The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1912-05-30

vict illegal voters? The constitution
names one class Of cases in which they
may be inspected, and unless the sup
posed cases belong 10 that class the
state has no more right than an indi-
vidual suitor 10 the inspection Of the
ballots"
Aitsr thus quoting Gantt's opinion in
the Won Stade case Col. Ball grew elo-
quent and impressive when he said;
Such was the doctrine announced
by Judge CAN'T in the Won Stade
case. 49,. But just two
years after Judge CAN'T wrote that
opinion, at the general election in
1910, he was struck in the bowels and
his entrails fell out, and he cried fraud
and caused to be instituted a suit to
contest the election Of his opponent.
He became quite anxious TO get into
the ballot boxes" And this was not
all the Pike county candidate for gov
einor said about Judge Gantfs change
Of mind about the sacred secrecy Of
ballots that might reveal too much.
Col. Ball then told how Judge Mar
shall, attorney for CAN'T, (and the
author Of the notorious Marshall opinion
rendered when he was on the supreme
bench effectively closing the ballot
boxes to the courts), applied to the
supreme court for writ permitting the
opening Of ballot boxes, and exposing
ballots to investigation, and how Judge
Graves, an eminent democratic member
of that court, said, in his opinion in the
case (Gantt VS.. Brown:
The stability Of our government is
dependent upon the honesty and purity
Of the ballot. The secrecy OF the bal
lot had better be scattered to the four
winds rather than have such secrecy
shield corruption in elections. The
trainers Of our constitution, in providing
for secret ballot, never dreamed that
they were erecting a bulwark behind
which fraud could lurk and propagate,
and eventually run rampant throughout
the land. Better a thousand times that
the individuals vote should be spread
upon canvas under calcium light, than
that fraud should be locked up within
the lids Of official ballot boxes and poll
books, with no known legal method Of
exposing such frauds"
Commenting on the Graves opinion,
which has redeemed the supreme court
from the stain Of the Marshall opinion
and made possible the conviction of
election crooks and thieves, Col. Ball |
said:
That doctrine has the right sound.
It means to protect and maintain the
right Of each and every voter. It
means to uncover fraud and crime per
petrated at the polls, by each voter or
Judge Of elections and furnish the evi
dence, il in the ballot box, to convict
the guilty party It means to protect
and maintain the stability OF our gov
eminent, because the government rests
upon honest elections. Because ad
vocated the doctrine announced by
Judge Graves, that the ballot boxes
should be opened and the evidence
contained in them be used against the
judges who counted votes different from
the way voted, and by so doing dis
franchised more than $4,000 democrats
that voted for me for governor and de-
prived me Of an honestly won victory,
l am accused Of having defeated the
ticket in 1908.
1T is true that l caused TO be pros
ecuted judges Of the primary election
in 1908 in the city Of St. Louis and
did all I could to convict them, and
did secure the conviction OF several.
II that is treason TO the democratic
party, then l plead guilty"
What Dave Ball is saying now about
Cowherd, Judge CAN'T and the erst-
while attitude Of democratic leaders
t1pravI tbn