The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-01-15
oconlInued lrom yeaterday.l }.
Election Laws.

2 stAaSt4e 4tot7h 70 tHe SpNTuptlonl III
our elections. Besides the danger, the
buying Of the vtes corrnpts and debas-
es politics SO that no self.respecting
man wants to have anything to do with
It either as a candidate or as work.
er for his party. It destroys party pa.
triotism and takes from public AFFAIRS
largely the zest that comes from prop
er participation in them. Prof. Ely
says that 'Thucydides said he was a
dangerous citizen who paid no atten-
ton to politics." / am addressing
gentlemen, each of whom has been
probably not only candidate for
election to the position he holds as
members of the Legislature, but also
a candidate in his party's primaries.
It Is therefore not necessary for me
to expatiate upon the nuisance OF the
professional boodler and the CRATER,
who not only sells his vote at an cleo.
ton, but bleeds candidates. The bleed
Ing Of candidates is not confined, how.
aver, to professional bodlers. am
sure that II some Of the good church
people could see in its true light the
practice that is INDUCED in by them of
soliciting subscriptions of all KINDS
from candidates, they would stop 1t,
because 1t Is species Of blackmail.
We shall not be able to stop these
evils unless the law goes into all the
details of them, and unless there Is
provision made to enforce the law. /
want to impress upon you, with all the
earnestness I can. the utmost import
ance Of making any law you pass upon
these subjects thorough, for unless
they go to the root of the matters and
cover the details, 1t is Just perhaps
as well not to do anything. Let the law
prohibit the soliciting from any per.
son who is candidate, either for the
nomination or for the election to any
Office, of any subscription or anything
else Of valae; require every candidate
to render fully itemized statement
OF all contributions made by him to
every object and purpose while can
dldate; staement of all persons who
solicited from him any funds or any.
thing else of value or any appoint.
nient or promise to appoint to Office
and the like; require every candidate
either to appear before the grand jury
and make a statement in this regard
or require him to file with his state.
ment of expenditures the name Of ev.
cry person who made an unlawful so.
licitation to him. Give the candidate
no choice about this matter, and when
the people who practice this thing
know that their names will be report
ed, they will stop 1t. This will pro,
tect the candidate, and break up the
evil.
! do not believe that votes would be
bought If those who buy them had no
way to ascertain whether the seller
delivered the goods, = other than the
boodler's own word. Hence. it has
been my idea for years that we can
practically stop the buying OF votes II
we can find some way that will pre-
vent the voter from proving how he
voted. The present law is very lame
in this respect. Unfortunately, under
our constitution we can not make the
law as 1t ought to be; because the con.
stiution gives every man the right to
vote an open ballot IL he desires. The
voter who sells his vote can prove
how he votes aud claims the pay by
voting an open ballot. recommend n
complete revision of chapter three of
the code and the consolidation with it
OF the matter contained in chapter
five, concerning offenses against
elections. Ten. years ago gave con-
siderable time to the consideration OF
this matter and drew bill to revise
chapter three. 1t was introduced in
the Legislature and printed as Sen.
ate Bill No. 161 in the journal of 1897.
This bill was based on the election law
of the State of Ohio, which, after
some investigation, appeared to have
been well considered. Many amend
ments were made to theSbill after It
was printed, as it had very thorough
consideration by a select committee
of five gentlemen. The principal feat
ures of 1t were that there should be
four election commissioners at each
precinct, two from each of the strong
eat political parties, who after counting
the ballots, would burn them, except
only sach as they could not agree
about, whcih would be returned with
the returns to the returning board at
the county seat, composed of four
citizens, two from each of the strong
est political parties. 1t prohibited the
voter from receiving any aid from any
election officer in filling up his ticket
unless he was physically disabled, that
is. unless he was blind or paralyzed
mr. tho Tito o,d rant,f,-ad I,f,,, IN ,,aaIe