The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-08

republic is dead. Steal a mans property or
his money and you grievously wrong him
but the wrong may be repaired but to rob
him of the sacred rights and privileges Of
citizenship, undermine him and steal away
his liberty. conspire against him, secretly
and clandestinely destroy the Iorce anu
power Of the only weapon by which he can
peaceably defend and maintain his liberty
and his rights Kill his ballot by the deadly
poison Of money corrupuy used or or any
other corrupt means and You DC MIN DEAD
~ and irreparable wrong. 1t IS IKE steal
ing his good name.
BALLOT PROTECTION.
In confirmation Of what has been said.
may be pardoned for calling your attention
to a brief resume Of some Of the statutes OF
Indiana, passed for the protection Of the
ballot and to secure honest elections, and
quoting two or three sections thereof Sec
ton 6s25, Indiana Statutes, Burns's Revision
Of 1894, which went into force March 8, 1889,
provides: Whoever hires or buys, directly
or indirectly, or handles any money, or any
means, knowing the same to be used to in
duce, hire or buy any person to vote or re-
frain from voting any ticket or for any
candidate for any office at any election neid
pursuant to law, or at any primary electlon
or convention of any political party, then
the person so offending in any one or the
foregoing particulars, and all other persons
aiding, abetting counseling, encouraging or
advising such acts, shall thereby become
liable jointly and seVerally TO the person
hired, bought or induced to vote or refrain
from voting by the means above enumerat-
ed in the sum of $500 and reasonable atior-
ney's fees for collecting the same in an
action to be brought as hereinafter provided,
on the relation of the voter in whose favor
the liability is created by this section"
1856. 2S37, 1855 $50 $40 28ii 28l5 2sl8. 2Sls
Indiana Statutes, Burns's Revision of 1884,
which went into force May 10, 1889, provide
Section 1927. Any person being a candi-
s1a4r for nfTaaf ioYa to off M
trust under the Constitution or laws of
this State or of the United States, before
any convention held by any polltlcal party
or at any primary election, Who loans pays,
or gives or promises to loan, pay or give
any money or other thing of value to any
delegate or elector or any other person, for
the purpose Of securing the vote or influence
of such delegate, elector or person, for his
nomination, and whoever hires or other
wise employs for consideration any person
to work for the nomination of any person TO
any office or TO work for the selection Of any
delegate to be chosen at any party conVen-
tion or primary election, shall, upon conVlc-
tion thereof, be fined in any sum not more
than $500, and disfranchised and rendered
incapable of holding any office OF trust or
profit within this State for any determlnate
period and if nominated shall be ineligible
to hold such Office"
The other sections named fix severe penal
ties for the crimes of bribery of an elector,
seeking to influence voters, directly or in
directly, by money property or other thing
of value, influencing electors to refrain from
voting, breaking ballot box or altering re-
turns, frauds practiced by election officers,
inspector or judge of an election refusing
to receive vote, officer pursuading voter
officer opening or marking ticket, deceiving
an iliterate voter defrauding a voter, using
violence, threats or restraint for the purpose
of influencing a voter, Selling or attempt
ing to seize a ballot box, destroying ballot
box or ballots. bribery to procure election.
Section 232S Indiana Statutes (Burns's sup
plement of 1890, which went into force April
H. 1897, provides as follows:
Whoever sells, barriers, or offers to sell
or barter his vote, or offers to refrain from
voting for any candidate or candidates for
any office, at any general, special, or pri-
mary election, or convention either for any
money or property or thing of value, or
for any promise or favor or hope of reward
shall be fined not more than $780, nor less
than $40, imprisoned in the state prison not
more than five years nor less than one year
and rendered incapable of holding any office
of profit or trust for any determnate
period"
Section 1857. Indiana Statutes, Burns's Re
vision of 1894, which went into force Sept.
49, 1881, provides as follows
Every person who shall aid or abet in
the commission of a felony, or who shall
counsel, encourage, hire or command, or
otherwise procure felony to De committed,
may be charged by indictment, or affidavit
and information, tried and convicted in the
same manner as if he were a principal,
either before after the principal offender
is charged indicted or convicted, and upon
such conviction, he shall suffer the same
punishment and penalties as are prescribed
by law for the punishment of the principal
EVERY MAN HIS OWN MASTER.
Charles Sumner said of himself, "A slave
to principle, 1 call no man master" If
every one could say so much, the liberties
and rights of the people would be entirelys Sc
cure. No one should be content to say less
of himself. No one can say less of himself
without compromising his manhood, and
surrendering his self-respect. 1t is the Ian
guage of true nobility
O11r 10 fe ho nj
of elf-government-the right of the people
to govern themselves. This implies that
each one shall have an equal voice in gov
ernmental affairs, and that the expressed
will of the majority at the ballot-box shall
be supreme, and that the ballot shall be
clean and pure and undetled and sacred.
This expressed will of the majority can only
be made manifest by an absolutely free and
pure ballot and absolutely fair and hon
est count. Only in this way can the rights
and liberties of the people be maintained.
The purity and sancity of the ballot is the
foundation rock upon which the pyramid of
Liberty must stand, if it stand at all-the
only guaranty of freedom and liberty and
equal rights TO the people, and the only
hope for the future greatness of our beloved
land; the only hope for oppressed and strug-
Cling humanity. A pure and unsullied ballot
in the hands of intelligent freemen will
strike down every wrong and oppression and
injustice and brazen evil that dares to raise
its hideous head, and in due time will ma
terialize the ideal republic, of freedom and
free conditions, wherein all will be free
free to think, free to speak, free to act free
to live, and free to grow and develop and
unfold in honesty virtue and character and
to enjoy the blessings and bounties of the
best life possible for mankind If we would
enjoy the blessings of good government we
must comply with the conditions. We must
be Vigilant, active and brave, and do our
whole duty. The majority of the people are
honest and patriotic, and scOrn mean and
despicable thing. The majority of the people
hold in contempt the methods or the cor
rupt politician, and despise the boodler and
corrupter of the ballot What the people
need IS a thorough awakening to the ext
gencies of the hour, and a quickenng of the
sense of duty If we would Danish poverty
and crime or rather destroy the conditions
of proVerty and crime, we must
awaken TO duty. If we would have
wise and beneficent laws, and would
have them interpreted and con-
strued with wisdom and good judgment. and
faithfully and wisely executed, we must
preston of every kind and form and make
our beloved country the land of liberty in
fact as we'll as in name, we must awaken
10 duty. We must guard with jealous eye
the absolute sanctity and purity of the ball
lot and hold any man who defiles it to strict
accountability for his crime.
The statute law of the land brands him
a CRIMINAL felon The mark of Cain
is placed upon him by the law of the land
quasi appreciation of the success achieved
by it we must create a healthy public SEN
timent that viii make him feel, when he
stoops to degrade, corrupt and defile the
ballot. that foul blot will fasten upon him
that will not out regardless of his sue
cess or defeat. and that however much he
may cry in his heart, out, damned blot"