The Alaska daily empire., 1918-11-04

supplies for every other precinct in
 the Division. That these supplies
 reached the four precincts of the
 Bristol Bay cannot be disputed be-
 cause the return and tally sheets
 were forwarded by the officers of
 election to the Governor at Juneau,
 and are among the files in the Gov
 ernor's office, as may be verified by any one who is interested It
 would be strange indeed if in those four particular precincts, and in none
 other the Clerk would forget to in
 clude the official ballots.
 | It is quite apparent that the off
 cers of election did receive the of ficial ballots in those precincts and l that there was a reason for not using l them, and the reason is not hard to | find Nearly all of the voters in those precincts are Native Indians living in tribal relations, who do not speak the English language and can
 not understand the English language,
 and, as a matter of right and justice, and according to law, had no right
 to vote. And, being unable to read
 or write, they could not manipulate
 an Australian ballot and it would
 have been hard to have had the Aus
 tralian ballot manipulated for them.
 It was much easier for manipulation i to write the ballots out on a type , writer, all alike in every particular,
 mark them and merely have the In
 Hans hand them to an officer of cleo tion. In this way they would take no chance as to the vote being in
 Ill respects according to program. And for this reason, there was no
 return made, as required by law,
 showing the reason why an official
 ballot was not used, the officers per haps fearing that if they made such
 return that they might subject
 themselves to criminal prosecution
 for making false returns.
 If those unofficial ballots would
 be declared by law to be legal, under
 the circumstances, it would simply
 knock out the Australian ballot
 throughout the entire Territory, and f Wickersham's contention is true
 that such ballots should be counted,
 than here in Juneau, or anywhere.
 a person could walk in with a piece
 of paper on election day and hand
 t to an officer of election and he
 would have to receive it and place 1 1t in the ballot box and it would
 have to be counted.
 l If Wickershams contention that 1 zuch ballots should be counted, should I be sustained by the courts, it is al together likely that he could perpet-
 nate himself in office by means of | !llerate Indian votes cast by the Indians of the Second and Third Divisions in those remote places that are far distant from the District At Itorney's office or any peace officer. I Such a condition could never be per nitted to exist among intelligent people.
 Validity of the Australian
 l Ballot Law
 i James Wickersham in his speeches :. throughout the Territory very pa thetically claims that he was elected by the people but that Judge Jen- , nings elected Charles A. Sulzer and I, gave him the certificate of election
 which has enabled him to hold the office and draw the salary, passing this claim upon the contention that the Alaska Legislature had no au
 thority to pass an election law
 Before the committee in the House of Representatives who has his con test against Sulzer under considera tion. he contended very positively and his contention is, of course, oi record, that he purposely withheld authority from the Legislature. to al ter. amend or repeal the election law.
 | Now. let us see if this contention of Wickersham is either honest oi sincere. This same Enabling Act which is his celebrated Home Rule l Bill. provides that all Acts of the ,lLegislature shall be submitted tC Congress within ninety days, and thai [ Congress may disapprove any or al f | of them, and this same Wickershan
 was in Congress as a Delegate iron l Alaska when this same election law [ was submitted to Congress for dis | approval but the same was not dis !, approved by Congress. nor did Wick 5 ersham make any attempt whateve - to have it disapproved
 II Further than that. Wickersham wa 3 lin Juneau at the time the Legisla l ture passed this election law. ant n not one word of dissent came iron