Morning journal and courier., 1893-01-05


but this method has long since been aban-
doned, and with the exception of county |
officers whose duties are To- |
cal are now elected by the people.
By our laws relative to the sale of spir |
ituous liquors, the power of issuing IL |
censes is given to the county commission |
ers. There Is no appeal from their de- |
cisions. This gives them an absolute
power over the occupations of a large num- |
Der of people, by which, If they are so dis |
posed, they can deprive them of the means
of supporting their families. Such power
is liable to abuse in the hands of unscrupu-
lous persons, and especially when, at an
approaching election, partisanship Is in
the ascendant. I would therefore recon-
mend that, in passing law providing for
the election of county commissioners by
the people, provision should be made for
minority representation. The power given
to county commissioners Is too absolute to
be trusted entirely in the hands of any one
party.
ELECTIONS.
At the session of the general assembly in
1889 an act was passed concerning cleo
tons, known as the tsecret ballot act"
This law, while working benefcia'Iy in
many respects, has upon trial been found
to be defective, and there is need of furth-
er legislation to remove some OF the tech
nicalities of the law; to simplify 1t SO that
persons of ordinary Intelligence can readi-
ly understand its provisions.
In republican form of government,
where the vote of one man equals the vote
of another, the elective franchise is mat
ter of the greatest Importance to each in
dividual citizen, and the purity of the
same lies at the very foundation of good
government. If one man uses his vote
corruptly, 1t offsets and neutralizes the
vote of another who has honestly en-
deavored to perform his duty as citizen;
conee ueHtly the welfare of the state re-
uuires that the elective franchise should
be used only in the interests of good gov
eminent. If man is SO debased that he
is willing to sell his vote, he certainly is
unfit to exercise the elective franchise, and
upon conviction of such an ofense why
should he not be disfranchised? The man
who purchases the vote Of another is
equally an enemy of good government,
and should, upon conviction, be liable to
the same penalty. I press this matter
upon your attention. We are living in
an age when great fortunes are possessed
by q few persons, many of whom are will
| ing to purchase with their money posi-
| tions to which they could not otherwise
| be elected; and, On the other hand, there
| are those who are willing to use their
elective franchises for purpose of pecuni-
| airy gain. Herein lies great danger to
good government, and there should be a
law that would disfranchise man who
| sells or buys vote.
| THE LOBBY.
| Our courts, that oonstrue the laws and
| pass upon the different causes brought
before them. watch with jealous care all
improper influences that are brought to
bear upon the judges or jury. Any person
who should attempt to approach judge
Or juryman secretly in order to influence
him in the discharge of his duty would be
deemed guilty of an offenee. Why should
not the same watchfnl care ia exercised by
the members Of the legislature, who make
our lawsa The legislature is the source
| whence our laws come, and If the source il
| impure it follows that the laws coming
therefrom will be- impure. The influences
that are often brought to bear upon mem
bers of the legislature to procure the pass
age of certain laws would not be tolerated
in any court of justice. Why should they
be tolerated in the body that makes
the laws9 There should be some legiela
ton to prevent any undue approach Il
any member Of the legislature in the per
Torrance of his duty. This need not in
terfere with the full discussion of any mat
ter pending before the legislature, through
the public press, nor with any printed
matter distributed generally to all tn.
members, nor with any public hearings be
fore committees of the generally assembly
for If anything which is erroneous is ther'
stated, there is an opportunity to reply OF
to explain. But the custom, which has he
come too prevalent, of employing persons
not members Of the legislature to use thei
influence with members privately, in orde,
| 70 thar onrrnrt for 70
pending before the legislature, should b
deemed as great an offense as if the SAM
| influence we're brought to bear upon
court or jury. This is a growing evil, ant
the good name and welfare of the state re
quire that you should 30 legislate as to pre-
vent this as far as possible.
TAXATION OF BANKS, ETC.
i At the general assembly of 1889 an ao
was passed providing that any person ma,
take or send to the Office of the treasure
of this state any bond, note, or other chos
in action, and may pay state tax there
on, etc. Why would it not be better t,
allow person to make duplicate lists o
such bonds and chooses, describing thu
same so that they could easily be identi
fed, make oath to the same, and send sucl
lists to the treasurer of the state; tn
| treasurer, upon payment of the tax, keep
ing one copy on file in his Office, and re
ceipting the other and returning it to tn
person making it, as an evidence of tn
payment of the taxi The present method
requiring bonds and chooses to be taken tc
the Office of the treasurer, is very objec
tionable. Trustees of estates, who may b.
| under heavy bonds for the safety of thei
trusts, are obliged to carry large amonnt
of bonds to the Office of the treasure,
from distant parts of the state, and often
times to leave them for many days befor,
they can be stamped and returned. Tht
treasurer could not be held responsible il
case of the loss of bonds, and he has NJ
suitable place in which to keep SO large ar
amount. The transportation of sucf
large amounts of bonds from place tx
place offers great opportunity for rob
berry to be committed. I have no reason
to believe that many more bonds anc
chooses would be returned for taxation if i
were not for the present Objectionable re
uirements for the presentation of tn,
trouble in making list of bonds for taxa
ton than in making list of cattle anG
horses; and no mere need of stamping up
on the bonds the evidence that the tax il
paid than there would be of stamping suct
evidence upon the horns of cattle or thu
hoofs of horses. Ought not the tax col
lected by the state treasurer on such bond
and chooses to be refunded, wholly or il
part, to the towns where the owners of th,
same reside? They are properly taxabl,
there, and the towns should have the bene
fit of the taxes collected on them. In many
of the towns the grand lists are decreasing
while their taxes are increasing, and they
need all the money received from taxation
which legitimately belongs to them. Here
tofore these bonds and chooses have to
certain extent been withheld from taxation
the present system of taxing them has beer
successful in bringing them forth for tina
purpose, and with the change have sug
gested think many more would be pre-
scented.
GRADE CROSSINGS.
call your attention to the necessity fo
further legislation in regard to grade cross
ings of railroads with highways. Th'
number of deaths at these crossings ha,
become alarming. 1t is an increasing
danger, for the reason that the demands o.
business require more frequent trains ant
greater speed. The danger has arise1
entirely from the construction Of the rail
roads, and the expense of removing tn,
grade crossings should be borne entirely
by the railroad corporations; at least to tn,
extent of all highways that were in exist
enoe at the time the railroads were built
As to the highways laid out after the rail
roads were built, che expense of removing
the grade crossings might be apportionee
| between the railroads and towns nv tn.