Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1891-10-22
BALLOT REFORM!

1t Is fair to presume that DR.. Brooks stands |
by his party in their opposition to ballot reform |
and in their opposition to tax or tariff reduction !
OF course he doos.-DemOcrat.
The republican platform in the
eighteenth article says, 1--WE arraign the
democratic party for opposition to bal
lot REFORM" etc. The republican party
is in favor of free ballot and honest
count in all parts of the country.
What is the record in the south where
the democratic party has had uninter-
rupted control since time immemorial?
What is the record in Iowa? Two years
ago both parties declared for the Aus
tralian ballot. A bill was framed, and
what became of it. 1t was passed 10
the sitting committee by the commit
tee OH elections, of which l.. r.. Bolter
was member. Bolter was speaking
with democratic authority in this coun-
ty last week. When the bill went to
the sitting committee he knew it was
buried for that session and he never
entered protest. When i'll the senate
he had opportunity to work for practi,
cal ballot reform, he was silent, and
must stand charged with suppression
of ballot reform measure.
1t would be prepOsterOus to expect
ballot reform legislation to emanate
from such a man as the democratic can.
didate for representative in Audubon
county. He represents machine made
politics. lie is dictator to the machine
that has created and destroyed demo-
cratic officials in this county. A bal
lot reform bill is calculated to disarm
machine politicians of their power, and
while this gentleman is something of a
decapitator, he isn't going to urge or
aid bill to passage which would de-
prive him of the power which has per
petuated his reign of bossism. He
isn't that sort of philantropist In
1878 when this gentleman who is now
the democratic candidate for represen-
tative, was the candidate for clerk of
courts, the ballot box in Viola town
ship was taken away from the polls. 1t
was charged that frauds were there
perpetrated. 1t was never successfully
denied. 1t was proven that more votes
were cast for Thacker, the opposing
candidate, than were counted out.
Thacker was poor and unable to stand
the expense of contest, and it was
then understood that the clerk of
courts, who is now the candidate for
representative, purchased his seat with
the money it required to put a quletus
on Thacker. Can it be that this gentle
man is likely to make an aggressive
fight for ballot reform when the only
public office he ever held was gained
for the first term by corruption of the
ballot9 Standing upon the Viola town,
ship ballot box for 1878, he would hold
a ballot reform measure at arms length
with face averted and nose upturned and
call for Bolter to bury it in the sitting
committee in all haste. And today ii
is charged that the same gentleman is
rendering implied brides, in paying the
transportation and local expenses of
portion of the gentlemen who have
been taking out naturalization papers
in order that they may vote at the com
ing election. ii the future may be pre-
dicted by the past, this gentleman, II
opportunity were offered, would joir
Bolter in referring ballot reform
measure to the sitting committee fol
interment, and call fOr the third read
ing of the bill to repeal the law for thu
inspection of diseased cattle.
DR.. Brooks stands with his party fol
ballot reform and the party is with thu
Doctor. We cannot discern the same
harmony in the opposing ranks. Ger
tainly judging from the record, thu
democratic candidate does not stant
with his party, and we have too much
respect for the democratic party to be
: lieve that it approves his record.