Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-12-04

lar title Of the Revised Statutes have
been put into exercise by both great poiit-
!ca| parties In the North IA well as 10
the South, BY the filing with the court
OF the petitions required 10y law. IL 10
not, therefore, question OF whether ws
shall have Federal election law, for We
now have had one, ami have had for
nearly twenty years, but whether We
shall have
AN EFFECTIVE LAW.
The present law stops just short of eff
fectivensss, for il surrenGers To the local
authorities all control over the cert;Hcs-
ton which established prima facie righ.
to n seat in the house Of representatives.
This done, should be secured the equuiity
of Republicans, and the purity of eject
ors must he maintained. or everything
that is valuable IN our system OF govern
ment is lost. Qualifications OF an eiector
must be sought in law. not in opinion,
and the prejudces or fears of any class,
however powerful. The path of the
elector to the ballot box must be fres
from the ambush of fear, and the eutice-
mtnt OF fraud, the counts so true aud
open that none shall gainsay II. Such
law should be absolutely nonpartisan
and impartial, it should give advantage
TO honesty and control to mujorities.
Surely there is nothing sectional about
this creed, and il il shall happen that
penalties OF LAWS intended right fan here
AMI not there, il is not because the law
is sectional, but because, happily, CRIME
is local and not universal, nor should 1t
be forgotten that every law, whether re-
iating TO locations or TO any other sub
ject, whether enacted by the state or by
80 flsn
courts, the marshal or constables, the
posse comitants, the prisons are all aud
always behind the law. One cannot be
justly charged with unfriendliness to any
section. or " no seeks only TO restrain
yror ,rtoSs opI,v
and parsop,I rjght Nh coumunitr will
md I,wl...p.ss rron,nhIa M community
,., afford n b,va " kpovn th.t ira
oeic.rs ,rbo ora rha-ra1 with th. nre4sr
cation NJ ,ha DutItc psacs and The re-
s.ra;ut of the criminal classes are rhefn-
SELVES rhe p-niuct of fruud or violence
Ihs uoy,.I-nte il then without respect
and tbe lnw without sanction The
hoods of I.vIrssnss, cannot be levied
ami mazda IN run in one channel. THIS
kiIiirg of Tpit.d STATES marshal carry
;,,. ,vrit of ,rr.s, for nm ,iertiou ofT-use
I. t,,I Of nromptiuU and suggestion 10
man IN whom are Dtirsupd by a city mar
shall for II cr,ms a:ainst life or properly.
RI i, IA sa,d that this ler,gIatiou will re-
vive race auimosities. and some have
.r.n surppst.d ,hut when the peaceful
methods of fraud are made impossible
they NAV be supplnnted bv intimidation
AMI violence. If the proposed law gives
To INV qualified e.ector bv IA hulr's
weight nur. than his equal influence or.
aetructs by so much from any other
ouulitpa eIerto- it Is fatally impe tchrI,
bu, if the law is equal AM the auimosi-
lies it is TO evoke grow out OF the fact
that some electors have been accustomed
TO exercise the franchise for others rs
well as for themselves, then these ami
nosi,lts ought not to be confessed with
GU, shame. aud cannot be gwen any
weight on the discussion without dis
honor. No choice is left TO me but &c
enforce with vicor all the laws intended
TO SECURE TO the citizenship coustitut onul
rights, and to recommend that the iund-
pouacies of such laws be PROMPTLY RENE