Barbour County index., 1909-04-14
Rebuttal

has column article In last weeks Cresset,
in an effort to justify hi. cratic and sense
less trade against the Index at church
meeting, because no emblem was printed
on the Union ticket on the ballot voted
at the city election. This article was In
spired because the Index last week called
the gentleman down by publishing the
law showing that no ballot could be
printed by us or anyone else to comply
Strictly with the statute when the party
making the nomination fails to select a
party emblem. We are now thoroughly
convinced that Glover does not know the
law in this case and for his edi6cation
we herewith publish the paragraphs ap-
picable to this case:
Party certiiclt ties of nomination shall con-
tain and show, by representation thereof.
some simple device or emblem to designate
and distinguish the candidates OF the political
party making the nominations
1T shall be lawful (speaking of parties
having no state organization) "for the men,
| bers OF such party, in conventions, primary
elections or caucuses held by them to make
nominations, to select and use such devices or
emblems as they prefer. subiec. to the provis-
ions of this act.''
! "The officers charged with the printing of
| the Official ballots shall print such candidates
| name upon the Official ballot UNDER THE DEs-
| IGNATIoN so SELECTED, BUT UNDER NO OTHER
! DESIGNATION WHATEVER"
Each ticket or column Except the blank
column and columns for independent nomina-
| iOnc b<.l.
blem chosen by or for the political party max
| ing the nominations therein shown BELOW
THE DEVICE OR EMBLEM there
| shall be printed black circle
so as to give each voter clear opportunity to
designate his desire to vote for each and every
candidate on such ticket" Above the circle
certain instructions shall be printed which we
Will not take the time to reprint
For all city elections the city clerk shall
have charge Of the printing of the ballots and
letting of the contract therefor"
In the foregoing we have cited all the
law applicable to the case and if Lawyer
Martin will read all Of it he will be
much wiser than he was the evening that
he worked off so much palaver and
senseless balderdash in trying to saddle
undeserved blame on the Index.
Mr.. Martin asks: What had the
emblem to do with the certificate Of NOM
ination?" 1t had all to do with it. 1t is
the onl y place it can appear for the clerks
instruction. If it is not part Of the NOM
nation certificate the clerk cannot certify
it to the printer.
Again, Mr.. Martin asks what blunder
he committed. His blunder was this:
He examined and passed on the certi6-
cate OF nomination. He should have
advised the Union party, as its legal rep
resentative, that the certificate must con-
tain party emblem in order that a bal
lot might be printed to comply with the
law. Is that sufficiently plain? To go
before congregation and so far forget
the prophecies Of the gathering as to attack
US and try to make it appear that we
had engineereda trick to disfranchise vot-
ers, when he himself was responsible for
the irregularities that existed, is without
justification. And since Mr.. Martin has
opened this attack we will add that after
the city clerk had decided on the form
OF the ballot (malk you. the clerk has
exclusive control Of the formation of the
ballot, the printer works under his direc-
tons) we went to Mr.. Martin and told
him that we desired to have it understood
how the ballot was to be gotten up so
that it would not have to be reprinted,
and he interposed no objection. We
cannot conceive how a man who claims
to be wholly righteous could be guilty of
such conduct as was evinced in his speech
and newspaper article after we went to
these special pains to satisfy him.
The trouble with Mr.. Martin is that
he is careless and Indifferent in his legal
opinions. His record as city attorney is
a positive failure. He will make mis-
take after mistake and then pick out an
innocent party against whom he has an
imaginary grudge, put on an air Of vain
infalibility and say, Thou art the man.
The Index reiterates that it had m
sIuchons from the proper authority to do
all it did IN the ballot printing, and per-
formed its entire duty and every man
who reads the law must concede it, not
withstanding Mr.. Martin blubberins at
tempt at sarcasm and irony. He ha.
been Aoundering around in the political
ce:spool so long that he can see virtue IN
nobody. Having tried nearly every
party and political fortune-wheel in his
6me. he IS today man without a party
and as lonesome as an ancient ruin from
whose ivy-mounted tower the moping owl
doth TO the moon complain.