The Monte Vista journal., 1897-12-04
THE OTHER SIDE,
EDITOR JOURNAL:

10 tho uninitiated it must have seemed
strange that so many OF our best (y) citi-
zens were fearful the old soldiers would
not be permitted to violate the constitu-
ton OF this state, which reads, For the
purpose of voting and eligibility to office,
no person shall bc deemed to have gained
n residence by reason of his presence,
while kept at public expense in any poor
house or other asylum" Tho election
law sent to each precinct for the guild
ance OF the judges, reads, at shall be
tho duty of any Judge to challenge any
person offering 10 vote whom he shall
believe not to be qualified as au elec,or.'
and further, that after oath has been
taken the judges may nevertheless refuse
to permit such person to vote if they
shall DO satisfied that he is not n legal
voter"
With the constitution and the law be.
fore them it wus not merely their right
, but their DUTY to challenge and refuse
/ TO accept the soldiers vote. notwith-
standing the soldiers were willing to
take the oath prescribed. The Populist
Judges were threatened and abused by
| lawycrs(?) and laymen for standing az Il
rock in their efforts TO uphold the "maj-
csty of the law in spite of the howls of
the anarchists who wanted the soldier 10
"trample on the laws OF this great com
monwealth."
Chief among the legal lights who
roared and gnashcd their teeth were
Generals Carr and Bloomiield: The for
mer though elected atty general, has
never been convicted Of being lawyer.
An empty sleeyc-not the llttle he knew
OF law-elevatcd him t. o.lice. and his
tears for the old soldier ure 20 irrignte
his political aspirations solely. Bloom
field frothed because he had dollars bet
on some of the candidates the soldiers
were groomed to vote Tor. have pa
| tiently waited for the latter scutlemRn(!) D
TO come out in defense OF the Judges.
but have wutcd in VAN Us all must who
linger in the hope that this imngc. this
! prince OF scoundrcls will do right. No;
| during all the time that caricature, the
king OF Aldrlch-w heaping
abuse upon the Judges and myself.
Bloomfield, though knowing the truth.
SAID not one word TO right the wrong i'm
! pression prevailing.
Unlike Carr, Bloomfield is n lawyer.
and being aware OF this fact, whilc in his
office on the 9th OF September last.
asked the general il Republican soldiers
had n right TO vote in tn. Populst pfi.
mary election and he replied tha, they
had not and further said, they not only
could not legally vote at our primary,
"but they could not vote at any election,
unless they We're residents OF this county
Bloomfield then read u brief he hRd pre-.
pared year or more previous 10 our
/ conversation, when the question Of the
soldier vote was up for consideration.
My attention had never been called TO
the constitutional inhibition before and
told Messrs. Stephenson, Curlett.
Woods md Conant the Generals posi-.
'ion. on the tho day he gave me his
OPINION.
am told that Bloomfield, true TO his
instincts, denies that he said anything o,
the kind. and IL 80 ] want 10 say that he
is n vulgar falsiiicr and the truth is not
IN him.
Surely the hope OF political prcierment
ought not 10 preycn, the general telling
the truth for once. That the soldiers a,
the home have no right 10 vote IN this
county is "a fact Of FAR moro Importance
TO the people OF this county than the
generals hope for iudgcship or any mans
ambition for Office.
The soldicrs-as thcy should have n
right TO vote somewhere. They have n
residence somewhere and US thcy are in.
hibitcd by the constitution itself from
gaining n residence at III. Home. II FOL.
lows that they have not los, IL where
thcy came from and can legally vote no
other place. Judge Hayt must. II hc
votes, return 10 hlamo.a n, each election
ana Governor Adams goes TO Pucblo for
the samc purpose aud many Instances
nigh, bc cited whore voters give up ten.
potarily the rght Of franchise 10y absent.
ing themselves from their plRc. oi resi.
dcnc-. whether voluntarily or through
force OF circumstances, 40 far as the law
is concerned 1t makes no difference. For
the sake OF Argument We might assume
that the constitution does not prohibit
inmates OF the Home yoiiag In ,hi. coun.
~. maintain that withou, the resi-
dcn,s carcs aud responsibilities these
men moved M others are 10y prejudice.
passion and spite should no, TAX. part In
elections aher, tho county ,ntcrra's arc
at stake. whore possibly their votcp mny
clcc, bad men to Office, thereby cauainl:
much trouble and expense. Stranger.
In our midst thcy canno, know IL. many
candidates. hence can not in'cllisen,ly
decide between tho neveral n.piran,s Tor
Office. Again tho right 20 vote carries
with II tho right 10 hold Office IN tho
county-now lot the Homo bc enlarged
and iillcd m wc hoped II would ls mud
tho soldiers could absolutely control
every election aud till from their number
every Office and s,ill might not have a
dollars intercs. In the county. Il TIT.
l IA a AZ. IA.