Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-11
PRACTICAL ELECTION REFoRMS.

That the Nebraska election laws are
lars Is conceded. Some of these de-
fects can and should be cured by the
present legislature. Others are beyond
all remedy. There are organic defects
which can be reached only by constitu-
tional amendment and defects that are
Inherent in the American system Of
popular sovereignty.
The stream can never rise permanently
above its source. Men cannot he legis-
lated into political honesty either by
rewards or punishments. The oppor-
tunitieS for corrupting the voter may
be curtailed by laws to safeguard the
ballot. Attempts to abridge the free
dom of the voter by coercion or in
timidation may be rcpressed in part if
not in whole. II Is another matter. how
ever, to make voting compulsory by any
scheme of taxation or fine.
Ours is republic that depends en-
tirely upon the voluntary and un-
trammelcd cooperation of its citizens in
government You can bring n horse to
water, but you cannot make him drink.
Even If it We're possible or practical to
punish the sovereign voter for neglect
ing or refusing to exercise his franchise,
no law on earth and no conceivable
punishment will compel him to vote.
Men who can be hired to stay away
from the polls can be hired to cast
blank ballots or they can be hired to
vote for one office only and abstain
from voting for others. In the late
election 10000 more ballots were cast
than there were votes polled for any
single office. Sixteen thousand citizens
therefore went to the polls, but did not
vote for president. How can any law
bc devised that would reach these de-
linquents?
AS between taxing Il voter and fining
voter for failing to vote ut an elec-
tiOn there is no material difference. In
either case the fine or the tax could be
paid as part of the consideration for the
stay y-athome votes. If the penalty were
made Imprisonment there would always
be physicians conveniently within reach
to certify to the physical or mental dis
ability of the offender. In case of
jury trial it would be we'll nigh inn
possible to get conviction. The aver
age jury would have either sympathetic
political bias or it would be an example
Of "us fellers must all hang together"
The true election reform should begin
with the constitutional amendment re-
uuiring all voters to have full citizenship
in the United States and authorizing the
use of the voting machine. Next to
these changes should be n law putting n
stop to the disabled voter trick, which Is
the parent of the most fragrant frauds
perpetrated under the present system.
To make the elections fair and the count
honest election officers should be duly
appointed from the various political par
ties. Their qualifications should be
tested before non-partisan board and
penalties prescribed for failure to com
plete and make public the count within
a given time. In every case alternate
election officers should be chosen so that
competency and reliability could be
reasonably assured.
In the designation of election officers
according to their respective political
creeds, all shams should be foreStalled.
Where two or more parties fuse they
should be entitled to only one set of elec-
ton officers. A division on party lines
that would credit free silver republican
to the republicans or gold democrat to
the free silver democrats would be Il
farce
In the main the election laws of Ne
braska are satisfactory. The chief trou-
bic is not with the laws, but with their
enforcement.