Bisbee daily review., 1910-09-09
NEW MEXICO ELECTIONS
 (Cornu, u,upicofad

To the Editor: The earlier returns from the election of delegates to the constitutional convention in New Mexico indicate that the republicans have elected majority of the dele state prepared in Washington by Hitchcock will likely be speedily adopted and the delegates adjourn and go home.
 Anyone acquainted with the anti quated and corrupt methods of con- will not be surprised at the result. In Arizona we have the Australian ballot system and the ballots register the will of the people. In New Mex leo it is different. The population of such counties as Valencia, SandovaI, Rio Aririba, Santa Fe, Taos. Mora, San Miguel and Socorro in which two thirds of all the people of the Terri tory live. have a population that is seventy-five per cent native Not that the native does not make good cit izen. because from an experience of
 
 writer knows them to be as patriotic loyal and conscientious citizens as any, where they have had the same advantages of education as those of Anglo Saxon descent, but the public school has not flourished there and they are in consequence as a whole, kept more easily under the domina- tion of the unprincipled and corrupt and self seeking leaders of both their own and the whiter race
 Under the system of voting in that territory a democrat might easily actually receive 5000 to 5000 major ity and yet be counted out There is no doubt that Larazolo each time he has run has received a majority of the votes cast for delegate to con gross but the returns have been kept back in the heavily republican counties, so that it may be accurately ascertained how many votes it is necessary to change to elect the re- publican candidate.
 In elections the ancient tickets are used 3xs inches. with all of the names of the candidates for ofice from the delegate to congress down to justice of the peace and constable, printed thereon, and the emblem of the party at the top, the republicans using the flag. the democrats the flag and eagle. Anyone can register any one else. dead men and sheen. for a month prior to the election. The cleo ton board in each precinct is com posed of two judges and one clerk or the majority party and one judge and one clerk of the minority party. These judges are selected by the boards of supervisors. who are the sole judges of the party feafty of the members who compose the board. In the republican counties (the Mexi- can counties) it is often the case that the supervisors select so-cailed demo- crats. who are really republicans as the minority members of the election boards. or democrats who can be fin fluenced.' who will make it conven- tent to leave the place Of election when counting IS in progress for consideration. etc. The ballots are handed in and put on a string and when the polls are closed or during the noon hour perhaps or even when the boxes are on the way from the various precincts to the county seats the boxes are opened. number of democratic ballots are taken out and a like number of republican ballots substituted. By holding back the box es until returns from the democratic 1 counties are all in. enough votes can | always be changed in one way or another to secure a safe majority | This is not true. of course, in the | American communities and precincts | where there are too many men of both parties who will not stand for ! any such methods.
 To the disgrace of both parties be t said, neither republican nor demo