Bisbee daily review., 1911-05-19

The revision of the electoral laws | was, it was explained, designed to secure two main objects, viz: TO define the nature of the election or vote and to devise a series of meas .ures for the purpose of rendering the suffrage effective and practical.
 Tn regard to the nature of the elections. the executive carefully sur. veyed the various aspects of the problem. Educational Qualifications Proposed
 Tt had before 1t the system of the direct vote as the most adequate ex> precision of the popular will for the election of public officials. coupled with a restriction of the suffrage in such form as to admit only such citizens as possessed education enough to enable them to know what they were about.
 1 'On the other hand, the executive had before 1t the system of univer
 sal and indirect suffrage, the only system at present sanctioned by the constitution. and defended on the
 ground that, or ie one hand, the
 indirect method is the most suitable
 for the designation of public fuuc-
 tionaries under the regime of party
 politics. and that, on the other, the
 democratic spirit of our people de
 mands the universality of the suf-
 frage. without any distinctions or differences even though based on ed iucational qualifications.
 "The executive would forthwith
 have addressed itself to these prob
 lems and would have presented such
 8 solution thereof as in it's opinion
 was best calculated to conduce to the orderly and pacific political eyolu-
 ton of the country, had not the
 same executive felt from the begin ming that 1t was bound by it's prom Ise to bring about revision of the
 electoral laws with the least possible
 delay, while. on the other hand, 1t
 was plain that public opinion was not and is not either unanimous or . very clear as tO this vital issue.
 Universal Plan Adopted VI For these reasons the executive thought best to take for granted the system of universal and indirect sui frege, established by the constitu
 ton, and to frame the electoral law with the single aim of ensuring the reality of the suffrage and the regu lar organization of political parties
 to direct its nse
 If during the debates on thi.
 bill in the legislative chambers, pub - lie opinion should become uniform ? or should even manifest itself pre- ponderatingly in favor of a restrict , ed suffrage or the direct system O
 voting. or both principles combined the executive will either propose ol - give it's moral support to the neede' | consuIuuional amendment; but, in tht ! meantime. the executive desires tha 7 the new electoral law De discussed
 in order that it may become effective l. at the forthcoming elections in 1912
 With respect to the bill, th'
 method which it lays down for th' , holding of elections may be summed b up as follows:
 i, First: A sufficient period is al | lowed for the formation of an cleo Q toraI register, in which all qualifie'
 citizens may be registered and iron Q which those who constitutionally arr
 not entitled to vote may be excluded
 Sec ondly: All citizens are permit
 ted to take Uart in the verificatiol
 of the electoral register and the pre- = paratorv procedure is made public : Thirdly: In the primary ele( !. tions all interference on the par
 of the political authorities is abol
 ished. and as tO the municipal au
 thorities. the only power given then [ is that of desigrating the polling Of : cers. in order to obviate the fraud 2 and acts of violence to which tn : present system is ant to give rise 2 but. on the one hand, the differen T political parties are given the righ of obiecting to any polling ofhcie } or officials whose indeDendence owini 2 to the nature of their occupations
 may be doubted. and on the othe f hand, it is provided that the teller or serutineers are to be drawn f-or n the political parties themselves, thu a lrrecludine all frauds on the part O l. the authorities in the eomputatio e of the votes.
 r Watchers Allowed
 Il 'Fourthly: The various politics il parties are also given the right C IT appointing supervisors to be preser g. at the polling and 10 be entitled [
 obtain without delay a certified cor n of the precis.
 H "Fiftblv: At tue final election n, the political parties are to eHJoy n ,+ same rights. while care is taken I'd eliminate from the electoral collee 'S all persons in authority and all pS t9 sons liable to exercise any sort m pressure.
 It "Sixthly: The recognition of sa - political parties is the most impo 33a liant feature of the amendments pr I. rosed in our electoral methods. ar ~ affords the surest guarantee that t' '' renovation of the public powers Vi .o be effected systematically. witho I disturbances of the peace and in a l cordance with the fat of the natio ' "Politieal parties, in order to
 recognized. win have to comply wi - lcertain requirements guaranteeil - their regular organization, as w le as the seriousness and legitimacy "a their aims.
 eg ITO sum up. the new electoral Ia s is basel on two fundamental prin' Of ples. viz, the publicity of all ar
 connected with the elections. fro a, the preparatory registration ;o | n' actual polling and the computat'' sh of the votes. and the intervent' Q subject to given rules, of polite as narties, legally organized in |