The Forrest City times., 1890-12-06
Federal Election Law,


 If any intelligent and loyal company ai American citizens were required 10 cata lague the essential humane conditions Of national life. l do not doubt that with absolute unanimity they would begin with, Free and honest elections And it Is gratifying to know that general desire is a growing and non partisan demand for better election laws But against this sign of hope and progress must be set the depressing and undeniahle fact that election laws and methods are sometimes cnnninrly contrived to secure minority control while violence completes tho shortcomings of fraud. In my las, annual message l suggested that the de vclopment of the existing law providing a federal supervision of congressional eleC tions offered an effective method of re. forming these abuses. The need of such a law has manifested itself in many parts of the country and it's wholesome restraints and penalties will be useful in all The constitutionality of such legislation has been affirmed by the supreme court.
 It's probable effectiveness is evidenced by the character of the opposition that i. made to it. IL has been denounced as if Ii were new exercise of the federal power and an invasion of tho rights of the states Nothing could be further from the truth Congress has already fixed tho time fol the election of members of congress. II has declared that votes for members oi congress must be by written or printed bal lots; 1t has provided for the appointment by the circuit courts in certain cases and upon the petition of a certain number of citizens or election supervisors and made 1t their duty ,o supervise the regis tration of votes conducted by the state officers, to challenge persons offering ts register; to personally Inspect and scruti nixe the registry list and to affix theii names to the lists for the purpose of iden- tification and tho prevention of frauds t< attend elections and remain with the boxes to the registry lists and election returns, any statement touching the accuracy aud fairness of the registry and election, and to take and transmit te tho clerk of the house of representatives any evidence of fraudulent practices which may be presented to them. The same law provides for the appointment oi deputy United States marshals to attend at the polls support tho supervisors In the discharge of their duties and arrest per. sons violating the election laws. Tho pro visions of this familiar title Of the revised statutes have been put into exercise by both of the political parties, and in the north as we'll as in the south. by the filing with the court of the petition required by law.
 It Is not therefore a question of whether VIC shall have federal election law for we now have one and have had one foi nearly twenty years. but whether we shall have an effective law. The present law stops just short of efee tiveness for 1t sur. renders to tho local authorities all control over the certiflcation which establishes the prima facie right to seat in the house of representatives. This defect should bc cured
 Equality of representation and the purity of the electors must be maintained or everything that is valuable in our system of government is lost The qualifications of an eIector must ba sought in the law not tn the opinions, prei9diees or fears of any class, however powerful The path of the elector to the ballot box must be free iron, tho ambush of fear and the enticements of fraud tho count So true and open that none shall gainsay is. Such law should be absolutely non partisan and impartial IL should give the advantage to honesty ana the control to maiorftics.
 Surely there iS nothing sectional about this crced, and II it shaii happen that the penalties of laws intended to enforce these rights fall here and not there 1t Is not be- cause the law Is sectional but because. happily, crime is local and not universal. Nor should u he forgotten that every law. whether relating to elections or to any other subject, whether enacted by the state or by the nation, has force behind it: The court, the marshal or constable, the posss sa,sisasns, tho prisons, arc all and always bcbind the isw