Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-12-03
DEMANDS FOR AN ELECTION LAW.
Urging Legislation that Will Insure a
Free and Prote cted Ballot.

Free and Protected Ballot.
If any intelligent and loyal company of
American citizens were required to catalogue
the essential human conditions of rational life,
do not doubt that with asolute unanimity hey
would begin with free and honest elections"
And it is gratifying 10 know that generally
there is growing and non-partlsan demand for
better election laws. But against this sign of
hope and progress must be set the depressing
and undeniable fact that election laws and
methods are sometimes cunningly contrived to
secure minority control. while violence COM
pleteS the shortcomings of fraud.
In my last annual message l suggested that
the development of the existing law providing
federal supervision of congressional elections
offered an effective method of reforming these
abuses. The need of such a law has manifested
itself in many parts Of the country, and its
who iome restraints and penalties will be useful
in all The constitutionality of snch legislation
has been affirm ed by the supreme court Its
probable effectiveness is evidenced by the char
acter Ofthe opposition that is made TO ii. 1t has
been denounced as if ii were new exercise of
federal power and an invasion of The rights of
the states. Nothing could be further from the
truth. Congress has already fixed the time for
the election of members of Congress. 1t has de-
clared that votes for members of Congress must
be by written or printed ballot: it has provided
for the appointment by the circuit courts in GER
tain cases, and upon the petition of certain
number of citizens. of electI n supervisors, and
ma d it their duty to supervise the registration
of voters Conducted by the state officers; to
challenge persons offering to register; to per-
sonally inspect and scrutinZe the registry lists,
and TO affX 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 are all cast and counted;
returns any statement touching the accuracy
and fairness of the registry and election,
and TO take and transmit to the clerk
any evidence Of fraudulent practices
which may be presented to them. The same
United States marshals to attend at the Dolls.
support the supervisors in the discharge of
their duties, and to arrest persons violating the
1oruC FIo- of
title of the revised statutes have been put into
exercise by both the great political parties, and
in the North as well as in the South, by the
filing with the court of the petitions required
by law.
1t is not therefore, q question whether we
shall have federal election law, for we now
have one, and had for ne, riy twenty years, but
whether we shall have an effective law The
present law stops just short of effectiveness. for
it surTenders to the local authorities all eontro
over the certifcatiol which establishes
the prinG fdcie right to seat in the House
ofRepresenlatives. This defect should be cured
Equality OF representation and the purity OF
the elections must be maintained, or everything
that Is valuable in ur system Of government is
lost. The qualifications of an electors must be
sought in the law, not N the Of 1nions, preju-
dices or fears of amy class, however powerful
The path of The elector to the ballotbox must
be free from the ambush of fear and the ent1ce-
ments of fraud; the count SO true and open
that none shall gainsay il. Such law should
be absolutely non partisan and Impartial: 1t
should give the advantage to honesty, and the
control to majorities.- Surely there is nothing
sectional about this creed, and if it shall
happen that the penalties of laws Intended to
enforce these rights fall here and not there. 1t
is not because the law is sectional, but because
happily, crime is locsl and not universal Nor
should 1t be forgo item 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 6omitdtus, the prison, are
all, and always behind the law
One cannot be justly charged with unfriend-
illness to any section class who seeks only to
restrain violations of law and personal right.
No community will find lawlessness profit 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 1awlessness cannot be leyeed 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 10 men who are pursued by city mar
shall for crime against life or property.
But it is said that this Legislation will revive
race animosities IN some have even suggested
that when the peaceful methods of fraud are
made impossible they may be supp laLted by
intimidation and violence. If the proposed law
weight, more than his equal influence or de-
tracts bv so much from any other qualified
elector, it is fatally impeached. But II 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
as we'll as for themselves then Il csc animosf-
and cannot be given any weight in the
discussion without dishonor No choice is
left TO but to enforce with Wig
or all laws inte9 ded 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 ready in
terest every project for the development of its
material int, rests, its rivers. harbors, mines,
and factories. and the int lieen e, peace, and
security II der the law OF its CT mmunities and
It's homes is not accepted 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
political rights.