Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-07-19
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one IN BROOKLYN aeQ one In the centrd
or western part of the State. He is {
judicial officer, for he is United State:
Commissioner. He is to have charge o.
the Federal officers who are 10 be APP
pointed 10 control elections. He is L
examine voters under oath and TO re
ceiye returns. He is TO have charge Of
the deputy marShals appointed to asSiS
him, and will have absolute power t
order arrests.
BILL APPLIES To STATE ELECTIONS
The bill applies to State as well as Il
Federal elections. Its language is
ELECTIONS at which Representatives OIL
Delegates in Congress are voted for. 81
As is well known, Congressman anC
State officers are voted for at the same
elections. In this State they are voted
for on the same ballot and under our re-
formed ballot law th0re is only one bal
lot box at each polling place. There
are three supervisors, subordinate to the
chief supervisor, two of whom shall be
Of the same political party, and these
supervisors shall conduct the election
A partisan could appoint two sound
Republicans and one Democrat who wa:
cripple or too in TO be at the polls
The bill provides in such a case, that all
the duties shall be performed by the
two remaining supervisors. In other
words, the two Republican supervisors
are 10 manage the election.
All that these supervisors do must
affect the election for State and loca
officers as well as Of Congressman.
WHEN SUPERVISORS ARE APPOINTED
Supervisors may be appointed on the
request to the chief supervisor OF l0C
persons in any city or town having 20.
600 inhabitants or upward, or in any en-
tire Congressional district, no part OF
which is within any city or town of 20
600 inhabitants or upward, or on the
request Of fifty persons 'in any one OF
more counties or parasites in any Con
greSSiOnal district"
In a Congressional district consisting
OF half dozen counties, two RepublI'
can and four Democratic, the polls in
the two Democratic counties could be
manned by Republican supervisors, whC
need not be residents of the counties,
but might be brought from distant parts
of the district. In the other counties
the machinery of elections would be in
the hands Of local officers. The bill,
therefore, is a device by which the Re
publicans may manage all elections, nc
matter what may be the politics of a
community.
Arrangements are made in the bill
whereby local party committees may
name the supervisors, so that the most
Serviceable party workers may be EN-
ployed. This is effected by provision
authorizing persons to apply to the chiei
supervisor for appointment.
Care is taken also that supervisors
may be appointed on the very eve of al
election, in order, doubtless, that if ii
be- necessary complaints against the
character OF the appOinteeS may be
avoided.
The chief supervisor IS permitted IL
name double the number OF supervisors
that can be required in his whole judi
cial district In this way the Republi-
can party can pay an army of workers
at the polls from the Federal Treasury
Supervisors may be transferred from
one part Of a Congressional district To
another, so that the voters may have nc
acquaintance with the men who are
guarding, supervising and scrutiniz'
ing" their election.
TIE WORK OF THE SUPERVISORS.
The existing law has permitted John
l. Davenport and men like him to per-
petrate many outragcS, but il is inoifen-
Siye in comparison with the present bill.
IL simply authorizes the Federal officers
TO oversee the count of ballots and TO
formulate and forward their conclusions,
10 be used as evidence.
The new bill requires the supervisors
TO peform all their duties, and besides
/. To challenge the right of any per-
son to be registered, and TO require" OF
the State or local officer that he do not
register the name or that he strike of
the name Of any person already on the
register.
This is a distinct interference with
State elections. There is only one reg
istry list, and il persons name IS
stricken off he is thereby disqualified
from voting for State officers. The bill,
therefore, permits these Federal officers
to forbid citizens Of State to vote for
their own local officers. A supervisor
49,. nus affect even town election.
.. The supervisors are to have access
10 all books of registration, &c, for the
purpose Of making evidence for con-
test.
3. They are to make a hOuSe-to-houSe
canvass OF persons registered in all cit
les having 5000 inhabitants or upward.
They may be accompanied by deputy
marshalS. In cities OF 1907 inhabi-
tants or upward they are TO make thor
ough hOuSe-tO-hOuSe canvass live weeks
before election. In other words, the
local registers are to be given To Repub-
lican campaign workers. to enable them
To spy upon people, to intimidate them
As Davenport has done in New York,
and 10 bring their own voters to the
polls. The Republican campaign, State
and National is TO be conducted at the
expense Of the General Government.
4. The supervisors are authorized to
administer the State statutory oath ii
the local officers decline, and to examine
persons offering TO vote as TO their quail
Idcations under the State law.
III the State officers, obeying their own
law. refuse to receive proffered ballot,
the Federal officers may first direct
them TO do so, and then, on refusal, may
themselves receive and deposit the bal
lot.
As the law of this State requires the
names Of all candidates to be on one bal
lot. the Force bill gives to Federal Off
GERS the power TO receive or reject votes
for State, county and town officers.
The law Of this State is further in
fringed by the Force bill because it re-
quires the presence of the supervisors
within the polling place. Tho reform
ed ballot law excludes all persons but
the local election officers and watchers
[ This provision is one Of the most i'm
portant features OF the new law, for il
keeps the workers away from the voters
IItiS intended by the Lodge bill thai
this safeguard shall be broken down
and that. is the form Of supervisors
Republicans workers, paid by the Fed
eral Government, shall have access u
I the voter.
The proposed secrecy OF the new Law
is also infringed because the supervisor
are authorized to accept rejected bal
lots. to write upon them the names o.
the voters offering them and to couni
them. Thus the Republican supervisor
NAV hold their own election, receiving
the votes OF those found TO be disQuali'
God nv State officers. All this will b'