Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1890-12-04

couples and brakes upon freight trains
engaged IN interstate commerce. The
chief difficulty in the way is to secure
an agreement as to the best appliances,
simplicity, effectiveness and cost being
considered.
Telegraph Contracts.
The use of telegraph by the postoffice
department as a means for the rapid
Transmission of written communication
is, believe, upon proper terms quite
desirable. The government does not
own or operate the railroads and it
should not, | think. own or operate the
telegraph lines. 1t does, however, seem
to be quite practicable for the govern
ment to contract with telegraph COM
panies, as it does with railroad COM
panies, to carry at specified rates such
communications as the senders may
designate for this method of transmits
sion I recommend that such legisla-
ton be enacted as win enable the post
Office department fairly to test by ex-
pertinent the advantages of such a use
of the telegraph.
Favors the Force Bill.
If any intelligent and loyal company
of American citizens were required to
catalogue the essential human conditions
of national life / do not doubt that.
with absolute unanimity, they would
begin with Free and honest elections"
And it is gratifying to know that gen
orally there is growing and non-por-
tisan demand for better election laws
In my last annual message l suggested
that the development of the existing
law, providing federal supervision Of
congressional elections. offered an effec-
tive method of reforming these abuses
The need of such law has manifested
itself in many parts of the country,
and its wholesome restraints viii be
useful in all The constitutionality Of
such legislation has been affirmed by the
supreme court.
1t has been denounced as if it were a
new exercise of federal power and an
invasion of the rights of states. Moth
ing could be further from the truth.
Congress has already fixed the time for
the election of members of congress 1t
has declared that votes for members of
congress must be by written or printed
ballot; it has provided for the appoint
ment by circuit courts in certain cases
and upon the petition of a certain num-
Der of citizens of election supervisors
and make it their duty to supervise the
registration of voters conducted BY the
state officers; to challenge persons offer
ing to register, to personally inspect
and scrutinize the registry lists and to
affix their names to the lists for the pur-
pose of Identification and the prevention
of frauds; to attend at elections and re-
main with the boxes till the votes are
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
house of representatives any evidence
of fraudulent practices which may be
presented to them. The same law pro-
vides for the appointment of deputy
United States marshals to attend at the
polls, support the supervisors in the
discharge of their duties and to arrest
persons violating the election laws.
1t is not, therefore, a question whether
we shall have general election law,
for we now have one and have had for
nearly twenty years, but whether we
shall have effective law. The present
law stops just short of effectiveness, for
it surrenders to the local authorities sll
control over the certifcation which es-
tablished the prima facie right to seat
IL tIO aOuoC Va lCplCoCHbctOlNCc. IL
defect should be cured. Equality of
representation and the parity of cleo
tors must be maintained or everything
that is valuable in our system of gov
ernment is lost. Surely there is moth
ing sectional about this creed, and if it
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.
Talk About q Race War.
But it is said that this legislation will
revive race animosities and some have
even suggested that when 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 a hairs
weight more than his equal influence or
detracts by so much from any other
qualified eiector it is fatally impeached.
But if the law is equal and the animosi-
ties it evokes grow out of the fact that
some electors have been accustomed to
exercise the franchise for others as well
as for themselves then these animosities
ought not to be confused with shame
and cannot be given any weight in the
discussion without dishonor. No choice
is left to me but to enforce with vigor
all laws intended to secure to the citizen
his constitutional rights and to recon-
mend that the inadequacies of such
laws be promptly remedied.
The preparation of the general appro-
priation bills should be conducted with
the greatest care and the closest scru-
tiny of expenditures. Appropriations
should be adequate to the needs of the
public service, but they should be abso-
lutely free from prodigality.
venture again to remind you that
brief time remaining for consideration
of the important legislation now await
ing your attention offers no margin for
waste. If the present duty is dis
charged with diligence, fidelity and.
courage, the work of the Fifty-frst CON
gress may be confidently submitted to
the considerate Judgment of the people.
BENJAMIN HARRISON.
EXECUTIVE MANSION, Dec. 1, 1890.