The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1908-06-24

and Of the people Of this Territory
generally, to the many open, shameful
and defiant frauds and violations of
our election laws that have disgraced
our public elections in this Territory
in the past, and notably at he last
general election. 1t was c~onclusively
proved by legal and competent evil
dence and was not denied, that in the
coal camps of Colfax county The polls
were established by the order Of the
Commissioners of the said County On
the private lands of the respective
companies owning and operating coal
mines; that the managers of said
companies arbitrarily refused to allow
any Democrats to be present at the
polls in said coal camps on election
day; hat in some of said coal camps
Democratic c~hallengers were subject
ed to i%ndignities and forcibly elected
from said camps by Deputy Sheriffs
acting under instructions from the
Managers of said companies; that the
din OOACo WCIS SIuICo dAu LIZ IOS-
istratio1 and poll books were padded
and hundreds of foreigners were COM
PEELED to vote the Republican ticket
under threats of discharge. We call
attention to the fact that these arbi-
trary acts have BEEF continuously
practiced in Co1fax county for the past
eight years until they have ripened il
to an established system.
The undisputed record of the Coun-
ty Valencia in election matters for
the past quarter of a century has been
a stigma and a reproach upon the fair
name of New Mexico. 1t is a proven
and established fact and it is not even
required that the voters should go to
the polls in that county, but the
officers of the Election Board cast
in some instances the registration
lists are copied into the p~oll-books in
strict alphabetical order. At the last
election in this county and in Tor
rance County, Republican ballots were
substituted in place of Democratic
ballots actually cast, and in n pre-
cinct in the latter county the judges
of election openly refused to permit
any Democratic ballots to be cast.
The foregoing instances are but a
few of the many open and defiant VIC
lations of our election laws and it is
humilating to be compelled to ac-
knowledge that with the single excep-
ton of Mr.. Frank w. Clancy, Dis
trict Attorney of the Second Judicial
District, NJ action has ever been Ia
ken by any Republican official, Ma
tional or Territorial, to stop these alb
uses or to punish the offenders.
We demand, and if entrusted with
the power, we pledge ourselves to a
strict enforcement of the election
laws by the Courts and prosecuting
officers.
We are heartily in favor of the
nomination of all party candidates by
a direct vote of the people at primary
elections held for that purpose under
the sanction of the Jaw and hereby
pledge our representatives in the next
legislature to work and vote for such
a law.
We believe that all county officers
should be paid fixed salaries, instead
of fees or commissions, for all ser
vices required of them by the Govern
ment.
We condemn the policy OF the Fed
era1 Government in prohibiting the
free grazing of livestock in the forest
reserves of the Territory, as unwar-
ranted and arbitrary; such policy
tends to injure and destroy the inter
ests of many small livestock raisers
and may create a monopoly of that
industry by the very few wealthy own
ers of sheep and cattle. The conser-
walton of our timber in such reserves
and the wise regulation of it's use in
order to prevent its waste and des-
truction, is a commendab1e economic
measure, but the FREE use Of the
lands in such reserves for the grazing
of live stock under suitable regula-
tons does not in an manner interfere |
of the timber growing therein and we
pledge the best, effort of our ca1di- |
date for Delegate to Congress to Sc
cur the removal of pasturage charges.
We recognize hat under an act of
Congress, the Interstate Commerce
Commission has complete jurisdiction
to regulate rates to be charged by
common carriers doing business in
New Mexico. We charge that in
numerous instances such rates are
NOT on1v eycessiyo and orhit Int