You must remember that you cannot
guard too strongly, in cur elections. In
the purity of the ballot depends our future
prosperity. This government can't stand
many such elections AZ the one Just pass
"a. The germ Of our organic Law, that
Hes 80 the foundation OF our religious
Liberties, IN setting ont the plans that are
to build up aud psrpeiuate them, demands
that the expressed i'll Of the people shall
re through and by free ballot honestly
cast by the people, and that every man
add g6oi citizen shall aid in the support
of bis country. Does the present laws Ct
the State OF West Virginia carry this out ?
We think not, Ifu0t. then let us have
such laws ~ will RICH. the wrong ard
place West Virginia as a model State to
be paironed often by those that need re-
fern and those 10 enter the Union here
alter. WM. Nj. kINCAlD,
Cameron. Marshall Coanty, w. Va.