The Green Forest tribune., 1912-09-06
ton, to select the county commission

ton. to select the county commission CTS.
 The county commissioners are required, under the proposed meas ure, to meet at the court house in each county at o'clock in the forenoon on the second Monday in August prior to the general election and it is provid- ed that no proceedings shall be had with less than three members present, until two of the members shall have remained at the place of meeting for an hour and shall have had the third member publicly called three times at intervals of twenty minutes. The law also provides that the counting of the ballots shall begin immediatel; upon the closing of the polls and shall be continued without interruption un- til the count is completed. The re- turns are required to be made to the county commissioners within "A hours after the closing of the polls and the commissioners are directed to declare the results as soon as the returns from all the precincts are received, but in no event later than the second day after the election.
 The petitions asking for the submis' sion of the proposed law to the peo- pie, was signed by about 15,000 voters. Those in charge of the campaign be. ing made in support of the measure, declare that it is not partisan move. ment but that the signatures of sev. eral thousand Democrats were attach. ed to the petitions which were filed in the office of the secretary of state. It is asserted that the fight is one for honest elections and that the members of all parties are interested in it.
 RemmeI Gives His View.
 "I do not think that this could be regarded as partisan measure" said H. L. Remmel, chairman of the Re. publican state central committee, in discussing the matter. Tt is one in which the people of all parties are concerned and many prominent Demo- crats either signed the petitions for the initiation of the measure or have expressed themselves as being in ia vor of it.
 The principal object of the pro- posed new law is to give the two domi- nant political parties each the right to name the election commissioners and the election judges representing them. This is of as much importance to one party as to another for it will take from the hands of the state cleo tion commissioners the power to ap. point whenever they desire as county commissioners, Democrats as we'll as Republicans. The county commission CTS, under the proposed law, must be selected from lists furnished by the chairmen of the two state central committees and this insures that the Democrats and Republicans alike will get the men whom they want as coun- ty commissioners.
 William Jennings Bryan, in a let ter addressed to the Oklahoma con, stitutional convention, declared that it is not wise to allow the dominant par ty to select representatives from the minority party or parties. Each par. ty should have the right to select it's representation; in no other way can fairness be insured he declared. Where the dominant party selects the minority representation, the selec. tion is too often made from those whe are only nominally members of the 1v,o rtr tho rt i. cations are allowed to select represen. tatives, the persons selected will not only be bona fide members of their respective parties, but owing their al. legiance to their own organizations, they will be f-.t to be more trust. worthy
 'The other principal features of the proposed law are those which provide for public meetings of the various election boards at stated times and for the early counting of the ballots and announcement of the results. These are provisions to which do not believe there can be any objection from those who want to have honest cleo. tions and they have been approved by many of the leading men of the state, regardless of their party affilia' tions. We believe that there is de- sire for fair and honest elections. The dominant party will alawys have two of the three county commissioners, two of the three election judges in every precinct and all of the state commissioners. Aside from the fact that each of the two dominant par. ties would be given the right to have judges and clerks of their own SC. lection, there are no vital changes from the present laws"
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