The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-02-13
STATE
LEGISLATIVE
TOPICS.

The Andrews bill making voting COM
pulsory is not received favorably through
out the state. The general tone Of the
press comments IL well expressed as fol-
lows by the Philadelphia Ledger ''fhe
good people who are Interested in this sort
of legislation seom to think that patriot
ism is something which can he creatci by |
law, that the spontaneous action of the
people can no longer be trus tod TO con
serve the liberties of the country. The |
proposition to drag citizens TO the polls
to save the country is an absurdity on It's
facc,-Aot II has been gravely debated in |
constitutional conventions and lcgisla
lures and has found some earnest adNo- |
Gates In time Of war 1t may be necessary |
to recruit the army by conscr'ption hut |
an army of volunteers is greatly to be |
preferred to a levy of consC"pts,. The |
interests of the country and the state are |
very much safer in the care of the Volun- |
tary vote than in that OF the voters who |
are driven to the polls through fear OF a |
fine. The cause of good government would |
gain nothing from the voter by compuI- |
sion, who would vote with disgust and |
impatience, ana would probably vote for
the worst candidates to emphasize his re- |
sentiment. At the first election occurring |
after the passage of the Belgian compul- |
sorry voting law the voters who were
forced to the polls voted for imaginary
power to embarrass the election officers.
The qualified American citizen has an in
alenable right to vote and an inalienaDle
| right to refrain from voting If he SO Wills
| Coercive voting could not be enforced
! very long in any American common
| wealth. n statute so certain to become
| unpopuar would be a nulity. 1t would
J become a dead letter as other laws habit
| uallY violated by large masses of citizens
have become. Many citizens refrain from
| voting at every election, but their num-
| bers are not large enough to lead us to
| despair of the republic. The absence of
| a considerable contingent of qualified vot-
erS from any election IS regrettable, but
| so long as the vast majority of the vot-
| able population are yearly found at the
| polls the absentees will not menace our
| institutions or call for compulsory voting
| enactmCnts. There are certain compul-
| sorry civic services which are entirely
| justifiabe. Jury service is one of these.
| Compulsory education enactments are
| also defensible. to protect the state from
the perils of illteracy, and in order 20
| extend the benefits of the public school
system as widely as possible; but it is UNI
| wise to compel citizens to exercise the
| fundamental duties of citizenship. 1t is
to be noted that the representative bodies
| who are interesting themselves in promot-
ing good citizenship have not included
| compulsory voting either at primary or
general elections in their schemes of re-
form. The proposition is a seductive one
to some, but it is unenforceable, and for
that reason, if for no other, it is imprac-
ticable and unwise."
-:'l:-
To compel every citizen to pay his own
poll tax, so that he will be under no obli-
cation to political parties is the object of
! u bill introduced by Representative Ed
mlston, of Bradford. In the preamble to
the bill Mr.. Edmiston says: "lt is appar-
ent that great fraud and injustice are
| done by certain citizens in cities of this
commonwealth, who, in the interests of
party, and not for the public welfare, pay
| the taH es of large numbers of their fellow
citizens, and then hold the receipts of
| said payments until election day, thus
largely controlling the vote of the persons
for whom these payments have been
made, and in many instances encourag-
ing what, in political parlance is called
repeating" The bill then provides hat
every citizen OF ~ years of age and over
who desires to vote must pay his state and
county taxes in person. except that when
physical disability or some other unavod-
able cause prevents him paying it in per-
son, he may give an order to another per-
son stating the cause of his disability OF
reason for his non-appearance in person
| to pay his taxes, and the receipt VIII be
given to his agent Any failure of the tax
| collector 10 COMPLY with the provisions or
the act shall be deemed sufficient grouncs
for his removal from office. and any per-
son assisting in evading the intention of
the act, or furnishing or causing to be fur
nished money for the purpose or paying
the taxes of any other person or persons,
shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and he
liable to a fine of from $50 to Sl00, or i'm
prisonmcnt not to exceed thirty days, or
both, at the discretion of the court.
-:.|:-
Early in the present legislative session
several Cuban resolutions were introduced
in the house and referred to the commit
tee on federal relations, of which H. II.
North, of Mexican county, is chairman.
These resolutions have been under infor-
NAL consideration. In the meantime an
effort has been made to secure not only
the latest information possessed by this
national administration, but to obtain
an idea of the views held by the one which
will come into power March 4. In answer
to an inquiry a letter has been received
from John Sherman, chairman of the com
mittee of foreign relations of the senate,
and the next secretary of state, in which,
t among other things, he says: There IS
, no doubt a general sympathy among our
people in favor of the independence OF
/. Cuba but we do not wish to involve oul
/ country in a war, nor do | think 1t polite
= to annex Cuba to this country.
e -:Il:-
< REPRESENTATIVE Wenk. of Forest county,
e missioners of the various counties are
o authorized to take rooms or other prop
e erty of any citizen in which to hold eicc-
= tons, whether the citizen likes II or not.
1t is a species of eminent domain" doc
tr!ne such as has heretofore been enjoyed
by steam railroads alone. Before taking
| possession of the room or property the
commissioners are to tender TO the owner
of the properly the bond of the county
conditioned for the payment of any dam
age suffered by the owner of the property
by reason of the entry and occupancy OF
the premises. The amount of this damage
; is ascertaned by the appointment by the
/ | court of three disinterested viewers.
4 These viewers are entitled to s. per day
=. for each day in which they are employed
5 in ascertain!ng the damage.
Representative French, of Washington
county, has introduced bin to aid par
I ties committed to Jail to be tried fol
, crimes and miademeauors and who ara
t without money or property TO procure
\ counsel to defend them, The b!l pro-
= vides chat "uch persons should be prov'i'
/ cd with counsel and that the county shll
/ pay the counsel fees. The person se"u"
; ing such aid is compelled to make al II
5 hdaVit that he has no money of his own
4 There is a sliding scale of prices provid'
cd For defending a person charged VIII
a misdemeanor the attorney is to receivG
So; for "A felony, he shall receive So anc
u in case the prisoner is charged with mur
der the fee shall be S25.
According to Colonel Jim Sweeney, who
5 ! 10 nothing II NOT truthful. "in the DraSen