The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1902-08-21

Z
deus Fraud. In Philadelphia.
Jefferson city, No, Aug i3,-Owing
10 the prcss of Official duties during
the past few weeks, Secretary ui
State Cook wua compelled to tenn
purarily postpone work on his htats
handbook. To-day be gave to ths
press his chapter on Missouri election
laws, The book viii be completed by
September !.
Following IL ,ie latest chapter:
"Much has been said by the rvpub-
lican party press and republican par,
" leaders IN Gcnanciatiou Of thr ex'
isllng election laws In Missouri
These laws are pgrdstcutly and say
Hgcly asSailed IN general terms a.
Infamous fraudulent and 'dishou
est but II h significant that no re-
publican has been able TO point 10 0
single provision of the Missouri exec
tiun laws which L. unfair or unjust
or which makes fraud possible.
As a matter ui fact, our election
laws to-day are prscsicaily rhat they
were In 1895. when the bin drafted
by the civic federation Of 81. Louis
was passed by q republican house and
democratic senate. and approved BY
democratic governor.
"fhc only material difference bc-
tween the st. Louis election laws of
to-day and those enacted by the 70.
Publican house In 1898 10 that the W
law empowered the mayor TO appoint
one member Of the board of election
commissioners, while the present Law
places the power of appointment uf
oil three members with the governor,
one Of which must be Of the opposite
politics 81 the majority, Rs under t..r
law Of iS95. This. of cnursc. does not
change the political aspect Of the law
at all. Under the present law, two
members Of the board must belong 20
the ma ioriiy party, The same is true
under the law Of .s85.
THE law Of 1895 provides that the
governor should appoint the pre,i.
dent Of the board and q second mem
her and that the mayor should Hp-
point the third member. who shouhi
I've Of the opposite poIitical party
from tho governor appointrcs. Con
Rcqucntly, II the law of 'gj was now
In force, the uppoiniee Of thr mayor
would he republican and both Of
the governor Hppolniees would e
democratic, exactly the same political
division that exists under the present
law.
The present republican member Of
the board could not ba more Of . par
tizGn II he was appointed by forty
republican mayors. lie wn. indors~,l
for the appointment by republican
parli1ans Of the most ultra tyne
Both tho Globe Democrat and tine
Star pronounced tire appointment en-
excellent one from republican
standpoint. Whatcter else may bc
tuid II the present republican mem
ber ~ the board. no republican has
questioned his zeal for republican
success ~ his rank partizanShip. so
much, then. for the republican howl
a. 10 the change in the appointing
power from the mayor to the gov
ernnT.
THE democracy OF Missouri chaI-
lcngcs the republicans 10 guotr sim
gle provision Of the election laws eth
cr in city or state which connives
81 fraud or dis. onest methods. That
fraud is pcrpetratctl IN Missouri as
well as In Illinois, Indiana, uhio,
Pennsylvania. New York aud other
states containing large cities. Is un-
queStionalily true. II s trse Of all
large cities aud, In the Judgment Of
the grsat majority Of those who have
made this question nnc ~ Intelligent
consideration. this frauu would be-
greatly increased hus for the re-
straininR influence of the state.
New York has u state supnrlntend-
ent Of elections for the metropolitan
districts, appointed by the governor,
with power TO appoint all necessary
deputies for the suprrvisian af the
elections in the ciliesgof Aew Ysrh
aud Brooklyn u W a faet w6rthy nf
note that in Philadelphia. where the
election Oihcera are selected by local
authority mud where the ss=tt exer
eises no control, fbe pracsicing af
Hysiemath fraud hes surpassed tlsat
ef aBy Ia the Union.
'Aa Intelligent cisixen suppnscs
that, had the Ziegenhein gang had
undisputed control In ST. Louis In The
selectipn Of regisleriRKs ofisers,
judges and clerk. there ysouid Raw
been an honest eleetlon IN 4hat cisy.
II is only reasonekiels6 saepose fhat
the same gigantic fraud that FER
meated the various city departments
under that administration would hayr
stolen iis way into the great ma
loriiy of the psliiAg places and unade
IL possible for that city, through dis
honest methods, to dominate the
state. ss---.-a q
1T II absurd to hold. bacanxe tlrrr
h fraud i'rseilce.i In the large cItlss,
that our election laws are dishonest.
A. well as ID might be said that the
laws ~ Missouri are saia-
honnst and failure because ihey, do |
not entirely pneyeus murder or theft. |
'The present e.ectinn laws of shis
state afford sYery possible provision
Tor ths casting ~ an untvammrleSa |
ballot aud for the punishment gof |
fraud, either in repatriation or In ves.
Ing. 4
! The general laws of tine state,
adopted In ASA. afford each Of sshs
Two leading parties equal -epreSente-
Iloasin issdges, cisTks, chailengerS and
watchers. ii
''In the city of 81, Louis. nj wisseh
'peelai complaint Is made b the re- |
lublicann, ihFs republican J rirction /
'nnsniissscnsf iias sqaaf poaer with
hs swodemoeratic commissioners. he
sames me repstblican Judges and |
;ierks. Tarre csu not be fraud prae-
iced withous his appoIntces sss..==x
'Asfie@ fhrrvsesg sSyDe,l 4
: s;tiis ;,sis. = 4--+-s
"The present law provides for she
.nxschu}ieawur1 a 10 carA 4