The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1894-11-29

has wa.ered It's stock up 10 one han
dred millions. anu Lass rear, notwith-
standing hard times, declared over
sir "a. ~ 12llors -: a@rH.Egs, Sr
fgily 35l per cert 1r = has il soul2
cost the government 70 establish i
better system reaching to every l..
q. IN the whole country <nd with
IA: lover rates. Tn Wesoerl Union
not only maintains d powerful lobby
constantly al Washington 10 prevent
he adoption Of = peoples Telegraph
aud telephone, but 1t is said gives
nearly every member Of Congress and
Senator. If not all, as soon as elected.
q frank Ia do al his telesraphing
free. II cannot be thought that this
will directly influence many but it
dulls their feeling of the great tax
the present heavy Geographic rates
are upon the industry of the country.
At anv rate the Western Union must
lind their advantage i'll the custom
or it would not be kept up. Many legis
latures Of each of the great parties
have petltlOn,d Congress for tins im-
proEement IN our postal service. The
y. {. Lower ionse once III recent
years unanimously passed Il resolu-
tion to that effect, which only failed
in the Senate for lack of time. 1t
might we'll be passed again. No
political parry has antagonIzed this
measure. The Populist alone have
rndorsted it, but as il is a good and
proper measure this vii not lreju-
dice It in the eyes Of any other party,
fot they alone endorsed IN their rIgl
form the income tax which Con p: u
by the votes of their political oFpon-
ents enacted into law.
ELECTIo ~ OF POST MASTERS.
The only objection of any force
urged against the Post Otlice adding
the telegraph and telephone to i'm
prove It's service is the increased
number Of government employ ees.
Aside from the fact that those EN-
plOyees can be welded more danger
! ously in politics il controlled by Il
corporation, it must be remem bered
that rhe postal clerks and other sub
ordlnates are now mostly under the
evil service law. As TO the Post
Masters, it would be wise step to
decentralize, and at the same time
| IA L.. IL
election, by electing the Post Masters
by the people in each post office dis
trlct. We shall yet come TO this, and
the sooner the better.
ELECTION LAWS.
There will be some change of
course in election laws. Public SEN
tlment has already brought this
about in England, Australia, Canada,
and in 81 of the States of this Union.
Not onl y should the ballots be fairly
cast and counted but election contri-
buttons should be reduced and made
public as in New York and else where.
Otherwise elections will soon be only
a matter of money. The electorate
will become debauched and only rich
men, who can contribute largely to
the campaign fund will be possible
as candidates. Nominations will be-
come practically for sale. In add
ton to the remedies so wisely adopt
ed and successfully in operation i'm
England, and elsewhere, these two
new ones are modestly suggested.
%. The number of voting precincts
should be not less than three in each
township, properly distributed over
the township. This would bring out
the fullest expression Of the popular
will by enabling ach man to vote by
going only short distance. AS
there are 400, 900 voters in North
Carolina, if each man now should
vote and should lose whole day at
the election, as many do who go sew
eraI miles to vote, the cost would be
$4OO, 900 in the value of lost time
In fact it is a very large fraction of
1t. GU. The increased number of
voting precincts would not only bring
out IA larger vote and enable voters
to save most of the day for their
work. but it would render practicable
this other reform that the polls
should be closed at2 p. m. The bal
lots could then be counted In broad
daylight and the result announced
before sunset. There would thus be
no chance for fraud. The result in
each county would be known at the
county-seat not long after dark and
the result III the whole State would
be known by midnight and aunoun"-
ed IN ali the papers next morning.
This great reform would also be a
great economy by enabling the Ia
boring man everywhere to deposit
his ballot without anyone being
obliged to lose a days work.
MURDER TRIALS.
Trials for capital offenses should
be simplified. Retaining, as sufficient
for an innocent man, that the pris-
oner must be shown to be guilty be-
yond a reasonable doubt and bv the
unanimous voice of twelve men, there
should be abolished the gross ine-
qualities to which the State has now
put in all such trials which render it
almost impossible to convict the
gulltiest man if he is able to retain
skilful and influential counsel. No
tably the inequality of challenges by
which the defendant has % aud the |
State only 4 should be abolished and |
each allowed the same number. say