Iron County register., 1899-11-30

control Of she sheriff or mayor. They
did moi report 10 The mayor or saerii
or anybody else. bat they remained.
! as far as our Information goes. under
the control AID direction of an iguor-
ant partisan. who had no more righ'
to control them than any of you They
! we're here unlaWfullE. every one was a
ziolaior OF the Law and was a menace
TO the people OF Coviagtou- Every
step they took upon the streets of this
] town was a violation of the Law. There
was never any dagger of anything
/ happening until they came"
! Incidents of this kind are SO frequent
in Republican communities and under
officials of that party that the people
have grown callons regarding them.
! and co not realize their sinister in-
port Judge Tarvin called attention
to this dangerous indifference of the
people in The following sentences:
when l saw that thing last Tues
| day-saw the streets OF this town filed
with those armed men. while decent
| peaceable citizens undertook 10 dis
! charge their duties as electors. il seem
! ed 10 ne tnat the people Of this coD-
lnunity had less of the spirit of their
ancestors than they should possess. or
they would not quietly submit to any
thing Ike that"
Judge Tarvin closed his charge TO
! the grand jury in the following i'm
presslye terms:
Il have spoken to the grand jury
with some directness on this subject,
| because it Is the law that have been
/ talking of, and because | feel very
strongly upon those subjects. know
of nothing in all our government or its
administration. that can equal in i'm
portance fairness in elections, and ab-
solute absence of all force or show of
force when We are carrying on our
elections; and you gentlemen, when
you come TO the investigation of these
matters and the Indictment of those
who may be guilty, are not acting as
men belonging to one political party
or another, you are acting as Ameri-
can citizens. above party differences
and parlisaoship. looking to the vim
dication of the laws of the COMMON
wealth. looking to the establishment
of fair elections. looking to the elimi-
nation o. all force from elections, en-
deavorlug as honest, reputable citizens
to carry out the solemn and sacred
obligations you have taken here to-day.
That is your position, as it has been
mine. have done my duty in the
premises, or have tried TO do il, and
now / want you 10 do yours 10 the very
utternost extent"
Fraudulent voting affects not only the
rights and privileges of citizens in the
communities where the fraud Is COM
mitted, but OF the entire country. In
Kentucky. for instance, the choice of
United States Senator hinges On the
result of the late election. and the
Senate makes laws for every State in
the Union. In 1896 frauds similar to
those in Kentucky gave Us Mckinley
instead of Bryan for President, re-
sUltiRg in a needless, expensive and
disgracefnl war for the subjection OF
an alien people lighting for their lib
critics; in the organization of gigan-
tic system of trusts powerful enough
to defy the government itself. and a
portentious advance toward Imperial
ism. Frauds in election threaten the
very foundation of the Government.
and every citizen. without regard TO
whether he lives in the State where
the fraud is committed or not, has a
right TO protest. Again We quote
Judge Tarvin Oh this point:
Every fraudulent vote that is cast
in an election, or every vote that is
fraudulently returned in an election,
is an injury and wrong, not only TO
the government as such, not only to
the public as such, but II is 3 fraud
and wrong to every Individual who
casts his ballot at that election. Ev-
cry fraudulent vote that is cast or
every fraudulent vote that is returned
nullifes and wipes out the vote of
some honest, decent elector. and
know of nothing in the way of viola
ton of Law in the State or city that
ought to arouse more general resent
nens among the individuals of COM
muuity than frauds in elections.
The people of kentucky are passing
through an experience similar to what
We had in Missouri twenty-seven years
ago, and If it should result in making
that State permanently Democratic, as
il did in Missouri, the present crisis
will not have been in vain.-MESSisslp
pi TGiieg Democrat and Journal.
Marsh Arnold for 0ockery,