Pauls Valley Democrat (Pauls Valley, Okla.), Vol. 13, No. 25, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 31, 1916 Page: 1 of 8
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HUtortcal 8od«T.
PAULS VALLEY DEMOCRAT
VOL. XIII.
PAULS VALLEY, GARVIN COUNTY, OKLAHOMA, THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 1916.
NO. 25
PROPOSED AND PRESENT
ELECTION LAWS COMPARED
The Proposed Socialist Election Law Amendment to the Constitution to
be Voted on at tKe November Election, and the Present Election
Law Compared. Read them carefully before ■-ou tamper
with your Constitution.
SOCIALIST ELECTION AMENDMENT
CONTRARY TO THE FEDERAL
CONSTITUTION
Mr. Madison defines a republi
can form of government as:
"A government which derives
all its powers directly or indirect
ly from the great body of the
people, and administered by per
sons holding their offices during
pleasure, for a limited period or
uufing good behavior It is es
sential to such a government tha
it be derived from the great
body of society, and not trom
any inconsiderable proportion or
a favored class of it.'"
Under the election law as pro-
posed by the *S"cialists and en-
dorsed by some of the republi
cans, members of the state and
county election boards do not de
rive their power directly or in
directly from the jireat body of
the people, but from the chair
men of three political parties, and
the chairmen of the political par
ties, and they could not be said
under this view, to derive their
powers from the great body of
the people, for they do not re
present the people in a govern
ment issue. They represent po
litical organizations.
Under the existing election
laws of the state,_the state Elec
tion Board is composed of three
members, two of whom are ap
pointed by the Governor, with
the consent and concurrence of
the Senate, but these two appoint
ee« must be members of differ
ent political parties. The other
member is tiie Secretary of the
Senate All members of the
State Election Board derive their
appointment and authority from
the people. The governor, who
appoints two members who are
to be of different political par
ties, is elected by the people: the
Senate who approves or disap
proves said two appointments,
anc1 also elects the Secretary of
the Senate,' are elected by the
people. Which comes nearer re
presenting the whole people and
constituting a republican form of
government, this or the socialist
plan presented in this proposed
amendment'.' Everybody is fa
miliar as how these state and
county chairmen are selected.
As a rule only a smal^per tent
of the members of any political
party participates in the selec-
tion of the state or county chair
men.
The state election board, as
now constitute^, as follows: —
E Dunlap. Ardmore, Carte'-
county. Democrat, Harry Beeler,
Tulsa, Republican, and at the
time of h s appointment, he was
a member of the Republican
State Central Committee from
McIntosh County, and Joe S.
Morris of Hooker. Texas county
Secretary of the Senate-
Under the construction of the
laws of this state by the Attor
ne.v General, the selection of j
members of the countv election
b.,ards by the two strongest po
litical parties must be made by 1
the county centrt; committee of,
such parties mu-- be made by •
the county centra,) committee of \
such parties, and s.:ch selections
are to be commissioned by the
State Election B ar 1. Such coun
ty election boar<: ;s required to
select election hoards in each pre
cinct to consists of three quali
tied electors, and provisions are
further made for The selection of
four counters to be equitably dis
tributed between the political
parties, and the Supreme Court i
of this state has held this provis!
ion is mandatory and when disre'
guarded can be enforced b; the j
district court.
i
Under the laws as tv.-y now!
exist,'there is a compile plan j
for the conducting of fair and I
honest elections in every precinct<
of this state, at the - me time !
permitting the participation of!
party organization in the holding'
of such election- <■•;> far as it is
necessary to preserve t:.'1 integ- i
rity, and purity of such Sections
and at the same time p: serve a
republican form of i:ment
For instance ; rep' !>..>• , i< se-
lected on every >un' e. 'ion
board in this state nd thf state
election board have comtniss on-
ed every one of them The Dem 1
ocratic party, which is he party
in power, is responsible "or the
holding of these «• ctiuns and
should have the control of these 1
eiections'and should haveth- eon i
trtff of such boards in order to
execute its trust.
The Republican party, through j
its representation on the county j
election, i s there as a witness!
to every act that is done. I n oth j
er Words, this minority represen
tati6n from the next strongest
party is a safeguard and witness
to prevent wrong or frauds As
to the precinct board, if there
are not four political pc.;-ties in j
the state, each party, under the
i IrSUfllft*
pli
M i
I may rule and not the majority.
'To contemplate the placing of
such a provision in the constitu
tion, which can be changed <uiiy
with great difficulty, much lanur
; and great expense is certainly
unwise, and we do not believe
the people of this state will at
prove such a constitutional a
mendment.
It is"hiv;h time that every man
who believes in a pure ballot and
i honest elections is aroused to the
i greatest danger that lies coiled
like a snake in this proposed con
institutional amendment to your
'election law.
YOU SHOULD UORRY. WOODROWl
il'onlftud Uftttfra Argu*
law. will have a counter, because ;
four counters are provided for i
and it is mandatory for such dis
tribution of counters. In audi-
tion. every precinct there is mi-
nor-'* -^presentation on such
electioi: board. Further the pre
cinct : ection board as soon as
the counting is completed is re
quired to post in a public place
the resjl* of the election in that,
precinct and also the law requires
duplicate rfeturns to be tiled with
the County Clerk. In addition
provi.-i n is made for a recount
on application of defeated candi
daN-s. How could there be a
m< r< comprehensive and safe
plan . arantetflng honest elec-
tions. ; ,e wilful violation of
any such election laws of this
state is denominated as a felony,
sub let to imprisionment in the
penitentiary.
Ballard & Kendall's
v Trades Day
Pay cash for your groceries—You get them cheaper and
get good groceries, too. We buy in large quantities and
our motto is, "Money Back if You are not Satisfied.-'
Try a sack uf Caldwells Best, The Best Flour Made in
Kansas.
Our Business is Strictly Cash
Ballard & Kendall
Freeman's Old Stand.
Pauls Valley. OkEa,
CONS rlTUTIONAL AMENDMENT
PROPOSED BY SOCIALIST MEM
: F.ltS FOR CONTROL OF
ELECTIONS
Whether the party placed in
power r y ths voters of the state
receives a majority or plurality
of the votes, the proposed soc
iaiist constitutional amendment
create a state election board of
thre- members to be selected
one each by the state chairmen
of the *hre£ political parties cast
ing the greatest number of votes
at the preceeding election for*'
J. L. GREEN
The Furniture Man
N Chickasaw St- Phone 202
governor. Similar county and pre
cinct election boards are to be
appointed by the county chair
meti of such political parties. A
majority of the members of each
board constitutes a quorum and
may make temporary appoint-
ments to fill vacancies on such
boards The Secretary of State
is to act as clerk of the county
election beard The duties of the
Se.-retary of '-•tate and County
Clerk are confined to keeping re
cords. They are not members in
any way or in any capacity of
such boards and are not author-
ized so participr 'n in the proceed
ings of such b lards.
By this cons ; it'onal provision
the -tate elect: «n board is author
ized to make rules and regula
tions not inconsistent with said
provision, for the purpose of car
rying out and making effective
the election laws of the state,
said board under such authoriza-
tion, may prescribe the form,size
and color of the ballot and may
provide one color for one party
and another color for' another
color for another party The Peo
pie. as voters in a governmental
sense, have no power -whatever
in the selection of any member
of the stite or county board.
This is done by the stats chair
men and the county chairmen.
• It is difficult to conceive of a
a plan that is more conductive to
build up political machines and
create party bosses. No provision
is made as to how the state chair
men or county chairmen are to
be selected.
In this proposed socialist con
stitutional amendment is adopt
ed, the foundation for the build-
ing of party machines and creat
ing party bosses and placing ev
jery particle of election machinery
J under t.ne absolute control of the
'state and countv chairmen of any
two politick parties who may
! combine is laid and it is conced
ed to be the very purpose of this
j amendment.
State officers, electc >1 by the
'people, go into office under sanc-
tion of an oath to carry out the
; i he Commands of the people as
expressed by law, If this pro
i posed constitutional amendment
| is adopted, then the state officers
j when elected, would lie required
| to administer and enforce everv
l statute of the state, except thai
j relating to elections, that power
I being reserved to the state and
j county chairman of two political
I parties who may combine, and
j yet it might be two political par
ties who did not represent a ma
jority of the voters of the -tate
'and neither of which had been
'entrusted to exercise governmen
| tal power by the people of the
I state By means of subterfuge
land under muise of a so called
| fair election law, which is, in
; fact, unfair and unn publican in
; form, a plan is sought to inaug
| united -by which the mmori y
LED INTO POLITICS
BY LOVE OF A GIRL
) If the recent primary election
accomplished no other useful
j purpose it was the means which
, won Alfred Stevenson of Strat-
ford, Okla a bride. Mr. Steven-
son, who was nominated on the
democratic ticket for representa-
tive of Garvin county, is ready to
assert that polities under certain
conditions is the best thing a man
can get into.
The story was told yesterday
by Oklahoma City friends of the
principals in the romance. Mr.
Stevenson was graduated from
the University of Oklahoma in
; the spring of 1!)15. and immedi
ately took up the practice of law
at Stratford, He had an abhor-
rence of the political game.
In the autumn of L!)15 Miss
Ruth Houston of Oregon. Mo .
arrived in Stratford where she
had been employed as a teacher
in the high school. Mr. Steven-
son^ interest soon ripened into
warm admiration and before
many months a certain question
was asked. Miss Houston's an-
j swer was in the affirmative but a
condition was attached, like the
; knights of old who did battle to
prove the strength of their af-
fections. Mr. Stevenson was t< 'I
that ht- must enter the lists, but
the weapons he must use were
ballots, and the foes he hiustcon*
quer were other men who sought
ito be representative in the next
; legislature.
The condition was accepted,
and such a good light did he
'make that he received over
I votes more than any other non.:
1 net The >■ imination was cor-
Isidered by Miss Houston to >e
'equivalent to election, and the
| wedding date has been set fur
I September 17.
Mr Stevenson is a brother t >
James 0 Stevenson, field seer
! tary of the America City Burea ..
I who was an important factor in
the recent expansion campaign
i of the local Chamber of Com-
merce -The Oklahoman.
Bandmaster Clark was caUel
home last week on account of ti e
sickness of his wife, but will re
turn in a few days.
We carry a full line of
new and 2nd hand fur-
niture. Our prices are
right. We pay highest
prices for your second
hand goods. Don't fail
to see us before you
buy. We have some bar
gains for you.
Yours for Business.
I
J. L. GREEN
Joe Seale Old Stand
Pauls Valley, Okla.
SCHOOL BOOKS
State Agents for Both Depositorys
THEPALACE DRIK STORE
Whatever you need at School we can furnish you—all the noveltii and school helps that
make study and school work a pleasure. Pads, pens, rulers, penciU pencil boxes, compo-
sition books, pencil sharpeners, colored crayons, pen holders, divided <halk crayon, blot-
ting paper, inks, erasers, tablets, slates, note books, etc. Test our serVfcand fair prices.
vC
PALACE DRUG STORE
Pauls Valley, Oklahoma.
For the Liver Continue taking R<AinsWs High Balls
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Mitchell, J. D. Pauls Valley Democrat (Pauls Valley, Okla.), Vol. 13, No. 25, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 31, 1916, newspaper, August 31, 1916; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc118628/m1/1/: accessed April 24, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.