Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1894-11-10
COMMUNICATED.
THE NEW ELECTION LAW.

potism of the dark ages? Judging from
the letter and spirit of the election law
which went into force for the recent
United States election that seems to be
the tendency so far as State legisla-
ton is concerned. The Constitution of
Virginia was framed by wise and good
meu for the sole purpose of guarding
and protecting every citizen in the en-
ioyment of his natural and inalieniable
rights, and every statutory enactment
by any Legislature, which seeks to
abridge under whatever guise any ore
of these natural rights must be clearly
unconstitutional, and consequently in-
operative The new election law is just
such an enactment in the opinion of
nine tenths of the honest thinking and
rejecting people of this commonwealth
and of it it may well be said, that it
was conceived in sin and brought forth
in iniquity and sprung upon our people
for base and cowardly purpose.
Under all previous laws ballot in
the hands of voter was considered
something almost sacred, at least,
thing not to be called into question
and for one voter to ask of another how
he intended to vote would have been
deemed, almost generally, a violation of
neighborly proprieties, if not a gross in
fringement of personal immunity. But
this law says that constable shall be
appointed, and partizan at that, to
scrutinize apart and alone at some dis
tauce from the place of voting, the
ticket of every man so unfortunate as
not to have learned to read, and pre-
pare it for depositing into the ballot
box. And now l wish to ask
if, under this new tangled ar
rangement, a partizan constable
at election time can determine
at his pleasure, just how every one of
the twenty or one hundred illiterate
voters of precinct, shall cast his vote;
for there is no other eye to scan his
work, and the provisions Of the consti-
tuition are not violated, then, why may
not our people through freak of some
succeeding legislature be placed under
a general espionage system, with a con-
stable assigned to every mans house
to pry into and supervise every house
hold and business affairs, and decide on
its fitness and unftness? (? Or, when a
person wishes to make his last will and
testament why may not some foolish leg
slators enact that he must first submit
his bequests to the consideration and
decision of a constable, or, why may
hof hot hn
and mailing of every letter to go
through the mails; that this same ubiq-
n,ous and indispensable vigilant of the
law shall demand to he made acquaint-
cd with the nature of the correspond
ence? Naturally, when the door is
opened ior this kind of legislation,
there seems to be no end to corrupt
enactments. 1t is only when these
evils become so grievous and oppres-
sive that the people become aroused by
some fortuitous political circumstances
and rise en- masse and bring them to
an end. For years the people of Vir
ginia have been devising ways and
means for the promotion of internal i'm
provements. They have been inviting
capitalists to come with their means to
make fertile the waste places, to build
factories, and set into operation trains of
varied industries to develop their min
eral resources and increase their COM
mon wealth and prosperity. And this
state of things everybody surely would
like to see in our midst. But, can we
hope to see it realized, so long as the
making ofthe general laws, under which
these workers would have to live, is
entrusted to foolish and impracticable
law makes, nominated by irresponsible
cliques and coteries, and who are COM
PEELED to pay dearly for their misrepre-
sentation by being made by-word and
a reproach among communities of bet
ter governed States? The writer thinks
that old Virginia has within her bor-
ders no lack of men in both the demo
cratic and republican parties who by ed
ucation, experience and integrity of
purpose are eminently fitted for the du-
ties of legislators and who would stand
aloof from all attempts to foist upon
the people anything so preposterous as
the evil Of which we complain. Good
honest men with the best interest of the
public at heart will be needed in the
next legislature to repeal this monstros-
ity of the late cannibal islands and re-
lieye US from the odium which it has
brought upon US. We want no systems
of espionage and compulsion at the bal
lot box. Let the voters see to that.
FAIRFAX.