San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-01-27
SHORT STOPS.
What the reopIe are Saying.

SHS1 - U VI 81
What the PEOPLE are Saying.
The voters of our city are TO give the
new voting law a second trial. Every
one is agreed upon the registration tea-
lure of the law, that it is good thing,
but the voting provisions are seriously
defective as to guards against fraud and
unfairness.
But defective as the law is, If admin
istered fairly and impartially, the will OF
the voters can be freely and honestly eX-
pressed. To have the law administered
fairly is the wish and determination OF
every good citizen.
How can the law be carried out Impair
tally is the question. 1t is very simple,
and can only be defeated by trickery,
fraud and criminal acts on the part OF
those entrusted with its enforcement.
. =
1t has been the rule in the past, that
every thing was fair that secured success,
no matter how fragrant the violation OF
the law. To correct abuses, to purify the
ballot box, to prevent the disgraceful
scenes common at our polling places is
the object Of the new law
The voter is protected against interior
ence on the outside and enters the voting
booth untrammeled to make out his
ticket Ii he is illiterate the law provides
that a Judge from each party shall ac-
company him and aid him to make his
ticket.
Right here is the point where it is pos
sible to subvert the law and to turn our
election polls into the mostunfair political
machines possible to be conjectured. The
Judges and clerks must be selected to
represent the tickets, or else the law is
violated
The late county election was fragrant
and open fraud at several of our voting
precincts. The secrecy of the ballot was
destroyed and the illiterate voter was at
the mercy of judges who did not scrnple
to cast the ballots for their side. This
must be stopped.
The people demand fair election; they
demand impartial representation on tde
precinct boards OF election; they demand
fair count: and this they are entitled to
under the law.
1t is a fact, that six out of the eight pre-
siding judges have been selected with the
very purpose to take care of the interests
of the city administration candidate. This
looks bad. 1t looks very much like con-
Spiracy to grab the ballot box and defeat
an honest election.
This thing will not be tolerated any
longer: the presiding officers must COM
ply with the law, or they will be held TO
strict accountability for their acts. The
only way to comply with the law is to Sc
ect board of judges and clerks repre-
senting both tickets
AS there will be but two candidates for
mayor. PaSchal and Shardein,i it is an easy
matter for both sides to propose their
representatives at each poll. And as each
of these candidates are honorable men
they should insist upon this course, and
their friends should demand it.
Let it be understood that the people
will not tolerate any monkey business this
time. We have a large illiterate vote to
deal with; in some of the precincts the
Judges of the election have absolute con-
troll of the tickets, and there can be no
fair method to cast this vote unless both
tickets are represented.
Even If every Judge and clerk was above
suspicion as an honest fair man, unless
they are equally divided as to political
and considered fraudulent.
So let us have fair deal in the boards
of election, and the result will not be
questioned, and the reputation of our city
not smirched with political fraud and
corruption.
The success of any administration
elected depends upon the fairness of the
election. Any administration that
should gain power by the fraudulent
manipulation of the ignorant voters will
be boycotted by the tax payers.
After the votes are cast, they must be
counted, ana no matter how great the
desire of one side to succeed, it must be
apparent that fair count in the presence
Of judges representing both sides is alb
solutely necessary.
No honorable man; no man fit, to fill a
| city Office, or administer the business
of the city would take an Office unless the
ballots had been fairly canvassed by an
impartial board.
Every ticket should be scrutinized by
| two judges before called off to the tally
| clerks, and there should be two clerks
| representing each ticket so that there
/ ShO ha