The Penn's Grove record., 1905-02-17
Spring Elections Abolished.

oPA
The spring elections, commonly call
ed sTown Meetings. will be no more,
as the legislature has seen fit to abolish
them, by consolidating the elections of
all local officers from Township Com
mittee to pound keeper with that of
Governor and President. The people
have had their Town Meetings, when
the contest was on local affairs alone,
since the organization of local self gov
eminent. There has been no call from
the people to abolish them, only from
the politicians in the upper part of the
state.
The only reason given is that of
economy. 1t is true the money paid
the election officers in the spring will
be saved but no complaint has been
made by the people who pay the money
which all goes into the hands OF their
neighbors. When these same Legisla-
tors who use Economy as an excuse
vote for bills which have increased the
expense of the State hundreds of thou
sands of dollars, the plea of expensive
spring elections proved that their argu-
ment a fake.
In this country there are three seper-
ate and distinct forms of government;
local, state and national. The national
has to do with legislation on the ques-
ton of war, commerce, money, tariff,
and the relations of this nation with
other nations. The State has to do
with regulating the legal relations of
man to man, in marriage, divorce, NOR
al conduct, rights Of property, settle
ments Of estates, game and fisheries.
The local government has to do with
public highways for travel, caring for
the poor. overseeing the supply of the
public utilities of water, lights, local
transportations in cities and the en-
forcement of the Statelaws of morality
At every election some-natiional or
s<paramount and little is
said on other minor things at issue.
Many persons vote for a man for a GER
tain Office on the paramount issue, and
has to swallow many things of which
he does not approve. Asa consequence
much of the bad legislation is done and
approved.
AS a consequence representative gov
eminent is becoming a failure, because
so many legislators, while being elected
on the paramount issue, have their
elections bought by corporations, and
trusts who use them to pass laws
against the people s interest. The only
remedy is to allow the people to vote
on the questions that effect them, and
to have local, state and national cleo
lions at seperate times, and one para
mount issue decided at a time.
U. S. Senators should be elected by a
direct vote of the people when the
President and Congressman are elected
every two years. The State elections
should be held on the odd years between
the national elections, and by depriling
the legislators of a right to vote for U.
s. Senator, national issues are eliminat-
ed from State elections, and State is
sues solely discussed.
In the spring let local and county Of
ficers be elected on distinct local issues.
There was nc call from the people of
Salem county to abolish spring cleo
lions. Both Republican editors de-
clared there were none and spoke
against it. There was no call from the
people anywhere. 1t was passed be-
cause the Republican machine thought
it would benefit the party. The peo-
pie have no say, no remedy.
The only remedy is the enactment Of
the principles of the Initiative, Refer
endum and Recall. But the tighter
machine politics are made the harder it
will be for the people to get relief in the
future.