Sharp County record., 1890-06-12
WHAT REED PROPOSES.
A Revolutionary 'cheme That VIII
Plunge the Country Into Anarchy

Revolutionary .cheme That WIN
Plunge the Country Into Anarchy
Let US test Speaker Reeds Federal
election system by sober, indispu:able
facts. A Federal election law that as
sumed the entire control Of Cong tessIon-
al and Presidential elections lnde-
pendent OF the State would require
complete double election machinery;
double registration; double lists OF Yot-
ers: double election boards Of five eacn
in all Of the 1000 election precincts OF
Pennsylvania; double elections Tor
each voter to vote for the President and
Conrressmen under the Federal law
and to vote for State, district and coun-
ty officers under the State law double
computation and certifcation OF the
votes. under d. fferent laws and by en-
tirelv different officials, anG conflicting
Jurisdiction of State and Federal
officers at the same polls to maintain
the peace. What hope could be
cherished Of tranquility at elections
under such a dual and self-antagonizing
election system, with Federal officers
chosen solely for the purpose of forcing
a party victory? How long could busi'
ness tranquility and business safety be
assured under such revolutionary elec-
ton methods?
To execute Speaker Reeds Federal
election system, by which he proposes
to s'cut loose from the State elections,
do our own registration, our own count
inr and our own certifcatiOn, it would
require in Pennsylvania one State re-
turning board to compute and certify
the vote for President; twenty-eight
returning boards to compute and certify
the returns in each Congressional
district; 90 900 election officers
one Judge, two inspectors and two clerks
to each of our 1000 election precincts
in the State-to hold the election; 5000
registers of voters, if two are required
for each precinct, or 12, 900, if three are
required, to register voters, pass upon
the quail fcatiOnS of electors and revise
and publish the list of voters, to be
employed not less than thirty days
each; and to estimate moderately, in
view of the temptation to employ Unit
ed States marshals to do party work,
fully 200 deputy marshals would be
wanted at any Pennsylvania election.
The cost of this extra and entirely need
less Federal election machinery would
be about as follows:
5000 registers thirty days each, at 50
per day.. .9t@UUJ~
| $4,000 election officers, five for each pre-
cinct, two days each at 50 per day. l2O,WO
( 2S Congressional returning boards of five
| each three days, at IS per day........ 2,lOU
each at s5 Der 5,Ol
Iotal..'..... .'..''''...' '''''..'''''''$ofrl lO-
In short, Speaker Reeds proposition
to ''Cut loose from the State elections,
do our own registration, our own count
ing and our own certification, would
cost the public treasury not less than
$500, 900 for each Congressional or Presi.
Dental election held in Pennsylvania,
and the cost in all the States could not
be less than SIS, 900, 900, and for what
simply to employ hundreds of thousands
Of Federal officers, appointed solely fol
partisan service, to mock popular gov
ernment by violence and fraud under
color of law, and disrupt the tranquility
of the whole country. If Speaker Reed
insists upon such an experiment in pol
ties, let him move on and make it; but
let him first write in flaming letters over
his Speakers chair-"After me the del
uge!"- "-Philadelph Times.