Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1902-08-21
Challenge to the Republicans to
Point Out an Unfair or
Unjust Provision.
SECRETARY COOKS FACTS AND FIGURES.
There are Fraud in All Large Cit
les, and 1t Is Unjust to Condemn
a Fair Law because of That
Frauds In New York and Tremen-
dous Frauds in Philadelphia.

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 /.
Following is he latest chapter:
"Much has been said by the repub-
lican party press and republican par
ty leaders in denunciation of the eX-
listing election laws in Missouri.
These laws are persistently and saw
agely assailed in general terms as
Infamous fraudulent and 'dishon-
est but it is significant that no re-
publican has been able to point to a
single provision of the Missouri cleo
ton laws which is unfair or unjust,
or which makes fraud possible.
y a matter of fact, our election
laws to-day are practically what they
were in 1895, when the bill drafted
by the civic federation of st. Louis
was passed by a republican house and
a democratic senate, and approved by
d u~cllloCIdtlC SONeTuOT.
1.-THE only material difference be-
tween the st. Louis election laws of
to-day and those enacted by the re-
publican house in 1895 is that the '0J
law empowered the mayor to appoint
n member of the board of election
commissioners, while the present law
places the power of appointment of
all three members with the governor,
one of which must be of the opposite
politics of the majority, as under tie
law of 1895. This, of course, does not
change the political aspect of the law
at all. Under the present law, two
members of the board must belong to
the majority party. The same is true
under the law of 1876.
THE law of 1895 provides that the
governor should appoint the presi-
dent of the board and "a second men,
Der and that the mayor should APP
point the third member, who should
be OF the opposite political party
from the governors appointees. Con-
sequently, if the law of 'Y5 was now
in force, the appointee of the mayor
would be a republican and both of
the governors appointees would e
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 par
tizan If he was appointed by forty
republican mayors. He was Endorsed
for the appointment by republican
partizans of the most ultra type,
Both the Globe-Democrat and the
Star pronounced 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 of his rank p~artizanship. 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 sim
gle provision of the election laws eth
er in city or state which connives
at fraud or dis onest methods. That
fraud is perpetrated in Missouri as
well as in Illinois, Indiana. Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New York and other
states containing large cities, is I'M
qu~estionably true. 1t is true of all
large cities and, in the judgment of
the great majority of those who have
made this question one of intelligent
consideration, this fraud would be
greatly increased but for the re-
straining influence of the state.
New York has a state superintend-
ent of elections for the metropolitan
districts, appointed by the governor,
with power to appoint all necessary
deputies for the supervision of the
elections in the cities of New York
and Brooklyn. 1t is a fact worthy of
note that in Philadelphia, where the
election officers are selected bv local
authority and where the state exer-
cises no control, the practicing of
systematic fraud has surpassed that
of any in the Union.
"Nn intelligent citizen supposes
that, had the ~Ziegenhein gang had
undisputed control in st. Louis in the
selection of registering officers,
judges and clerks, there would have
been an honest election in that citv.
1t is only reasonable to suppose that
the same gigantic fraud that per-
meated the various city departments
under that administration would have
stolen its way into the great ma
jority of the polling places and made
it possible for that city, through dis
honest methods, to dominate the
state.
1T is absurd to hold, because there
is fraud practiced in the large cities,
that u election laws are dishonest.
AS well as it might be said that the
criminal laws of Missouri are dis
honest and a failure because thew do
not entirely prevent murder OF theft.
1.-THE present election laws of this
state afford every possible provision
for the casting of an untrammcled
ballot and for the punishment of
fraud, either in registration or il vot.
ing.
THE general laws of the state,
adopted in 1889, afford each of the
two leading parties equal representa-
ton in judges, clerks, challengers and
watchers.
In the city of St. Louis, Of which
special complaint is made by the re-
publicans, the republican election
commissioner has equal power with
the two democratic commissioners JJo