The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1914-01-21
Do Your Own Thinking.

'Ae'A1 iSioiH' AuOSc dSaluSC CnanSe
cloak their purpose. They do not de-
fend present conditions, that is a hope
less task. They stand back and object
to each change suggested, saying it
will take the ballot away from the
poor man or from the man who can
not write. These objectors give no
reason for their charges, nor do they
offer other measures. Men are EXPECT
ed to follow them blindly.
Every man should do his own think
Ing about these primary changes. The
troubles are before us, and known of
all men who care to look The reme-
dies proposed are easy to understand.
The Remedies.
Record the poll lists at the court
house before and after voting.
Permit the voter to enroll on only
one club list, and only In the pre-
c1nct wheer he lives or works.
Identify the voter at the ballot box,
Where important requirements are
violated hold another election.
These safeguards are those adyo-
Gated by experienced party workers
from all sections of the State. They
nave been gathered from discussions
on many occasions during many years.
Leaders In the legislature who oppose
extreme measures came to a pretty
general agreement to support a bill
emDodying these points. Let us OK
anime them, taking the last one first,
The Penalty.
Penalties are seldom enforced. Why?
Because they seek to punish but not
to remedy-nOt directly.
The law says the manager who does
not carry out the rules shall be nun
ished. But the defeated candidate
doesn't care to prosecute him, the
public Is not interested enough to.
Neither are out for revenge, nor seek
ing the unpleasant task of preventing
future fraud by present punishment.
The candidates are interested in the
Immediate outcome, though. They and
their friends will go to lot of trou-
BILE to locate fraud if it will do them
any good. Give them the right to n
new election whenever the law Is vio-
lated In the important particulars and
they Will watch for Irregularities like
hawks. Then violations of rules will
Immediately defeat their purpose and
become useless.
Mind you, new elections would be
held only when important, specified
infractions Of the law could be shown,
not for trivial Irregularities.
This would necessitate making each
step In enrolment and voting plain,
and open, and recorded where all men
may examine what has been done.
Today everything is so obscure that
even where much fraud Is proved, and
more believed, it Is about impossible
to upset an election. This power to
upset an election would be q weapon
more dreaded than any punishment
now set down in the law books
Protecting the Lists.
1t Is absolutely necessary at any
Kind Of an election to have a correct
list of those entitled to vote
The club rolls should be made up
weeks before the election and sent to
the county clerk of court. Shortly be-
fore the election the clerk should send
copy Of each list to the election man
ayers of each club. After the cleo
ton the county executive committee
should send the rolls back to the
clerk.
This system allows the lists to be
examined by all interested parties, and
opportunity to have names put on or
taken off with proper showing, before
the election. After the election any
one may compare the voting list used
with the copy kept by<the clerk and
failure to use the proper list becomes
a matter Of record
At present, even when the rules are
carried out, and poll list Is used, 1t
Is about impossible in the five days
allowed, to check 1t up. How can can
didates in DoDulous sections tell
whether the names put on at the last
minute are fraudulent or not? The
candidate is helpless.
Identify the Voter at the Ballot Box.
Managers In big voting precincts