Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1915-01-29
DEFEAT OF THE ~rIRE ELEC.
TION BILL.
lFrom III Galveston Ncws

li rom thu GALVESTON NtW
Usually thr rnithrt WY p-rudnnym
-iycu NV Y legislative measure for th.
rurru~- ~ popular Identification either
natlcr~ on libcl> I'd. II depends ou wine
Their Is friends ar enemies get 90 ID first
With their respective tags. But the ease
ID thr ,urmci~trr-LrWcliing lill. pre-
~trihing THAI every voter shall hr rr
qrirrl t1 mark hi> own ballot. unless
physically disabled INV exceptional. This
WN~ popularity dubbed u pure election
bin. It's enactment would NOT insure
the huon of elections Uutantcd hy fraud.
10 is true. but % would. i'm the opinion
uf The News. have contributed a. that
mn~t desirable cnd flr more than auy
measure that l> pending iH the ltgl>la
lurc. ANA far more ihIH any measure,
ihal i> apt to hr presented 49, that body
II would have rendered difficult. III mot
mp">~Ihle the SoandaluuS proceedings
chat are Witnessed at every c~lrrtiun
along thr Rio tiraudr border. in which
MrNican>. who have no knowledge III our
language anna a~ little cone ru IN the i>
sues involved m Hn eject on register.
nut their own sovereign Judgment. since
they nave home. hui the private and
selfish viii oi men who exercise either
q ieudal or corrupt influence over them.
n would have opposed Il Ike interior
tHrr M the automatic voting VII megrupS
aH evil of the Same sort. though perhaps
nnr nf less degree.
Nor iS this thc oniy y%irtrsnus emu
which This bill would accomplish ~ ID
were enacted into law. II would have
prevented the yotiH, no men who. though
honest. arr disqualified hv thri riuuur
HIrr from h>chlr-.ll the duties w rit.
ilH>hip For i~ iI .lnt w mnrkcrv tn >I,
thnf Y man who cuu nlt read NJ write
i> 'lNlhir uf expressing au intelligent
"plu on 10 the issues that az. presented
90 hImt = law such a> was @prnpo>cd
hN This bin would have contributed ia
ulAAr lhr voice M ihr ballot lny both
more honest and more rational than III
r'h possibly ht while thr rnrript ana
ghurHHt arc allowed tu uullify thr vote.
"f the honest ~ thc enlightened.
II would puzzle one not acquainted
with our politics TO understand why n
legislature which Processes So earnestly
4" hr devoted tu thr cause III progress
amt reform should reject " measure W
lUrIlalhlN designed tn contribute toward
ihr acrnlnpf >hmcut WI that end. Hut
reading >hrcwdly the report If the az,
cu>>i"nS IN the house. the perplcxcd
stranger would quickly dis over the rca.
son. II J. contained i'm the statement Of
one member that such 4 law would dis
franchise something like 100000 white
citizens. Evidently the reform forces
~ the house. albeit in the majority are
divided into two factions. one made up
of men 10 whom ignorance "a the ballot
box Is intOlerahlc absolutely. and the
other of men % whom ID j. iutolerahlc
onlv when il presents itself either I'M Y
dark skin ar IN nh alien language Those
N this last named class have TN %iu>tinr
tive adherence of ignorance III the bal
lot box. however fondlv they NAV i'm.
aginc that they have. They are on
posed only 10 that ignorance which has
not acquired the habit of voting their
WAY.
~ was inevitable. much usc was made
~ that 'naod lint honest man:' pathrti.
pleas were made for him a. IN argu-
mcnt IN opposition 10 this bill. Well. ii
seems 10 us that he for whom most soil