Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-06-05
REEDS PROPOSITION.

4 Revolutionary scheme That WV
Plunge the Country Into Anarchy.
Let US test Speaker Reeds Federal
election system by sober, indisputable
facts A Federal election law that as
sumed the entire control of Congression-
ri and Presidential elections indie
pendent of the State would require a
complete double election machinery;
double registration; double lists Of vot-
ers; double election boards Of five each
in all of the 1000 election precincts of
Pennsylvania; double elections for
each voter to vote for the President and
Congressman under the Federal law
and to vote for State, district and coun-
ty officers under the State law; double
computation and certifcation of the
votes, under different laws and by en-
tirely different officials, and conflicting
jurisdiction of State and Federal
officers at the same polls to maintain
the peace. What hope could be
cherished of tranquility at elections
under such a dual and notwithstanding
| election system. with Federal officers
chosen solely for the purpose of forcing
party victory? How long could bust
| ness tranquility and business safety be
assured under such revolutionary cleo
| ton methods?
To execute Speaker Reeds Federal
| election system, by which he proposes
to ''cut loose from the State elections,
do our own registration, our own count
ing and our own certification," it would
require in Pennsylvania one State re-
| turning board to compute and certify
the vote for President; twenty-eight
returning boards to compute and certify
| the returns in each Congressional
district; 10000 election officers
one Judge, two inspectors and two clerks
to each of our 4, 900 election precincts
in the State-to hold the election; g. OOC
registers Ct voters, if two are required
f. T each precinct, or IL. 600, if three are
| required, to register voters, pass upon
| the quail fications of electors and revise
| and publish the list of voters, to be
employed not less than thirty days
each; and to estimate moderately, in
view of the temptation to employ Unit
ed States marshals to do party work
fully 200 deputy marshals would be
wanted at any Pennsylvania election.
The cost of this extra and entirely need.
less Federal election machinery would
be about as follows:
| 5000 registers thirty days each, at 8
90, 90 election ofncers, ive for each pre-
cinct, two days each. at IS per day. 1000
% Congressional returning boards of five
| each, three days, at Is per day.. 2, 10
200 United States marshals, five days
| each, at IS per day 500
Total. ss47, 1ol
| In short, Speaker Reeds proposition
to ''cut loose from the State elections,
do our own registration, our own count
ing and our own certification," would
cost the public treasury not less thar
$500, 600 for each Congressional or Presi
Dental election held in Pennsylvania
and the cost in all the States could no
be less than SIS, 900. 600. and for what:
Simply to emrloy hundreds of thousand:
of Federal ofJi1 rs, appointed solely fol
partisan service, to mock popular gov
eminent by violence and fraud under
color of law, and disrupt the tranquility
of the whole country. II Speaker Reed
insists upon such an experiment in pol
tics, let him move on and make it; but
let him first write in flaming letters Over
| his Speakers chair-s'After me the del
| "-Philade1phia Times