Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1920-10-15

CONTINUED FROM LAST NJ lEK
LAWS OF SPECIAL. SESSION OF
LEGISLATURE
LEGISLATIVE TERR0RISI

The special session OF the t. ,isla-
ture was probably the most re! lark
able ever held in any state in the
union. 1t was called on Noyemb Or Is
to ratify the Susan B. Anthony wo
mems suffrage amendment to the
federal constitution. to extend i'd to
the farmers of the drouth -sti lcken
areas and to attend to such III tier,
as might properly come before It,"
1t was these other matters" that
made the session SO remarkable. The
legislature, dominated by see rtain
mysterious Influence" and cont oiled
again by A. c. Townley and william
Lemke, stripped the offices OF At
torney General VIM. LANCER Sscre-
tary of State Thomas Hall and state
Auditor Karl Kositzky of a goodly
share of their powerd and approDria-
tons and passed an array of meas
ures intended to. create an absolute
czardom I'm North Dakota and to con
troll the next general election Again
was Townley's "rule of terrorism"
eNemplified to the higest degree.
SECRET BALLOT IS DESTROYED
The Townley Socialist admlnistra-
tion In North Dakota has utterly de.
stroyed the Secret Ballot
Senate Bill No 9, passed by tho
special session did the work. This
bill was an amendment To the "hb-@
sent Voters law.
In brief this amendment provides
that any voter-who expects or
wants to be absent on election day.
or any woman voter residing more
than one-half mile from the polling.
place of her precinct may, at any
time within 30 days prior to an cleo
tion. mark a ballot at home OF else
where in the presence of a notary
public and send it by mail or by
any person to the County Auditor to
be counted on election day
Looks innocent enough, doesn't it?
But consider for moment how it
opens the door of the polling place.
pulls the lid from the ballot boz and
places it within the power of de-
signing persons to manipulate woes
and returns in any manner they
piease-or are ordered to do.
Can you imagine what will hap
pen when organizers of the Townley
League-or the agents of Big Biz
begin to make the rounds of the
state pulling for votes in this man
ner?
Can you imagine what promises
and arguments, what threats and
intimidations will be ultimately used
TO get the votes?
This amendment to the Absent
Voters law provides that the voter
may have the assistance of any per-
son desired in marking his or her
again destroying the long
F.,,t lt f,N,.
law which said that no one could
enter the booth where ballots were
prepared to assist voter except
when such voter was physically un-
able to mark it without assistance.
and then the person who was to
give such assistance was designated
by law, such assistants to be election
judges
Probably next in Importance. for
its effect in building up Townley
"terroristic" machine is the state
constabulary law, which makes all
sheriffs and deputy sheriffs members
and places them under the control of
a state sheriff to be appointed by
the governor and to serve during the
pleasure of the governor This state
sheriff has the same powers and du-
ties as the present county sheriffs.
with the added duty of supervising
the work of the sSeriffs. He can
call them for duty in any section of
the state. He can call upon private
citizens to serve him. So, if the
citizens of Fargo, for instance.
should decide again tnar they did not
want to hear an unpatriotic address
by Max Eastman. the governor could
send his state sheriff to Fargo to
protect Eestman And the state
sheriff could call the sheriff of Cass
county and his deputies to assist
him, and If they refused. they would
be removed from office
The legislature also passed a bill
giving the governor. as commander
in chief of the army and navy" of
the state, the power to seize all pub
lie utilities and run them during
strikes. lockouts, floods or other