The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-12-13
FORCE BILL ITEMS.

Senator GRAY made a scahti ng, search
ing analysis of certain sections of the bill
entitled 'tAn act to prevent force and
fraud in the elections of members of the
House of Representatives of the United
States, and to insure the lawful and peace
full conduct of such elections" otherwise
known as the force bill, in the Senate
week ago today.
He first took up the section that pro-
vides means of resort to the courts of the
United States in regard to the returns
which are to DE made as to the election OF
Representatives, Any candidate that feels
aggrieved by the action Of the canvassing
board may appeal TO the circuit court Of
the United States. Senator GRAY argued
at great length that this provision is IN
constitutional, and that the court has no
authority to become canvassing or re-
turning b GARD, or 10 assume other than
judicial functions.
The proposed law places great power in
the hands of the canvassing board, and then
provides a useless appeal to the courts much
after the manner, we supposed, of the in
effectual appeal of the people here to the
courts in the attempt to make the registrars
perform their duty.
Speaking OF the provision which enables
any male citizen to "apply over his own
signature on a blank form as the chief
supervisor may prescribe, to be appointed
supervisor of election Senator GRAY re-
marks; "As if it were necessary to enact
by law that an American citizen might ap-
ply for office. AS if there were such a
reluctance among that class who do apply
and throng the avenues of power that you
have TO invite them by a special enact
ment, that you have to endow them
by the forms of law with
the capacity to apply in order
to overcome their innate modesty and re-
luctance to appear upon the scene as
applicants for an Office so great and so
magnificentas the supervisor of elections ~
The chief supervisor selects the most
discreet of these supervisors-to do what
Again we quote Senator GRAY In answer
to this question, and we invite the atten-
tion of all our citizens that ever heard OF
the duties performed by our registrars
always rank Liberals, often candidates fol
election on the Liberal ticket-to consid-
GRAFTON of his words:
To go from house to house and by an inquis
ton and scrutiny and examination find out and
discover who inhabit it that are or are not en-
titled TO vote, what their nativity is, and with
out any limitations on their power that thus
far you shall go with this inquisition and no fur
Their = These men can prosecute their inquiry
by asking your wife or daughter concerning
your politics, your religion, your nativity, your
residence, and any fact that would bear in the
opinion of this supervisor upon your right tC
vote-to inquire whether you have been con
victed OF an infamous crime that would dis
franchise you. And yet, in this evening of the
nineteenth century, we find men of our owl
lineage, and of our own blood who gain theil
own consent-made mad, 1 must believe in al
charity, by their own partisanship-to put &
provision like this in a law that is TO go upor
the statute books of the United States which
would invade the very primary right OF Ameri
Tan freemen, OF English freemen of freemer
anywhere the world over, invade the castle O
the citizen TO subject his family to inquistion
and to the possibility OF insult.
In ali the measures that provoked and goadet
our ancestors to resist the tyranny of British
king, to resolve TO go out into the open field
arms in their hands, and die rather than Longer
submit, there is no measure that approache:
the infamy OF this.