The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1890-09-19
FEDERAL ELECTIONS.
PoWDERLY PRocLAiMs AGAINST
PARTY PERPETuIrY.

PkRRETOITY.
u Law to Place h Control VY T.. nn
Election In the Handa bf the T,nitsd
States Congress RnI to Prevent the Peo.
pie 1RterfertpsS Too Much In theM ateAf.
! The Lodge Force Bill, If 1t pas,as.
is intended to regulate the election
81 congressman, and Is particularly
designed for use in the south, at least
very appropriate title for ina biI1
would be, ga law to place the coi,tro;
of Its own election In the hands nf tha
United States congress and TO prevent,
the people from interfering too mich
in this little matter"
The proposed law covers seyantv.
six pages Of the regulation conpress.
iOnal file, with about Two hundred and
hfty words to the Gage; it is SO com.
plicated, SO curnbersome and illy cor.
structed q piece of machinery chat; IT.
rs very doubtful IL It's parent could
successfully manage 1t and exnlain
WHAT 1T would be able to preform.
!Shorn OF verbiage, the intent of the
law Is to p%erpetuate the existence Of
the party in power and enable it Ia
keep a close watch over the esetttGn
OF al! officers and congressman. Why
should a special law be enacted to
regulate the election of congressmens
tWhom 90 they represent that they
snouid insist on manipulating the
election machinery In their own inter
esJs! A congressman does not repre-
sent the United States in the house
OF representatives, he represents a
number of citizens comprising O
certain territory In D certain state,
and the people or that state should
have the right to scrutinize and req.
ulate the election Of the man, or men,
who will represent them in congress.
Ihe law provides that the agents
OF the United States government
shall have the right to scrutinize and
regulate the election Of members of
Congress, but it is so artfully worded
that they shall also have the priyi-
saege of scrutinizing the election Of all
other officers as we'll. Section 9 of
That law Is in direct violation of the
contract by which the several states
are bound to the United States, and
Is a most unwarrantable interference
An the legislation Of the sisterhood of
states. 1t reads:
Section 8. Hereafter all votes cast
Tor the office of representative or
delegate in congress shall be counted,
ca%nvassed, certified and returned
In the manner hereinafter provided;
and any state, territorial or munich,
pal law or ordnance, in so far as II
conflicts herewith: is hereby annu{ied,
If the citizens of the United
States value their independence thew
VII! promptly resent such tampering
With their right to make state, ter
Tltorial and municipal laws to suit
themselves. II the government of
the United states shall have the
rlght 10 Supervise the election of its
wv o.ncers and take that right out
OF che hands of the people, who arc
supposed to be represented, of what
use is 1T to support the government of
a separate states and territories?
Where does congress get the authority
TO annul a state, territorial or nun.
cipal law.
1t is told, by its friends, that that
iiaw is to operate in the south, and
that its passage will enable the people
of that section to guard against
lb%ulldozing and intimidation, There
lis more intimidation contained in
four lines Of that law than in ali the
southern outrages that have taken
place since the war. 1t is claimed
that this law will enable the colored
Fcitizens to vote free from in
mtdation and influence. That NAV
be true outside of the polling
place, but it simply transfers the
intimidation and influence to the
inside Of the polling-booth. Why not
act the part Of men and say that the
,colored mel are not fit to have a vote.
Tor chat is what they mean? If there
Us a body Of men in this land who do
not know enough to do their "
voting, if they lack the manhood to
defend their ballots with their lives
lat the polls, then that body of men
are not the kind to be privileged to
vote for those who make laws for
others.
The Democratic party does its best
TO intimidate the Colored citizens of
the south, and they give as a reason
that If they did not do so they would
pc subject to negro rule down there,
Or, as they. put it, Ignorant rule"
In the north the employers of labor
lntlmidate the working men in the
interest or the Republican party, but
That party cannot lay claim to as re-
spectacle excuse as to desire to avoid
ignorant rule" for the workingmen
OF n north have w imposed ig-
.norant rule when they elected their
own representatives.
Our laws should not be framed in
such a way as to recognize ignorance
lOr ~illiteracy, for to recognize illiteracy
Is to perpetuate it. Every law should
aim at the abolition of illitcracy, and,
instead Of making laws to guard the
uneducated man at the polls, we
should make laws to guard the re-
public against illiteracy by obliging all
voters to learn how to read and write
before voting. A law that would fix on
"a certain day, in the future, on which
Iall citizens would be required to know
how to read and write before voting,
and which would not interfere with
those who are voters at the present
time, and who are not so educated,
would go further toward regulating
the election of congressman, in an
honest way, than the piece Of mach
inery on the table of the United
States senate.
The adopotion of the Australian
election law would solve the difficulty
so far as an honest count and an
uninfluenced election is concerned;
but I fear that that is not the aim or
'1nJenJ OF the promoters OF the pro-
posed law; in fact / belive that if we
had not agitatcd SO vigorously, and
SO successfully, in favor TO the adop-
ton of the Australian law there
would be no fear of an honest cleo
,tion, and as a consequence no necess-
ity for the supervision of COMPRESSION
al watch dogs.
In section 10 the following is to be
found:
If during the count and canvas of
the ballots contained in any box other
than that intended for the reception
of ballots for the office of representa-
tive or delegate in congress there shall
be found any ballot or ballots for the
!. office Of representative or delegate in
congress, it shall be the duty of the
chairman or acting chairman of the
supervisors of election, who shall
count them and Immediately place
them in an envelope and seal them