The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-09-06
Free and Unmoicsted Elections.
In INV laat animal nesssoa to conoras


In my last annual message to congress
/ said:
81 must yet entertain the hope that it
is possible to secure calm patriotic con-
sideration of such constitutional or stat
utory changes as may be necessary to Sc
cure the choice of the officers of the gov
ernment to the people by fair apportion-
ments and free elections. / believe it
would be possible to constitute a COM
mission, non partisan in its membership,
and composed of patriotic and impartial
men, to whom consideration of the
questions Of the evils connected with our
elections system and methods might be
committed with "A good prospect of Sc
curing. unanimity in some plan for re-
moving or mitigating those evils.
The constitution would permit the Sc
lection of the commission to be vested in
the supreme court, if that method would
give the best guarantee Of impartiality.
This commission should be charged with
the duty of inquiring into the whole
subject of the law of elections as related
to the choice of officers of the national
government, with view to securing to
every elector free and unmolested ex-
ercise of the suffrage and as near an ap-
proach to an equality of value in each
ballot cast as is attainable. The demand
that the limitations of suffrage shall be
found in the law, and only there, is a
just demand, and no just man should re-
sent or resist it. 5....--- i.
Aiabama's Recent State Election.
1t seemed to Inc that an appeal to our
people to consider the question of read
justing our legislation upon absolutely
fair non-partisan lines, might find some
effective response. Many times | have
had occasion to say that laws and cleo
ton methods designed to give unfair ad-
vantages to the party making them,
would some time be used to perpetuate
in power faction of party against the
will of the majority of the people.
Of this we seem to have an illustra-
ton in the recent state election in Ala
bama. There was no Republican ticket
in the field. The contest was between
white Democrats. The Kolb party say
they were refused the representation
guaranteed by law upon the election
boards; and that when the courts by
mandamus attempted to right this
wrong, an appeal that could not be
heard until after the election made the
writs Intellectual. Ballot-boxes were
thrown out for alleged irregularities or
destroyed, and it is asserted ON behalf of
one-half, at least, of the white voters of
Alabama. that the officers to whom cer-
tiiicates have been given We're not hon
estly elected.
There is no security for the personal
OF political rights of any man in COM
munity where any other man is deprived
of his personal or political rights. The
power Of the states over the question of
the qualification of electors is ample to
protect them against the dangers of an
IGNORANT Inpraynl on fTcntfa n,l t1,a
demand that every man found to be
qualified under the law shall be made
secure in tho right to cast FREQ ballot
and to have that ballot honestly counted
cannot be abated. Our old Republican
battle cry, "a free ballot and fair
count" comes back to us, not only frsm
Alabama, but from other states and from
men who, differing with us widely in
opinions, have come to see that parties
and political debate are but mockery
If when the debate is ended the judg-
nlent of honest najorities is to be re-
versed by ballot box frauds and tally
sheet manipulations in the interest of the
party OF party faction i'll power.
l shall again insist upon Congress that
provision be made for the appointment
OF non-part1san COMMISSION TO consider
the subject of apportionments and cleo
tons in their relation to the choice OF
Federal officers.
The Civil Service System.
The Civil Service system has been ex.
tended and the law enforced with vigoI
and impartiality. There has been no
partisan Juggling with tho law in any OF
the departments or bureaus as had before
happened-but appointments to the elias
sified service have been made impartially
from the eligible lists. The system now
in force in all the departments has for the
first time placed promotions strictly upon
tho basis of mnrit, as ascertained by daily
record, and the efficiency of the force
thereby greatly increased.
The Education of Children.
The approval SO heartily given by the
convention to all those agencies which
contribute to the education of the child.
rem Of the land was worthily bestowed
and meets my hearty approval, as does
also the declaration as to liberty of
thought and conscience and the separa-
tion of church and state. The safety of
the republic is an intelligent citizenship,
and the increased interest manifested in
the states i'll education, the cheerfulness
with which the necessary taxes are paid
by all classes and the renewed interest
manifested by the children in the ma
tional flag are hopeful indications that
the coming generation will direct public
affairs with increased prudence and pa
triOtism. Our interest in free public
schools, open to all children of suitable
age, is supreme and our care for them
will be jealous and constant.
The public school system, however,
was not intended to restrain the natural
right of the parent after contributing to
the public school fund to choose other
IL
favored aid by the general government
to the public schools with special view
to the necessities OF some of the southern
states. But it is gratifying to notice that
many of these states are with commend
able hberality, developing their school
systems and increasing their school reyc-
nues to the great advantage of the chill
dren of both races.
State and Agricultural Bureaus.
The considerate attention of the farm
ers of the whole country is invited to
the work done through the state and
agricultural departments in the interest
of agriculture. Our pork products had
for ten years been not only excluded by
the great continental nations of Europe,
but their value discredited by the rea-
sons given for this exclusion. All pre-
vious efforts to secure the removal of
THESE RESTRICTIONS had failed. But the
wise legislation of the FSty-first con-
gress providing for the inspection and
official ceItifcation of our meats and
giving to the president power to forbid
the Introduction into this country of Sc
lected products of such countries as
should continue to refuse our inspected
meats enabled us to open all the mar
kets of Europe to our pork products.
The result has been not only to sus-
tain prices by providing new markets
for our surplus, but to add fifty cents
per hundred pounds to the market value
of the inspected meats.
Under the reciprocity agreement special
favors have been secured for agricultural
products, and our exports of such pro-
ducts have been greatly increased, with
a sure prospect of a further and rapid
increase
The agricultural department has main