Hattiesburg daily news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1907-1908, 1907-09-28
ELECTION FRAUDS SHOULD
| Be MORE CLEARLY DEFINED
Thinks Those Who Tamper With the
Ballot Should Be Disfranchsed and
Prohibited from Holding Office.
Crops Are Good in the Delta.
Daily News Special.

Daily News Special
Jackson, Miss, September 27.-Hon.
Charles Scott, of Bolivar County,
spent a few hours in the city today
on business. Mr.. Scott was one of the
most conspicuous candidates for Gov
ernor in the recent state primary
election, and was third in the con-
test-being neck and neck with Noel
and Brewer, the leaders. Mr. Scott
bowed in graceful acquiescence to the
will of the party and although friends
urged him to contest the result claim
ing that fraud had been perpetrated,
Mr.. Scott sternly refused to do so, de-
claring that the fight was family af-
fair, and that if wrong had been done,
or fraud perpetrated by some few un-
scrupulous political heelers, and that
this fraud was to his injury, neverthe-
less as a party man he preferred that
the Democracy should quietly talk the
matter over among themselves and
settle it by legislation that would in
the future prevent recurrence of
such disgraceful Proceeding.
Speaking of the primary election
law, Mr.. Scott said Il heartily con-
cur in the wisdom Of the lawmakers
and the people of the state in adopt.
ing the primary election law. think
1t is the proper thing and when per-
fected as it will be by experience, It
will prove a great blessing to the peo-
pie. There are, of course, some crud-
tiles in the present law, and many
things to be changed before the law
will meet the exigencies of the case.
Safeguard must and can be thrown
around it to prevent the possibility of
fraud. | concur in the suggestion of
Secretary of State Power, recently
published, that the county commission
ers of election shall canvass the reg
istration books and strike off all i'm
proper names, and then report the re-
suit of their labors to the state execu-
tive committee or to the secretary of
state himself, more properly. / go
further than this, and suggest that
not only the number of names legally
registered be reported to the secretary
of state, but that the commissioners
of election make an accurate copy of
the list by precinct in each county and
certify this copy of the registration
books to the secretary of state. This
will absolutely prevent fraud. 1
would also suggest that the strongest
possible regulations be made to pre-
vent frauds in elections. Election
frauds are the worse crimes that can
be committed almost because they
strike at the very foundations of
our republic which rests upon an in
telligent, honest and patriotic citizen
ry exercising collectively the sovereign
ty of the republic. Once permit the
ballot to be debauched, to become pur-
chasable, and once permit unscrupull
GUS men to control elections by fraud.
ulent voting or fraudulent counting
or fraudulent registration, ETC.. and wd
may as well say farewell to constituI
tional liberty and the glories of :
great free republic which was th2
dream Of the fathers who framed ou
constitution and electorate system.
think that the legislature should pas
a law defining election frauds am
then providing that my man guilty q
violating the election laws, or perp
frating fraud of any kind in election
primary or otherwise, should be I'd
ever disfranchised and barred fr
holding office. Added to this penl
will be- of course, the usual penaltl
for violating criminal statutes.
Speaking of the crop outlook,
Scott said that the prospect in
delta was good and that with
frost the crop there would be M
eretter than anticipated at the pref
time Mr.. Scott was looking III
mdet exoelIent health