The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1891-01-09

these lands FIR agriculture, but out Of the
danger that the water supply and the sites
for the necessary catch basins may fall
into the hands OF individuals or private
corporations and be used to render subser-
Went the large areas dependent upon such
supply. The, owhes bf the water is the
pwhes d the lands, however the titles may
run. All unappropriated natural water
sources and all necessary reservoir sites
should be held by the government for the
equal use, at fair rates, of the homestead
lands. The tinted States should not, in my
opinion, undertake the coHstructiod OF dahis
Dr. canals, bit shotld limit It's work to such
Surveys and observations as will determine
the water supply, both surface and subter-
ranean, the areas capable Of irrigation, and
the use and location Of the storage capacity
of reservoirs. This done, the use OF the
water and Of the RESERVOIR sites might bg
sfantbd to The respective states OF terri
tories, or to individuals or associations
upon the condition that the necessary works
should be constructed and the water fur
nished at fair rates, without discrimination,
the rates to be subject to supervision by
legislatures or by boards Of water commits
sioters duly Constituted, The essential
thing IT, be Secuted is the COMMON and
equal use at fair rates Of the accummu-
lated water supply. 1t were almost better
that these lands should remain arid than
that those who occupy. them should BECOME
the slaves Of u;tsstTained monopolies con-
trolling the one essential elemen of and
values and crop results.
The use Of the telegraph by the postofice
department as a means for the rapid trans
mission of written communications IL, ] be:
1ieves upon pfober terms, Quite desirable.
The -geEcrnment-does-not-ow Own Or operate
the railroads, and it should not, l think,
W or operate the telegraph lines. 1t does,
| hnuovar conr, tn hn prftn pnorfina h1a fcr
the government to contract with the tele-
graph companies, as it does. with the rail-
toad totipanies, to carry at specified rates
such communications as the senders may
designate for this method Of transmission.
l recommend that such legislation be en-
acted as will enable the %postofice depart
ment fairly to test by experiment the ad-
vantages OF such q use of the telegraph.
II any Intelligent and loyal company Of
American citizens were required to cata-
logue the essential human conditions Of ma
tional life, 1 do not doubt that with abso-
lutte unanimity they would begin with
Free and Honest Elections, And. it is
gratifying to know that senefally there is
a growing and non-partisan demand for
better election laws. But against this sign
OF hope aud progress must be set the de-
pressing and undeniable fact that election
contriyed to secure minority control while
vlolence, cotntletes the shortcomings OF
fraud. In my last annual message ]
suggested that the development OF
the existing law providing a
federal supervision of congressional cleo
ing these abuses. The need OF such p laN
has manifested itself iii many parts OF the
country and its wholesome restraints and
penalties will be useful in all. The consti-
nationality OF such legislation has been af-
frmed by the, supreme cpurt; Its probable
effeEtiveness Is etiaencea by the character
OF the opposition that is made to It. 1t has
been denounced rs If it were a new exercise
OF federal power and an invasion Of the
rights Of the states. Nothing could be
further from the truth. Congress has al
ready fixed the tihte TOT the election OF
members Of congress. It has declared that
votes for members of congress must be by
written or printed ballot. It has provided
for the appointment by the circuit courts in
certain cases, and upon the petition Of a
certain number of citizens, of election
supervisors, and made it their duty to
supervise the registration of voters con-
Quoted by the state officers; to challenge
persons Offering to register; to personally
inspect and scrutinize the registry lists, and
to afiX their names to the lists for the pur-
pose OF Identification and the prevention OF
frauds; to attend at elections and remain
with the boxes until the votes are all cast
and counted; to attach to the registry lists
anu clSCtlOu EcOuiuS any SlutculcuU tOuCu-
ing the accuracy and fairness OF the regis
try and elections and to take and transmit to
the house Of representatives any evidence
OF fraudulent practices which may be pre-
sented to them. The same law provides for
the appointment OF deputy United States
marshals to attend at the polls, support the
supervisors In the discharge of their duties,
aud 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 political parties,
and In the north as well as in the south by
fling with the court the petitions re-
quired by law. It is not, therefore, a ques-
ton whether we shall have Il federal elec=
ton law, for we now have one, and have
had for nearly twenty years, but whether
we shall. nave an effective law. The pres
emit law stops just short of effectiveness, fol
it surrenders to the local authorities all
control over the ce%rtifcation which estab-
fishes the prima facie right to a seat in the
house of representatives. This defect
should be cured. Equality OF representa-.
tion and the purity OF the electisns must be
maintained, or everything that is valuable
in our system of government 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 boz
must be free from the ambush OF fear and
the enticements of fraud; the count so true
and open that none shall gaipsay 1t. Such
a law should be absolutely ~non-partisar
and impartial. It should give the advan-
tage to honesty and the control to MAORI.
ties. Surely there is nothing sectional
about this creed, and If it should happier
that the penalties OF laws intended to en-.
force these rights fall here and there, it IL
not because the law is sectional, but be.
cause, happily, crime is local and not uni.
versal. Nor should it be forgotten thai
every law, whether relating to elections OF
to any other subject, whether created by
the state or by the nation, has force behind
it. The courts, the marshal or constable
the posse comitdtus. The prisons are all and
always behind the law. One can not bt
justly charged with unfriendliness to any
section or cause who seeks only to restrain
violations of law and of personal right. TIL
community will find lawlessness unproft.
able. No community can afford to have
it known that the officers wht
are charged with the preservation Of thu
public peace and the restraint OF the crimi.
nal classes are themselves the product o
fraud OF violence. The magistrate is ther
without respect and the law without sane
tion. The floods of lawlessness- cannot b.
believed and made to run in one channel
The killing of United States marshal car
rying q writof arrest for an election Of
Tense il full of prompting and suggestion tt
raen who are pursued by a city marshal To-
q crime against life or property. But it II
said that this legislation Will revive rae
animosities, and some nave even sug
gested that when the peaceful methods o
fraud are made impossible they may b.
s~upplanted by intimidation and violence
II the proposed law gives to anysqualifet
elector by athsir's weight more than thi
renewal, influence, r aetards by SO mucl
ff6m any o~theraualided cleo. OF, 1t is FATAL.
impeached. But IL the law Is equa
and the antmosities It sto aver
grow out OF the fact b som
electors have been accustomed t
exercise that franchise for others as well q