The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-11-22

withholding the same, shall thereby for
felt the right TO voto at such election
and any elector whose right 90 vote shall
be challenged for such cause, before the
election officers. shall bo required TO
swear or affirm that the matter of the
challenge is untrue. before his vote shall
be received
ANY person who shall, while candi-
date for Office be guilty of bribery, fraui
or wlful violation of any election law,
shall be forever disqualified from holding
an office OF trust or profit I'm this COM
monwealth and any person convicted Of
wilful violation Of the election laws, shall
In addition to any penalties provided by
law. be deprived OF the right of suffrage
absolutely for a terid of four years"
This seems TO require the enactment OF
n law providing the means and n public
sentiment must insist on a strict enforce
ment thereof.
Eternal vigilance not only on the part
of the prosecuting officers, but on the
people themselves in the enforcement OF
the laws Furnishing Violations of tho elec-
ton laws, is part at least Of the price OF
liberty.
Tho first two suggestions arc impiac-
tiCable without n change In the constitu-
tion. We believe. however, that much
could be accomplished in the directions
just suggested, and IL it is true, ms cx'
perience In election contests has shown
that at least 20 per cent. of the votes
thrown out were cast by legal voters and
thrown out on technicality by reason of
defective affidavit, then this fourth sug-
gestion alone would take away the prln-
cipal inducemcnt to contest
We are reliably informed that eleven
hundred defective aftldavits have been
found among the returns of the 1897 coun-
" election. SCmc OF the difficulties in
the fling of the afiidavits may be in
fcrred from the fact that Form No. :,
which is the enc principally used calls
for n statement on the part of the voter
of the day. month and year when the
taxes paid by him were assessed, and it
may be safely stated that not a single
member of your honorable body can give
this information as to any tax he has
ever paid, nor have any of you probably
ever had this information regarding any
tax ever assessed against you. We he
lievc that If dialnterCstcd legislation, look
ing 20 the correction of the evil com
planned of. can he secured at Harrisburg.
that substantial advartacC can be gained
by a simple law making this amendmo mt.
NUMBERED BALLOTS.
We think also that tho trial Of con-
tcsted elections should be simrliiiod as
much as possible. The appointment of
commissioners to take the testimony
should be abolished and the evidence
should he heard by the judges themselves
VINO are To make the adjudication. The
present reluctance TO open the ballot box
ana recount the ballots themselves,
which reluctance arose willie the numbers
upon the ballots were plainly to be seen,
should not uhtain now that the numbers
ere So carefully coveted. ana If the fact
that the ballots have scaled numbers upon
them Is still an objection to the recount
,f.. 1,af i
tuition be amended and the numbering
abolished, any necessary precautior
against fraud being provided for in the
registration and actual casting of the bal
lots.
RUmorS ere frequently heard a. TO can
ddatcs having been counted out, amt
have much to do with the popularity of
election contests. At present the recount
can be secured only after AN extremely
long proceeding, expensive to the parties
and exceedingly disCCuraEnG. No rail
road company would take the returns of
its ticket agents or conductors without
tho returns and tickets passing the scru-
tiny of an expert auditor, and we believe
that "A provisions for the re-counting of the
ballots in opeiI court wherever proper
ground Is shown, would do much to give
confidence on the part Of the people that
they were getting an honest COLnt, and
do away with much of the disS abstraction
that under the present plan finds outlet
in election contests.
We have caused an examination to he
made of the published annual statements
by the county commissioners OF the re-
ceipts and expenditures of the county
from its organiza tiOn to the present time,
the result showing n total expenditure tor
election contests of S32,16l.39. We append
hereto as an exhibit, a detailed statement
of this amount by years.
The largest item that of 1885, to which
should he added the expenditure of 1851,
Is the jenkins Gallagher and Thomas-Cu-
sick contest Of 1888. when over 5000 wit
nesse5 were sworn. The large item un-
der date 1885 is the Dal"-Mc DonouGh and
AthertOn-TraCy contest of 1851. The large
item of 1893 Is the Okel-Quinnan contest.
The other small items subsequent To 1888
are bclated witnesses bills. These figures
do not include counsel fees and other OK
penses of the contestants, nor costs inn
posed on city and other municipalities,
nor does ii take into account the made
quatc compensation 10 witnesses, ami
other hardships incident TO election con-
tests.
The estimates of the probable cost of
the Langstafr- Kelly contest vary greatly
from $4,000 to $4,000. In our Judgment
the most reliable estimate received was
an expense to the petitioners or county oc
600 the result in taxation ,thc county val
alton being about thirty-thToe millions of
dollars), would he an additional tax levy
of two and OnC-half mills.
We append also as Exhibit to No. .
list of the election contests gathered from
the books in the office of the prothono-
tary and clerk of the court, which We be-
licve to be substantially complete.
To summariZe-So long as we have eier-
tions we are Liable TO have contested clec-
tion suits, and the courts are the proper
and best tribunal for their determination.
Second. much relet can be secured in the
enactment Of amendments 70 the election
law as hercinbcfore suggested. and these
changes effected will make the final com
plete correction Of the system much SIM
pier and easier.
All of which is Respectfully submitted,
,Signed W. a. May.
Geo SanderaCn.
II