The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1897-02-19
Spelling the Election Law.

tion bill, changing the present AUS
tralian ballot law by allowing at
name but once on the ballot, chang
ing the blne pencil for the stamp,
and providing for circle under the I
emblem in which to mark straight y
tickets. The vote on the bill was a
strict party division.
II gave rise to four hours debate {
in which the Republicans were de- !
cidedly worsted, but their caucus I
resolution held them together. Sen
ator Shea said as reported in the |
Sentinel: +,
"The reasons urged by the ma ,
ljority of this chamber are not sutii-ll
cient. The use of pencil rather
than a stamp puts in the hands OF
the corrupt voter the very instru-
ment by means of which the pur-
poses OF this law may be defeated.
The voter who desires to do so may
so mark his ballot that it will be
readily known, and under the de-
cisions of the courts in the states
where the pencil is used the ballot
must be counted. The amendment
, which prevents man from declin-
ling a nomination is equally as in
iquitous. Why should a man not
be permitted to decline at any time
before the election? Will the ma
, Ijority give some sufficient reason TOR
{ this change?
: 81 desire to say here and now
l that the majority of this chamber
: must take the responsibility for
n such legislation.
o "The reasons assigned for this
h and other changes in this law are
a not the real reasons. They realize
that when the wrath Of an outraged
j and deceived people is again given
4 expression at the ballot box they
. will be swept out of power as they
deserve to be. They hope by this
bill to perpetuate themselves ir
power by again resorting to their
old methods of fraud and corrup.
: ton"
" Senator Sweeney took the foo
re and made strong speech agains
as the bill, He arraigned the repub
a. licans frauds and the deserters from
10 the democratic party who hat
,n turned their back on democrati
f. principles in the hour of need. Sait
g he:
,r at has been my observation tha
4 whenever the party Of God ant
a morality is about to commit a piou'
j fraud it works itself into an unctiou
N state of patriotism, waves the old
20 flag and orders the band to play
,s Marching Through Georgia. w
= have several historic instances wheI
,e they were narrowing the people o
,e the South, robbing and pillaginl
ar the people of the reconstructe'
se states in the name of patriotism
,e elevating to political control
a race recently released from bondage
,fl flthey filed the air with "Rall.
n Round the Flag" While per
,e petrating the theft Of the presidenc.
n in 1876 they sought to divert atten
Al ton from the greatest political Grim
,s Of the age by singing patriotic songs
! "What do we find them doing to
De day? Emerging from a secret eau
~ Gus, each and every one Of then
= crowned with halo Of patriotism
n prancing down to the footlight
10 decked in the stars and stripes
or seeking to deprive political partie
~ in the state from combining for tn
ar purpose of defeating republican in
e. iquity.
of LET no one be deceived in tn
IN purpose of thfs bill. An attemp
L. has been made to obscure the pur
! pose by loud defamation owe
Il minor propositions. The who'll
al scheme is to prevent the opposition
or to republican rule from joining an
co defsating it in the uplifting of tn
be people. The mere desire TO chang
e. the stamp for the pencil is not 9
ra lSuCn consequence ds w Juotiy a.
I'd this trouble Of the representatives {
y that party. When you come I
deny to political party the righ
to nominate whom it pleases yo
al are withdrawing from the party tn
81 right to manage its affairs and chal
es lenging its right to exist"
no Senator Sweeney referred to tn
,et detection of the gold bugs. ''Yo
tv now have Bill Bynum." said he
- "and for Gods sake keep him. W
r2 don't want him. The democrat
< party has finally cleaned itself. w
Oh are now laboring for the people an
lie to the workingmen (and / see man
in the galleries) | say come bac
to us. They deceived you last fal
> 80 but they can't do it again" Oth'
=" ~, sentences were the following:
~ ~ "You say there was no coercio
'a' at the last election. Great God