Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-12-05

The message closes with an outspoken
discussion of the vital question Of free
vote and an honest count IN national cleo
tons, aud this we quote IN full
IF any intelligent and loyal company of
American citizens were required to cata-
lJgue essential human conditions of nation
al life, do not doubt that with absolute
uuanimity they would begin with Free and
honest elections And it is gratifying to
know that generally there is u growing and
uon-partisan demand for better election
laws. But against this sign of hope and
progress must be set the depressing and uu-
deniable fact that election laws and meth
DDS are sometimes cunningly contrived to
secure minority control, while violence
completes the shortcomings of fraud In
nay last annual message | suggested that
the development of the existing law pro
vding Federal supervision of congress
sional 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 wholesome re
straints and penalties will be useful in all.
The constitutionallty Of such legislation has
been affirmed by the supreme courts. Its
probable effectiveness Is evidenced by the
character of the opposition that is made to
it. 1t has been denounced as if it were a
new exercise of Federal power and an in
vasion 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 declared that votes for members of Con
gress must he 10y written or printed ballot
it has provided for the appointment by the
circuit courts in certain cases, and upon the
! 1i "A hpr nI oil nf
election supervisors, and made it their duty
TO supervise the registration of voters con
Quoted by the state officers, to challenge
persons Offering to re gister to personally
inspect and scrutnize the registry lists and
to afx their names to the lists for the pur-
pose Of identiti alton and the prevention of
| frauds, to attend at elections aud remain
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 the house of representatives any
evidence of fraudulent practices which may
he presented 10 them. The same law pro
yides for the appointment of deputy United
! States marshalls to attend at the polls sup
port the supervisors in the discharge of
| 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 po-
| htica uarties, and in the North as well as
in the South, by the filing with the court of
the petitions required by the law,
1T is not, therefore, question whether
we shall have a Federal election law, for
we now have one, and have had for nearly
| 20 years, but whether we shall have an eff
. e l..vr
! short Of effectiveness, for it surrenders to
| the local authorities all control over the
certifcaton which establishes the prima
facie right TO a seat in the house of repre-
sentatives This defect should he cured.
| Equality of representation aud the purity
of the electors must be maintained or every
thing that is valuable in our system of gov
ernment is lost. The qualifications of an
elector must be sought in the law, not in
/ the opinions, prejudices or fears of any
/ class, however powerful. The path of the
| elector To the ballot box must he free from
the ambush of the fear and the entice
ments of fraud the count so true and open
| that none shall gainsay il Such a law
should he impartial. IL should give the ad
vantage to honesty aud the control TO ma
| iorites Surely there is nothing sectional
| about this creed, and il il shall happen that
| the penalties of laws intended TO enforce
| these rights fail here and not there, il is
not because the law is sectional, but be
cause, happily, crime is local aud not uni
versal Nor should il he forgotten that
every law whether relating 70 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 cOHlitdtus, the prison, are all and
always behind the law.
"One cannot he justly charged with un-