The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-08-06
THE PRESENT ELECT LAW IS INFAMOUS


apart than the plank in each on the cleo
ton law. The Republican convention de
clared: I'VE favor an amendment to the
State constitution embodying the pro
visions of our present election law
The Populist convention expressed it
self against the present election law, dc
claring in favor of "a Legislature i'll ia
vor of IL free ballot and fair count, ant
which will enact legislation guaranteeing
to each political party the right of be
ing represented on all election board
by representatives of its own selection
The Democratic declaration was, "Wt
favor fair and just election laws" The
Democrats would accept the Populist
declaration word for word if these
words were added, provided, that
when any two parties endorse the same
nominees, the two parties thus cooper
ating shall have only one election officer
vision, which must commend itself to fail
minded men. the Democrats and Popu
ulists are agreed
The Caucasian this week does us the
honor to copy a portion of our editorial
and says:
"rhe News and Observer, however,
is right when it says that it was the Re
publcans and boiling Popuists in the
I ..lot nf 1NN- that REVHR v lei
THEIR PLEDGES of 94'95 to the
people, and conspired to repeal, and did
repeal. the very provision in the elect
ton law of 1895 THAT GUARAN-
TEED A FREE BALLOT AND A
DID THIS HAD NO DOUBT MADE
ELECTION MACHINERY OF THIS
STATE AND TO DO SOME STEAL
ING OF THEIR OWN. and they are
but little better than the Democratic bal
lot-box. suffers. The News and Observer,
however. is wrong when it says that the
election law that certain Republicans and
the boiling Popuists tried to put
through the Legislature was the most
infamous and transparently dishonest
election law that ever crossed the thresl-
old of an American Legislature giving,
as it did, two-thirds of the election ma
chinery of every voting precinct to the
Republicans We admit that the pro-
posed election law was. VERY BAD
INDEED. IT WAS INFAMOUS-but
it was not quite so bad as the Payne
election law under which the Democratic
machine stole elections in North Caro-
lima for many years"
We take issue with the Caucasian. 1t
may have been possible under the Dem
ocratic election law for bad men, in vio-
lation of the provisions of the law, to do
wrong. There never was Il law that
could absolutely prevent wrong doing.
The Democratic law was absolutely per-
feet. however, when compared with the
present law which the Republicans
threaten to incorporate into the constitu-
ton. The Democratic law protected
white voters against illegal and imported
negro voters. The present election law
encourages and protects such voters by
making such challenge regulations as
forbid any man, unless he has plenty of
money, successfully challenging an Illegal
voter. He must pay all the expenses of
the challenge, pay the witnesses, and
try the case before Il tribunal composed
of two Fusionists and one Democrat If
he wins before such Il packed court, his
money IS refunded. AS matter of fact
the burden of challenging is so great
with the almost certainty that the ma
jority of the election board will side with
the illegal voter, that challenging is put
under ban. Indeed the present law ought
to be entitled ''An act to encourage il
legal voting" The universal rule in al
fair election laws is to require every vot
er to prove his right TO vote before he car
register. This rule was reversed in North
Carolina in order to make it easy fol-
ported negroes to put an end to white
rule in North Carolina. This was ar
Objectionable feature of the election law
passed by the Fusionists in 1895, and il
resulted in permitting at least ten thou
sand illegal votes to be cast in 1885,
enough TO elect Russell That law, how,
ever, gave to each Of the three leading
parties IA member of the election board OF
their own selection. This enabled the
Democrats at least to watch If that law
had provided that, in case any two
parties voted the same ticket, those par.
ties should have only one office, it would
have been fair. But, even with two te
one, the law did not suit the Republicans
and the Pritchard goldbug Populists
They wanted to destroy Democratic rep
resentation entirely and give Harry Skin
ner and Il. A. Holton the right to appoint
every election officer of the Republican
and Populists in the State. "They mad,
up their minds to grab the election ma
chinery Of this State and do some steal
ing on their own account" as the eau
casian puts it. They were afraid they