The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1910-09-10
Keep the Franchise Invio1ate

7 y free America, when a man sells his hours of labor to his employer
that is all he does sell and all that can be exacted of him. lie
does not sell his right to think, he does not surrender to MS III
ployer his religious opinions o r convictions, his control over his lam
lily and business affairs, his right to free and independent action IN MS
relations with his fellow citizens, and above all his right to his fran
chise-his rights Is a American citizen to exercise his vote a S ne
sees fit.
Any man who sells his franchise to his employer becomes his
slave and chattel; he sells the only thing that his country confers upon
him-that which entities him to all the benefits of American citizen
ship, without which he cannot claim certain rights under the law The
franchise is his badge of citizenship, which no mar can take awayfrom
him and which no man can interfere with without bringing down up
on himself the vengence of the law, The strictest and most compre-
hensive laws have been passed by federal and state government for
the protection of the individual in his franchise, and the severest pen
alties have been imposed.
When a company or individual employer undertakes to control
the vote of an employee by threat or intimidation, he does violence t.
the law and can be prosecuted.
The general election laws of this state, which apply also to pi
maries, read as follows:
Sec. SO. Every person, vino by force, threats, menaces,
bribery, or any corrupt means, EITHER DIRECTLY OR IN
DIRECTLY, ATTEMPTS TO INFLUENCE AN ELECTOR
in giving his vote, or to deter him from giving the same, or
ATTEMPTS BY ANY MEANS TO AWE, RESTRAIN,
HINDER OR DISTURB ANY ELECTOR IN THE FREE
EXERCISE OF THE RIGHT OF SUFFRAGE, or furnishes
an elector wishing to vote, who cannot read, with a ticket,
informing or giving such elector to understand that it con-
talnS a name written o u printed thereon hlereH IIom INC
name which is written Oh printed thereon, or defrauds any
election by deceving and causing such eector to vote for a
different person or any office than he intended or desired to
vote for, or who, being Inspector, Judge or Clerk of any cleo
ton, while acting IS such, induces or attempts to induce, any
elector either by menace or reward, or promise thereof, to
vote different from what such elector intended or desired to
vote, shall be guilty of a felony, punishable by fine not ex
ceeding one thousand dollars, or Imprisonment in the state
prison not exceeding five years, or by both such fine and i'm
prisonment.
We submit that this law was violated in many respects by officer
and employees of one of Goldfeld's largest corporation-the Consoi
dated Mines company, at the late primary election. The afternoon anc
night before election the bosses went through the mines notifying tn
men how they were to vote; and on election day the general superin
tendent of mines, with a force of workers, appeared at the polling
places, giving orders to men to vote, furnishing them with candidate
cards and checking the men as to how they voted. They even had tn
efrontery to invade the polling places with hired checkers to intimi
date the voter as he called for his ballot. And moreover, money by thu
thousands was turned loose in the middle of the day to elect certain
candidates and defeat others, and it is not difficult to tell where the
money came from-in fact it could be easily proven; and were it not
tween the mines and the citizens of the district, the offenders would
be brought to justice. But suffice it to say, that at the coming gen
eral election a repetition of these offenses will not go unwhipped OF
justice.
The coming legislature must add more specific laws to the cor
rupt practices act, making it a felony for any company ofcial, en-
ployer, or boss of men to communicate in any way with their en-
ployes as to how they are to vote, or to appear at the polls except to
vote, or loter around the polls or appear upon the streets actively en-
gagged in furthenng the chances of any candidate; and a heavy penal
ty should be imposed upon any employer who discharges a man be-
cause of the way he voted. Such a bill will be presented to the legis-
lature at the forthcoming session and it will doubtless pass without
opposition except from representatives of the Interests.
The Moral