Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1899-11-24
Why Election Frauds Flourish.

nv ah SStiOu w luO
Press shows that Mr.. Salter is not
the only unauthorized person who
has received ballots from the Com
missioners contrary to law. The
requirements of the statute have
Osen ignored by the Commissioners.
They have been accustomed to
hand out the ballots to the Judge
of election when he came for them,
but 1T was all the same if some
polititian from the division person.
ally known to the commissioner
applied insteak. In the absence
of either of these any policeman
was eligible for the Office of con.
veying the ballots to election
booths where thcy were to be
used.
This loose and illicent practice
invited the very prauds revealed
in Mr.. Salter's division of the
Seventh Ward. Ballots can be
obtain ed not only for voting but
for stufling purposes. They can
be placed III the. hands of heelers
from Washington, Baltomore or
elsewhere, who as curbstone ap-
I.Ointed election officers can stuff
the ballot boxes, charge the votes
against u corresponding number
OF names on the padded assessors
list of voters, make their returns,
get their pay and clear out Of town
at once with perfect safety unless
a "etecti, happens to have been
on he tr,cts from the beginning.
Ii in the flicial counting any ir-
regul rty is discovered in the re-
turns from theee wards the Judges
will i'll vane cite the election off
GERS to appear before them. They
are not to be found.
These revelations support the
charge that there are at times as
high as $4,000 Fraudulent voters
east and counted in Philadelphia.
There is no reason why there
should nOl be with the present lack
OF adequate safeguards around the
D Hot box. So easy is it to commit
fraud upon the ballot that VT
wonder at the moderation that
presumably keeps that fraud some
where within $4,000 votes. Teere
is no self-respecting minority party
to insist ON an honest yo:e and
proteci the ballot box. The heeIers
of both parties stand together.
That is the present concition. Our
elections are bonnd continually to
be farce until the decent mem
bers of both parties unite to dc
mand and secure a radical reform.
The machine lives and thrives on
fraud. To beat the machine we
must first beat the fraud. Honest
elections must he the rallying cry
of all good citizens. The ballot
we have is not to Ice blamed with
the frauds perpratrated by means
oil it. 1t is the election machinery
that is at fault. Pennsylvania
needs, as New York needed and
secured, the protection of personal
registration. The distribution of
the ballots needs to be placed un-
der more careful supervision, and
watchers interested in seeing
fair vote and an honest count
should be installed in force in every
election booth and projected by
the police in the discharge of their
duties. The loose methods that
have prevailed heret ofore with the
absence of the need of personal
registration have invited the very
faauds at the revelation of which
good citizens now stand aghaust.
A few scoundrels may be sent to
Jail because of their disclosures, but
The frauds will be repeated until
the people demand and secure a
radical reform In our election ma
ch;nery.-Atlanta Constitution.
A Candidate.
j. W. Bausell, editor of the Leb
anon News, is candidate for the
SargeAnt-at.Arms before the next