The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-02-26
PROTECTING CITY ELECTIONS,

j.
Blueheld, Charleston, Martihsburg,
Pennsboro, Huntington. Philippi, Fol.
lansbee, Wheeling, Fairmont, Elkins,
Hinton and Parkersburg are some OF
the cities which either obtained new
charters or had the old ones amended.
Bluefield, Fairmont and Charleston
wiped out the bipartisan plan of gov.
eminent, and Huntington. which 10
the only city in the state retaining
this form of government, had its char.
ter amended.
Charleston. Huntington, Parkers,
burg and Fairmont took the election
machinery out Of the hands of the
commissioners In power, q most wise
thing to do. Under the old plan cor.
rupt and venal Office holders trust
could {perpetuate Itself in power de.
spite the will of the people by manip.
ulating the election boards, padding
registration lists or stuffing the ballot
boxes. Williamson went one step
further and gave the governor the
power to appoint the first commits.
sioners. which is said to be the only
way that the popular will Of the poo.
pie could be respected In that city.
Huntington took the election machin.
cry from the Board Of Affairs and
placed II In a bipartisan citizens
board composed of forty citizens, half
OF whom are Democrats and half Re.
publicans. Charleston placed the ap.
pointment Of the city's election off.
GERS in the hands Of the county court.
Parkersburg gives the city admins.
tration the appointment OF one Of the
election commissioners and delegates
the appointment OF the other two
commissioners to the county court
and the circuit court, respectively.
Fairmont has a plan reaching the
came end in q different way. Upon the
Recommendation Of the committees of
the two dominant political parties a
board OF election supervisors Is ap.
pointed. two from each party. The
supervisors must be voters and free.
holders. They. upon the recommend
alton of the committees, appoint two
registrars for each precinct. who must
sit5for six days at different stated In.
teryals and register all legal voters
who apply to them. The registration
must close one week before the cleo.
ton. These registrars are to be OF
the two dominant political parties.
After they finish the registration the
election Supervisors sit at the city
hall. as the county court now does.
to correct the registration list and add
any who may have failed to register
with the registrars. A minute de.
scrtph ion Is required OF every doubtful
voter, giving his color. height. weight
and any other physical means of iden
LITIGATION. and this record Is preserved
for election day. This will prevent
the padding Of registration lists and
the repeating OF fraudulent voters.
The registrars will also act Us two OF
the four election commissioners and
Will be there to confront the voters,
having q better knowledge Of their
place Sof residence owing to the per-
sonal contact in registering them. In
addition to the registrars, who act as
commissioners, two other commission.
ers are to be appointed In the same
way, making four commissioners for
each precinct, with no party having
majority Of the election board. Any
tie must be decided Immediately by
casting lots. The same fair plan ex-
tends to the clerks and challengers,
and In 9additon to this any minority
party may upon the request Of its
Committee have two watchers on the
inside of the polling place to protect
Its interests. In addition to this on
any question other than the election
offofficers, (which may be voted on in
the city. the different sides to the
Question are protected by being given
representation on the election board,
o fair, square deal that has so often
In the past been overlooked.
Insthe last charter election the .op,
ponents of the charter had no repre-
sentationE on the election boards. and
they claim they did not get square
deal. Under the so.called bipartisan
farce, which Is supposed to give no
party Q majority OF the officers or on
the election boards, the Democrats
have always had two OF the commits.
sioners and the Republicans only OBJ.
tanned one by going to the supreme
court with q mandamus. No wonder
there was a protest against submit
ting the new charter to vote Of the
people under such conditions with the
city administration avowedly agains.
u, which would have meant that tho
friends OF the new charter under the
old election plan would have had no
representation on the election board
% protect their interest. It would
have cost the city at least $500 to
publish the charter and hold the cleo.
ton, and all for the purpose of letting
the salary grabbers return majority
against the charter, despite the mum.
Der OF votes recorded for It, Just as
large as the office holders trust
agreed to make st on the night before
the election. II would have been the
simplest thing in the world without
the protection Of adequate registra.
lion, and with the well known ability
Of some OF the politicians to have bal.
lots changed and substituted after
they are cast.
Senator Lowe made a great noise
about the West virginiafl's well
known slogan sLet the People Say
II was because the West virginian
did want the people to say who would
be their public servants In Fairmont
In the future that It protested against
giving the sort OF referendum vote
The 0fIice Holders Trust desired. The
people would have had no chance To-
say anything under such referen.
dun. We now say. and will always