Evening journal., 1902-09-05
STRONG PROTEST. z
BY DEMOCRATS
Ccontinued From First Pagc).

Continued From First Page.
nave promised to do. IL by the appoint |
mont of voters assistants you assistth
nefarious scheme OF polluting the ballot |
and corrupting by wholesale the next
general election in this State. render
ing It possible, by your act OF appoint
ing a tally clerk, for corrupt men 10
know that their purchased votes have
been delivered?
All. you say. II is not the duty OF the
governor 10 decide or determine the
constitutionality OF acts Of assembly.
! anticipate this objection. You say
the act stands upon the statute books.
and Il Is your executive duty TO en-.
force the law. This is a position. Gov
Tnor. which ! concede. You could not
reasonably be expected, as Governor, tol
perform duties OF q judicial character
and decide upon the constitutionality
Of laws as they were written. Neither
have our lawmakers overlooked the
fact that q governor OF this State might
be placed In just such q position as that
In which you now find yourself.
Our laws, fortunately, have provided
for you constitutional advisers to-
/ WAlOA Ou AtAAl AnAl LII Al uiilHiOiA 80 w
what your duties are under the two
conflicting acts regarding voters as
sistants, TO which ! have referred. II
the act of 1901 is invalid, the act Of
1897 remains in full force, and If you
appoint and commission voters assist
ants, you will violate the law, and any
one who acts as voters assistants may
be prosecuted and appropriately pun
fohaI aft Ia s1l lr1rls in fhnfr
wisdom, to prevent the Governor of
this State being placed in such a dis
agreeable and impossible position
have provided ORevised Code Of 1S93
chapter q, section a.. "That the Chan
cellor and judges, whenever the Cover
nor shall require It for public infOr-
nation. or to enable him to discharge
the duties OF his office with fidelity,
shall give him their Dpinions in writ
ing touching the proper construction Of
any provision in the Constitution Of this
State. or of the United States, or the
constitutionality Of any law enacted by
the Legislature of this State"
If you wish to perform the duties of
your Office with fidelity, how easy it is,
Governor for a conscientious man,
where the provisions OF the fundamen-
tai law of our State seem to render it
impossible to do what an act OF the
Legislature says shall be done; howeasy
Il is for you to ascertain from all the
learned judges Of this State what, in
their opinion, is your duty in the mat
ter. Think of what great burden may
be lifted from you by asking of the
judges whether or not the act proyid-
ing for the appointment of voters as
/ ufufnnfg & trbf4b rt,apffnufIrr oI
to the spirit Off our Constitution
is to be held by you valid or
void. You cannot doubt THAT the opin-
ions sou will receive from the judges
of this State will be honest fair and
convincing. You will not say that the
judges of this State. representing both
political parties. are not learned in the
law OF for partisan ends, would adj
wise you wrongly Can you say that
Chancellor Nicholson. Chief Justice
Lore, Judges Spruance, Grubb. Penne-
will and Boyce would not give you
opinions which are consistent with the
law and the Constitution? Every cit-
zen OF this State would accept the opin-
ion OF these judges rendered in our Su-
preme Court.
Governor. will you give them a
NAeANN " otla Mn1NAiNl lbu Will VI Will
not violate your oath of Office and the
laws Of this State II you aid and fur
ther a corrupt partisan purpose and apa
point voters assistants?
This purpose must have your active
assistance. or il must fail. Is Your
ENcellency convinced that you are face
to face now with probably the gravest
duty governor OF this State was ever
Jcalled upon to perform? With the
I greatest respect for the hish office
which yoi ill, l may properly say that
The course you shall adopt 'n this par-
liCular emergency will, in the history
Of our state, cause you and your aj-
ministsacon to be commenlod or just
/ ly condemned by all good citizens. The
burden o. this matter is lpOn your in
dividual shoulders, Governor. aud you
ppust lear il. You fortunately may de-
cido how your administration shan
hereafter be characterized.
Respectfully yours.
Willard Salisbury,
Chairman Democratic state Central
Cuminlttee.
As previous correspondence ] have
addressed to you, in an official charnc-
ter, regarding public business has been
lso unproductive Of result, in this mat
ter Of so grave public Importance l
shall take the liberty of treating this
as an open letter and hand copies OF il
to the press the same day it is mailed
to you.