Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1890-12-06

the election of members of Congress 1t has de
clared that votes for members of Congress must
be by written or printed ballot: 1t has provided
for the appointment by the circuit courts in GER
tain cases, and upon the petition of a certain
number of citizens, of election SUPERVISORS, and
made it their duty to supervise the registration
of voters conducted by the state ofilcers; to
challenge persons offering to register; to per
sonaly inspect and scrutlnlZe the registry lists,
and to afix their names to the lists for the pur-
pose of Identification and the prevention OF
frauds; to attend at elections and remain with
the boxes till the votes all cast and counted:
to attach to the registry lists and election
returns any statement touching the accuracy
and fairness of The registry and election,
and TO take and transmit to the clerk
Of the House Of Representatives
any evidence of fraudulent practices
which May be presented to them. The same
law provides for the appointment of deputy
United States marshals to attend at the polls
their duties, and to arrest persons violating the
election laws. The provisions of this familiar
title of the revised statutes have been put into
exercise by both the great political parties, and
in the North as we'll as in the South, by the
filing with the court of the petitions required
by law.
1t is not, therefore, question whether we
shall have federal election law, for we now
have one, and had for nearly twenty years, but
whether VIC shall have an effective law. The
present law stops just short of effectiveness. for
it surrenders to the local authorities all control
over the certiticatiOn which establishes
the prined JGcie right to seat in the House
OF Representatives. InlS ue1ecC SnOulQ De CureQ.
Equality of representation and the purity of
the elections must be maintained, or everything
that is valuable i'll our system OF government is
lost. The qualifications of an electors must be
sought in the law, not n the opinions, preju-
dices fears of any class, however powerful.
The path of the elector to the ballot box must
be free from the ambush of fear and the ent1ce-
ments of fraud; the count so true and open
that none shall gainsay it. Such a law should
be absolutely non partisan and impartial. 1t
should give the advantage to honesty, and the
fHn frni m nnO Ic
sectional about this creed, and II 1T shall
happen that the penalties of laws intended to
enforce these rights fall here and not there, it
is not because the law is sectional, but because
happily, crime is local and not universal Nor
should it be 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 courts the marshal or
constable the posse comitdtus, the prison, are
all, and always behind the law.
One cannot be Justly charged with unfrlend-
illness to any section or class who seeks only to
restrain violations of law and personal right.
No community will find lawlessness profita BILE
No community can afford to have it known that
the officers who are charged with the preserva-
ton of the public peace and the restraint of the
criminal classes are themselves the product OF
fraud or violence The magistrate is then with
out respect and the law without sanction. The
floods of laWlessness cannot be leveed and made
to run in one channel. The killing of a United
States marshal carrying writ Of arrest for an
election offense is full of prompting and sug-
gestion to men who are pursued by a city mar
shall for crime against life or property:
But it is said that this Legislation will revive
race animosities, and some have even suggested
that when the peaceful methods of fraud are
made impossible they may be supplanted by
intimidation and violence. If the proposed law
gives to any qualified elector, by hairs
weight more than his equal influence or de-
tracts by so much from any other qualified
elector, it is fatally impeached. But If the law
is equal. and the animosities it is to evoke grow
out of the fact that some electors have been ac-
customed to exercise the franchise for others
we'll as for themselves, then these animosi-
ties ought not to be confessed without shame,
and cannot be given any weight in the
discussion without dishonor. No choice is
left to me but to enforce with Wig
or all laws intended to secure to the citizen his
constitutional rights. and to recommend that
the inadequacies of such laws be promptly rem
edied. If to promote with zeal and ready in
terest every project for the development OF its
material interests, its rivers, harbors, mines,
and factories. and the intelligence, peace, and
security under the law of its communities and
it's homes, is not accepted as sufficient evidence
of triendliness to any state or section, cannot
add connivance at election practices that not
only disturb local results but rob the electors of
other states and sections of their most priceless
nO1itical rights