The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1892-12-16
WHAT'S IN A NAME.
Exceeding Little, According to this State

Exceeding Little, According to this State
ment From Arkansas.
III late ISSUE you include Arkan-
sas in the list of states that have
adopted the Australian law. writes
William Manning to the Economist
Our so-called Australian election
law is no more like the original than
chalk Is like cheese in the most i'm
portant features. For instances: Three
of the state officers are charged. with
the duty of app ointing three election
com missioners for each county. all Of
whom shall not be members of the
same political party which means
two of them shall be the right kind Of
Democrats and the other fellow that
can be depended upon to say Amen to
the acts of the other two. But wheth-
er he responds aye or no. on any mo-
ton or matter passed upon by this
body makes no differences; two being
a quorum. The county commission
ers appoint the judges of election for
the various voting precincts all OF
whom shall not be Of the same polit-
ical party. if competent men of anoth-
or party can be found. Experience
thus far is that some ignorant niger
is selected as the competent repre-
sentative of the other party in the
| black belt
It the voter is unable t. make out
his ticket he may call upon the
judges to assist him in doing 60.
Now If the voter is Democrat it is
all right but if he happens to be of
another party. what is to hinder the
Judge who makes out his ticket from
scratching out the names of the can
didates which the voter wishes to
vote for. Here is the form OF our
tickets under the law:
For, Governor-vote for one
VIM. M. Fishbach.
| ]. D. Carnahan-P. p.
- Whipple-Rep
The peoples party men are satisfied
that Carnahan was scratched 20. 900
times when the voter intended to
vote for him. This is how Demo-
cratic majorities are piled up in the
South. where such frauds are perpe.
| trated.
As if what I have given of the case
does not afford opportunities sufi-
Gent to carry an election for the
party in power the judges may dis
perse before making the count of
votes and fix the thing UP to suit the
occasion. Often the returns are kept
back from an outlying township un-
til it is known how many votes are
needed when the required number
are sure to turn up.
AS a proof that our infamous law
was enacted with q view of making
fraud OF easy accomplishment l cite
the following: The committee on
election reported a bill which was
the Australian law purely. It pro.
vided that the county Judge appoint
the judges of election. who must be
members of different political parties.
Each political party might also ap-
point one of its members as witness
at each polling precinct to see that
justice was done The judges, be-
fore separating we're required to
count the votes and announce the re-
suit publicly.
Now why were these provisions
stricken from the committee bill?
The answer is too apparent to need
specification. l was a member of
the body that passed the present law.
and know whereof I speak, and my
only object in writing this is to set
you right. and to inform the brethren
of the West and North of the true
cause of Democratic supremacy in
Arkansas.