The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1902-08-21
No Republican Has Been Able
to Point to an Unfair or
Unjust Provision.
COOK REPLIES TO CHARGES.
Points Out Injustice Of COndemniug
Fair Law Because Frauds Are
Practieed in ST. Louis as
in All Large Cities.

III al Loi ~ Nb'NS'
Jefferson City, Aug. 13.-Owing to
the press of official duties during
the past few weeks, Secretary OF the
State Cook was compelled to tenn
porarily postpone work on his State
handbook. To-day he gave to the
press his chapter on Missouri election
laws. The book will be completed
by September L.
Following is the latest chapter
"lluch has been said by the Repub-
lican party press and Republican
party leaders in deuunciation of the
existing election laws in Missouri.
These laws ore persistently and saw
agelv assailed in general terms as in
famous. fraudulent and dishonest,
hut il is significant that no Republi-
canh has been able to point to single
provision OF the Missouri election
laws which is unfair or unjust, or
which makes fraud possible,
"As matter Of fact, our election
lawsto-day are practically what they
werein 1898, when the bill drafted by
the Civic Federation of St Louis was
passed bv Republican House and n
Democratic Senate, and approved by
a Democratic Governor.
rwu ELECTION LAWS COMPARED.
The only materia! difference be-
tween the st. Louis election laws OF
to-day and those enacted by the Re-
publican House in 1895 is that the
% law empowered the Mayor to APP
point one member of the Board OF
Election Commissioners, while the
present law places the power OF APP
pointment OF all three members with
the Governor, one OF which must be
OF the opposite politios of the major
ity, as under the law of 1899. This,
OF course, does not change the po-
: litical aspect OF the law at all. I'm
der the present law, two members of
the board must belong to the MAORI
ty business. The same is true under
the law of 1895.
The law of 1895 provides that the
Governor should appoint the Presi-
dent of the Board and second mem-
Der and that the Mayor should ap.
point the third member, who Should
be OF the opposite political party
from the Governors appointees.
Consequently, if the law Of 1895 was
now in force, the appointee OF the
Mayor would be "A Republican and
both of the Governors appointees
would be Democratic, exactly the
same political division that exists
under the present law.
The present Republican member
Of the Board could not be more of a
partisanif he was appointed bH forty
Republican Mayors. He was endors'
ed for the appointment by Republl-
can partisans of the most ultra type.
Both the Globe Democrat and the
Star prOn0uced the appointment an
excellent one from a Republican
standpoint. Whatever else may be
said of the present Republican mem
Der of the Board, no Republican has
questioned his zeal for Republican
success or his rank partisanship. So
much, then, for the Republican howl
as to the change in the appointing
power from the Mayor to the Gov
ernor.
THE Democracy of Missouri chal
lenges the Republicans to quote a
single section OF the election laws
eitherin City or State which connives
atfraud or dishonest methods. That
fraud is perpetrated in Missouri as
well as in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New York and other
states containing large cities, is un.
questionably true. 1t is true OF all
large cities and, in the judgment Of
thegreat majority of those who have
made this question one OF intelligent
consideration, this fraud would bt
greatly increased but for the restrain
ing influence of the State.
New York has a State Superin
tendent of Elections of the netropoli
tan districts, appointed by the Gov
ernor, with. power to appoint nj
necessary deputies for the supervis
ion of the elections in the cities o
New York and Brooklyn. 1t is a fact
worthy of note that in Philadelphia
where the election officers are selected
by local authority and where th,
State exercises no. control. the prac