The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-10-29
TO TEST THE LAW.
The prohibitionists Will Take the
New Election Statute to the
Supreme Court.
special q fhe Je,seu cltg Nelss.

TRENTON, Oct. 29, 1896. Prohi bition
onvention, which was held in Masonic
Hall here yesterday. though small in
numbers was very enthusiastic.
1t was called to order by Chairman T.
w. Burger, of the State Executive Com
mittee, who said this convention was
held to protest against the new ballot re-
form law, which they considered unjust
and unfair. He claimed that the corrup-
tion of Tammany Hall, in New York, was
due to rum and if that traffic was wiped
out Tammany would fall. He denounced
the ballot reform law as a tangle foot
production.
The Rev. DR.. j. B. Graw read paper
on the ballot reform law. He said the
recent Legislature out-heroded Herod
and King Georges methods were far bet
ter than this production OF modern times.
THE NEW Law DENOUNCED.
It was multiplication of words for
the purpose of concealing thought. Both
of the old parties were ashamed of it,
and it came to us as political orphan.
The Republicans said that the wicked
Democrats did it, and yet every Repub-
lIcan Senator voted for this bill, and
every Democratic Senator did the same
except Senator Adrian, who was absent
at the time. He called attention to the
redundancy of words, and said that none,
from the Governor down. had dared to
say that they fully understood 1t. The
trainers did not intend that the voters
should understand it.
1t was evident that the machine bosses
intended to make independent voting a
practical impossibility. The independent
element was necessarily an intelligent,
observing, thinking class. The political
trickster had no use for such men.
DIR. Graw attacked that part of the law
requiring q petition for certificate
signed by number of voters. He ridi-
culed the idea that the older parties did
this for economy, as they claimed. What
was the use OF talking about economy
when the same economical parties had in
creased the salary OF the Governor to
1000, sum greater than was paid by
only one or two states in the Union.
About twenty-five dollars were saved by
this wonderful stroke of economy.
ITS CoNSTTTUTIONALITY ATTACHED.
DIR. Graw said 1t was not constitutions al
to make people declare publicly forty
days before election how they proposed
to vote, and yet all who signed the petit
tion were compelled to do this. The petit
tioning clause and five per cent. lirnita-
tion were both denounced rs obnoxious,
unjust and unconstitutional.
Other bad features of the law were
yagueness in defining physical disabil-
ity," thereby permitting loophole to
fraud and permitting official ballots to be
circulated prior to election day. A free
ballot with such restrictions was mere
farce.
DR.. Graw denounced tine Republican
substitute bill before the Legislature as
having all the unjust, discriminating
features contained in the present law
At the opening of the afternoon session,
an aged delegate called attention to the
Prohibition fight going on In Tennessee
for Governor. and said the candidate was
Methodist preacher, who had been sus-
pended from the church by his Bishop for
accepting the nomination.
S. B. Ransom attacked the constitu-
tionality of the law, on the ground that
it did not give free vote TO every one. A
discussion followed on the effects of the
new law, and O committee was appointed
to enquire at the office of the Secretary OF
State whether the name of the office could
be placed on an official ballot with q
paster on which was the name of the can
didate for that office The committee re-
| turned and reported that Major Yard said
that both the Office and name could be
placed on the paster.
TO TEST THE MATTER IN THE COURTS.
| A discussion followed, in which some
contended for the repeal of the law, while
| Others thought that some of its features
should stand. The discussion was sus-
pended to give the Committee on Resolu-
| lions chance to report. The resolutions
| declare That we do now, as In the past,
proclaim ourselves in favor of true ballot
| reform and favor such parts of the
ballot reform law recently passed that
affect impartially all classes OF
citizens, but we condemn the action
| of the Legislatureo OF 1885, which enacted a
| law making it cheap and easy TO vote for
Democratic and Republican candidates,
| but expensive and difficult for those vot-
| ing an independent ballot, as unconstitu-
| tional, un-American in spirit and worthy
only of a tyrannical form of government,
| yet, Notwithstanding the injustice of the
| law, we advise all Prohibitionists Of the
State of New Jersey to take every advan
tage offered by the law to advance their
| cause by increasing the vote for theil
| candidates" ("
| A resolution was adopted to committee
to test the legality of the law after elec
| tion.