The midland journal., 1917-01-12

AC~ye " AAAn tAAC RCORAC- AAlC tAAG NVAADA
that they have popular government
while their power is being filched
away from them. No good reason
can be given for the making of any
contribution to the party manage
ment to insure nomination and strict
laws prohibiting such contributions
should be passed. No paid watchers
or messengers or employment under
any pretext whatsoever, should be
permitted at the primary, for any
danger of wrongful counting or re-
turning is today practically nil.
Voluntary watchers, if needed, can
be readily obtained.
do not mean to say that candi-
date should be refused the oppor-
tunity of himself addressing COM
munications through the mails or
newspapers to those whom he is de-
sirous of serving, notifying them of
his ambition, but the employment of
others for this purpose on any pre-
text, either at primary or general
elections leaves wide open the door
for electoral corruption. This fact
has been fully recognized and the
evil corrected by the laws of several
of the States of the Union to which
fuller reference remains to be made.
There still remain certain neces-
sary expenses incident to elections
and the payment of which may be
allowed to be made through party
organizations. Paid challengers may
be permitted at general elections,
but if allowed they should be limited
in number and their compensation
fixed and fully reported with their
names before the election to the
Board of Election Supervisors.
Meetings have to be held and often
headquarters maintained and the
costs should be borne by those in
terested therein and reported
promptly.
Our laws denounce bribery, but
whoever asked to be bribed at an
election? The commercial voter
wants pay for his work or for his
trouble in coming to the polls or for
his lost time or for his conveyance or
to give to a friend to persuade him
to sacrifice himself in some of these
respects. Often while he declares
he is all right, there are others he
has trouble in controlling. Our laws
therefore do not reach the situation. |
They demand that an intent shall be
proven and not concrete fact. Our
laws do not even prohibit loans.
In brief, if we honestly mean TO
try to stamp out corruption, we
must:
Limit contributions of others than
candidates;
Forbid precinct treasurers;
Prohibit payment to any watcher
or challenger at any primary, and at
elections only allow one or two in a
precinct, named in advance and with
fixed compensation, if any;
Prohibit ante-nomination or cleo |
tion contributions of unusual char
acter to churches or public festivals
or undertakings, and prohibit de-
mand therefore;
Prohibit use of paid conveyanceS: 1
Prohibit any payment. of any kind
for services on election day except to
challengers;
Prohibit any expenditures except
certain personal ones by candidate
and prohibit all contributions to po-
litical committees to further nomi-
nations;
Lastly and more important per-
haps than all else, prohibit any So
licitation to vote or not to vote on
election day
All these. things are within range
of existing laws in some one or more
Safes and work successfully, as 1
shall endeavor to show hereafter
Hyattsville, Maryland,
December 26, 1916.