The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1890-07-31
REEDS PROPOSITION.
1 Revolutionary scheme That WIN
Plunge the Country Into Anarchy

Plunge the Country Into Anarchy
Let us test Speaker Reeds Federal
election system by sober, indisputable
| facts. A Federal election law that as
lfsumed the entire control Of Congression-
al and Presidential elections indie
4 pendent OF the State would require
complete double election machinery;
double registration; doubts lists Of vot-
ers; doubies election BOARDS OF I've each
| in all OF the 1000 election precinc.s OF
| Pennsylvania; double elections for
each votereto 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 certiic alton OF the
votes, under different laws and by en-
| tirely different officials, and conflicting
jurisdiction of State and Federal
| the peace. What hope could be
cherished of tranquility at elections
under such dual and self-antagonizing
election system, with Federal officers
chosen solciy for che 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
ono Judge, two inspectors and two clerks
TO each Of our 1000 election precincts
i in the State--te hold the election; s, 600
| registers Of voters, if two are required
for each precinct, or $4,000, 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; -te-estimate-m 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 80
PER day. $3.50 900
2o'ooo eiect1on5nfiicers Eve for-eaeh pre-
/ cinct, two days each, at S3 per day. 10000
| 2S Congressional returning boards OF five
1-each, three days s. - 2 to9
i 200 United States marshals, five days
i each at s. per day .................... 5000
| Total sSi7 100
/ In short, Speaker Reeds proposition
| to '.cut loose from the State elections,
do our own registration, our own count
| ing and our own certiieation,' would
cost the public treasury not less than
$500. 900 for each Congressional or Presi-
Dental election held. in Pennsylvania,
and the cost in all the States could not
be less than $4,000, 600, and for what?
Simply to employ hundreds of thousands
of Federal officers, appointed solely for
partisan service, to mock popular gov
ernmeYt by violence and fraud under
color o&law, and disrupt the tranquility
of the whole country. If Speaker Reed
insists upon such an experiment in poll
tics, let him move on and make it; but
let him firstwrite in flaming letters over
his Speakers chair-sAfter me the del
ev-Philadelphia Times.