Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-05-20
SAY IT'S BLUNDER
The Miner Law Riddled by the
Lawyers
IT'S AssUaoITIfs LAID BARE
BY the Brilliant Assnrnsys Enp,sysd =
Tss In vaIadisy IN - onpssos
cour--Ths psfsnss Il H.


IT ne Miner electoral law case in sne
saprsme court and condsrse into rea-
sonnble prooortious an inteilirsnt re-
No., \. "a. .raonnc.d hv an. ch,.s
ios1ee ~ ane opening 'hAs '''e oouss
"oo1o noiu 40 e'en1nk 'on' ~. sne
arguments % eonciuaeo ostose nnal
n1loufnmen.- oecScsssy ot tne Sesse
niAeAef, p{ sonsen. =, eoons9s Ior sno
ie'atofs, uieu : sopplemolsAi snsMeI
70 sne Posloon "a toA. sotss lusissiuk
tnas un1et tne scs ~ eongtess' sp
proven reofuAIy . loos, ming the
GATE o. meeunk OF pfsadenusi eiecsots
ana the cansns,nx Oh sotess ne - hot
subject 10 TIE ofasf or conIoi o.
the supreme coutt Oh MieMSan
ara Claims the cement Oh demurrer, /,
because u does not state : case en-
ut-ng tne e'atofs 10 feiiei. tney sfe
sn'isisu W ~ undef any circumstances.
hc says iufsnef that Inc MINER ACT -
nns ineonsistens WHO secuon 10 OF
howehs statutes. as IL iepeAis All scts
IN ccnnlet tnerewitn. Attorney Gen
ersi Ellis opened the argument Tor the
fcsp9naen'. or Tor sustaining the law,
anu a'scnssed orieny me poants iasseu
IN the peaiion ior mAndsmus wisnout
.T'ing rme 10 give mucn atIenton 70
t"e Drisis oi tue opposing counsei; ne
was followed oy representative BARK
Worth, who mad mucn 70 Go with the
passage of inc law, and wno1etenoedi IL
prine'paiiy upon onconstitntlonaig GROUNDS.
CeIsssi Dsnssld's Peioa
Col. ii. NJ. Dudield, the leading
ecaassl Tor toe REALTORS. made . very
minute and careful review of the en-
Gira case. The principal part upon
which he retes Is tnat the ratification
OF the fourteenth amendment TO the
constitution Of the United States, while
u conferred no new rights upon citi-
z"ns, il guaranteed those already pos
sessed forever, and the most import
ant among them wac the right OF every
male irhah,sant Of the age OF 81 years
I vote for every presidential elector of
MS state. This the Miner act denied.
These amerdmeuts. ne said, had been
adopted at the close OF the war to
remscy any existing defects aud estab-
lssh tho government forever, and he
beiieved il nad been done. II this law
be declared valid. it sustains the
right OF . legislature to infiict =
pumsnment upon the people of
the 88to Oy 0e0rivi0R t0Stn Oh
rights guaranteed by the constitution
OF the United States. What greater
ImnaunIty,ne inquired, does the eiector
need, than snAs ne shall In the exercise
OF the elective frsnchise 90 protected
from partisan seton! tie wae followed
by Gen. bysou N. Cuseneou, IN very
exhaustive ar4umsne upon the consti-
tutionslity and the enecsof me Miner
law. ne saic tnere Was no demand
Tor tnle LAM ana IL WAS not tnoo8nt OF
up 10 sne eircsion OF iovO. ana even
then was not pressed after its 'nuo-
duct.on until the spring elections OF
1881 showing reaciion oy the people
from the eiecuon OF ioSo. IL makes q
radical cnsnge IN the uniio'm ucket
system wnicn nae nnsily oeen uni-
versahy sdsptea - the moes saustac.
tory and Dash; IL dcprives the voser OF
the rignt OF sovereign ciuzen ana ao-
mits OK ms votang Tor put TWO eiectors'
wnen the United states consusuuon
kuatsh.ces ne snais vo'o Aor LouI zen
80; ne [ srnr, =, sb. r; rrpo.s;.rs;or I'D !. Mt
;,hsrs,, :, 20. sssss Hsnrv H.;ch
- - 49, .~,,rss 80 - - a..
sss.,S se..,'s.s 49, a. c.
Is.ss' r...sss s'"eI '-, s..s.s;ss.S I S-;ss or;.,
.""'e'h aaa sao.n''.ou |. '''s' o"'''
rss OF NJ. ssn"
hon- tea a. Lakei ioiioweo WIN
very snls constitutional argument
against the vaiidity OF the law ana SAID
ne defied snv member OF tne court 20
write an opinion sustaining the law
ana eonnne nimseif within the rules
end docsrine isid uown ~ tne court.
The law was mistake ana was framed
upon mistake, ana must wnoiiy Isii.
IL provides mat the electors snail meet
IN December 10 canvass tne vote. wniie
tne SCI OF coneresi OF Ioes ptovioes
tnet tSey meet in January ioitowin2.
IL provIoes Tor . special session OF tne
ieglsiature 10 decide cases OF ue anu
20 MI vacancies ~ an expense OF $5o,.
ooo, wnen tnat legislature WAS elected
two years previous ana new iexisie-
ture VIII convene . montn ieter ITeen
rom tne people. Inc whoie acs was
framed around TINS monssrous oiunder
and u could COS STAND.
In Behalf sf the Lev.
The court as this point took Q recess
until hah-past 7, when the Hon. Otto
Kirchner made his argument for sus-
tanning the law, confining il to the
a rsI,s,caI And not : indlciai one there.