Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1897-02-16
THE PURITY OF ELrUT ON LAW.

At o meeting OF tho Nevada Press
Association held at Carson City yes
terday it was unanimously resolved to
repeal the Purity OF Elections law,
80 called. 1t was urged IL favor OF
this action that the az: encouraged, it
it did not Lecessitate, misstatements
on the part of candidates for public
office, rs in many counties the limits
of expenditures allowed by the act
did not enable candidates to pay their
legitimate expenses in visiting the
various mining camps and agrlcul-
tural villages where they desired to
discuss general or local issues with
the people. Besides this the question
which most concerned the Press AS
ISOLATION was that newspapers were
not paid for legitimate and neces-
sary advertising for their respective
parties. Take, for instance, tho cam
paign Of 1896, in which the papers adj
vocatlng the election OF the Silver
Democratic ticket received only eight
dollars each for advertising for which
the legitimate charge to State, county
or individual wpuld be from. one
hundred to three hundred dollar {.
The Central Committee and the Scan-
didates. while admitting the justice
of the newspaper bills were powerless
to pay them, as the Committee receiv-
ed no money except from candidates
and the candidates could not pay only
a very limited sum without perjuring
themselves.
1t is also argued in support OF the
action Of the Press Association that
the A australian or secret ballot and
the acts prohibiting the corrupt use
of money in elections are ample for
the protection Of the candidate and
the voter, and that the Purity of
Elections law, which is open to var
ious constructions and liable to got
Central Committees and candidates
having no intention or disposition to
expend a dollar in corrupting voters,
into very serious trouble. Scarcely
two lawyers in the State construed
the provisions of the act alike. What
effect the course of the Press Associ-
alton will have on the Legislature
remains to be seen, but the members
from White Pine and other eastern
counties are pledged to advocate and
vote for the repeal Of the law.-Reno
Journal.
In calling for the repeal Of this law
the Press Association has taken a
step that We believe will meet with a
hearty response from everybody
familiar with it's workings. Tho law
is 30 drawn that it infringes upon the
personal liberties of citizens who be-
como candidates for office and inter-
feres with the proper conduct of a
political canvass. In taking this
step the Association is not placing
itself on record against the purity of
elections in Nevada, but against the
law now on the statute books which
falls far short of accomplishing that
object while it encourages and slim
ulates the commission of perjury.
Another reason why the Associa-
ton believes this law should be re-
pealed is: That it interferes with the
business OF newspapers and takes
away from them the legitimate adj
vertislng Of political campaign.
This was the experience Of tho papers
in the last campaign and will be their
experience IN the future IL the law in
permitted to remain on tho statute
books. For this reason, il none other,
the press Of the State should be a
unit in demanding it's repeal.
-