The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1890-12-06
DEMANDS FOR AN ELECTION LAW.
Urging Legislation that viii Insure n
Iree and Prot .cteA kAlIn..

If any intelligent aud loEul company II
/ American citizens were re,fuireG cttal lo2Ue
! the essential human conditions of CatiunH life.
/ do not doubt that with asolutc uuuuimity hey
would begin with "tTs and honest elections
/ Aud il Il gratifying 10 kroW that generally
! there is Il growing and non partisan demand fol
! better election laws. But against this Sign of
/ hope ana progress must be sci the dcpre->i :
j ana undcnlabIe tact That election laws and
| methods are sometimes cunnin@ly Contrived tu
! secure minority control, while violence coin
I plett> the shortcomings OF fraud,
/ In my last annual message suggested that
! the development of the existing law providing II
federal supervision Of congressional clcct-o IS
/ offered an effective method OF reforming these
1 abuses. he need Of suct ii law has manitt Sted
/ itself in many part, # the country, and its
! wholesome restraints andpeHalties will be useful
| III all. The cons ituionality OF snch legislation
! has been affirm ci by the supreme court. lis
! rrohab etlectiyencS~ ls evidenced hy the char
aeter of the opposition hat is made 70 IT, Il has
( been denounced as if it were ii new exercise Of
/ federal power ahd an lnVaslcn OF ti.t rights of
! the states. Nothing could he further from he
! truth. Congress has already fixed tn" time tor
! the election OF mcmherS of Congr5--. II ha~ Go-
C.#red that votes for members OF Cungrc>s niu i
he by written or printed ballot: il hi> provided
for the appointment by the circuit courts i'll cor
/ tam cases, nna upon the petltl"n of =" certain
number of citizens, of elect II superVl. .or~, aud
! mad il their duty to supervise the registration
! of voters eurdueted by the state officers. Il
/ challenge persons offering to register, 10 Ttcr-
sonully inspect ana scrutuige the registry lists,
and 10 attlN their names To the Lists for the pur
/ pose OF identification ana the prevention Dt
20 atiti' ~ $4lc5dosi5 thi rSalhi WIZ!
I to aITa,t " - ~ ; ' ~ '' -, ~. -. ~; "
rotrn. iy II liz rSgistry lists and election
/ and tairuess Of tine registry ;id 'rIttt.t
! aud tu take and transmit to The clerk
of the House Of Representative
iauv ,videu". Gr fruuuuicnr practice,
! which may be presented to them. 1hr same
! law provides for the appointment 81 @cTuty
! nited States marshalS to att nj ~ th" polls
/ support the SUPERVISORS III tLc ai~ChnFG@ al
their duties and to arrest prrSttt> violating liz
I election laws. The provisions of tlii. familiar
I title of the revised statutes have been put into
exercise lpy both the great political parties uuG
/ in the North as we'll as in the south hy he
/ filing with the court Of the petitions required
| by law.
Ii is not. therefore, question whether We
/ shall have Il federal election law. for wc nov
! have one and had for ne; rty twenty years, but
/ whether W. shall have an effective law. The
present law stol,S inst short uf effectiveness, fol
il surrenarIs to the local authorities all control
! over the ccititjcariou which establishes
the tfiDio Iunj, right IT, "A seat in the. ElouSt
. OF ofRcprcscntariyes. This defect should lie cured
Equality Of approximation and the purity o
/ the elections must be mautuiued, az cycrythiue
that Is valuable III 'ur system OF GOV EerHineut Is
t last. The qualifications OF au elector. must bl
sought i'll the law. not n tine "I Unions, urciU
/ dlces or feaIS ot M! tlts> however powerful.
The path Of Ihe elect"r t" the ballot box 1AuSl
be tree nom the tlnhH>h OF lcaf aid the glitlce
! ments II fraud, the count 50 true and Gp n
that none hall galusay 1t such II Law should
/ he absolutely non ptTtISan ana lntpaTNaE II
I should give the advantage to honesty, ana the
/ control ID majorites. surely there i nothing
sectional about this erce, and il ii stall
happen that the penalties ot laws intended q
| enforce these rights fall here aud not there, il
j not beCau-e the laW Is sectional, br.t because
happily, crime j. local and not universal MOI
sEould II be forgotten that every law whether
relating to elections or TO any o.hcr subject
1 whether enacted Ey the State ur Nv lhC nation.
has force behind If: The courts, rfe marshal oI
constable the pg<sc foaisttts tho prison. are
all. and always behind the law
. one canuut be Justly charged with unfriend-
! lines to any section or class who seeks o:iy TO
/ restrain violations of law aud personal TIgh
Nocomm unity viii find laWl@ssuesS peynfaDir
/ No community afford to have il known that
the officers who are charged with the FTcseTyh-
pF h,l hT