The Searchlight (Cushing, Okla.), Vol. 2, No. 28, Ed. 1 Wednesday, June 7, 1911 Page: 4 of 8
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The Searchlight
E. M. GREEN, Editor
NMttai VaaM| at Cistat Oth.. fcy Tki triw Pri-t Ci
75c Pit Year in Advance
IppleatiM nit fir tracts sietal etas aattir at tfei pstiffici at Caskiai. Ifcla.
MvartMw latas nit kww apN appfcatiaa.
OKLAHOMA'S
ELECTI6N LAW.
Although the above caption
might indicate that thsi is to he
a partisan political article, it is
not.
That our elections should be
so conducted as to secure the
freeest and fullest expression of
the will of the neople has been
the desire of good citizens always
and has been the preachment of
politicians anxious to secure the
support of the people.
The old method of using a sep-
arate party ballot furnished too
m*efa opportunity for undue in-
fluence, intimidation and bribery
and was properly superceded by
the Australian ballot. But the
legislators of this country have
added so many features that our
election laws have become the
most complex of all laws, for
which there is no necessity, and
o fall states Oklahoma seems to
have the most complex.
That the purity* of the ballot
should be safeguarded goes with-
out question, but we scarcely be-
lieve that it requires a distinct
act of each legislature to accom-
plish it.
That the result of an election
should declare the desire of the
people is equally nondebatable.
But that the Oklahoma election
laws tend or are intended to ac-
complish that result is extremely
debatable.
First the law is so full of
technicalities that only the best
attorneys, and these only after
the most careful study, are able
to explain its working. And ev-
en these disagree. An election
law should be simple enough at
least that the citizen of average
intelligence should be able to
make a fair interpretation of it.
In rendering an opinion lately, a
prominent Oklahoma judge re-
marked that the election laws of
Oklahoma were the most^wonder-
ful conglomeration that had ever
«ome within his observation. Con-
glomeration is the proper term.
The writer remarked fchen the
1907-08 law waa passed that if it
did not afford opportunity for
fraud, it at least furnished abiuul
ance for misunderstanding and
mistakes. Recent events have nd
led us to change our views.
The present law is too cumber-
some and yet too indefinite at
times. Its operation is entirely
too expensive, too many people
are needed to carry it out.
We do not believe- if can be
made good by amendments, but
the first aet of the next legisla-
ture should be the repeal of all
laws and sections of laws pertain-
ing to elections and then laying
aside all partisan desire to con-
trol the election machinery enact
a straightforward, simple, but ef-
ficient election law.
DRIVING CAPITAL OUT
OF NEW YORK.
I.asl July a new inheritance-tax
law became effective in New
York. All bequests for religious,
educational, charitable and benev-
olent purposes exempt. Estates
between twenty-five and a hund-
red thousand dollaVs pay two per
cent if bequeathed to father,moth
er, Avife. husband, son. daughter,
sister, brother, son-in-law or
daughter-in-law and ten per
nantly toting their bonds over to
Jersey City may be a heartrendin
spectacle; but it is not one that
the legislator need pause to/weep
over. The great investors in
New York are the savings banks,
was decided' to swear oiit a com-
plaint. The County Attorney
was called up and made acquaint-
ed with the circumstances and he
promptly authorized the taking
of the initial steps, prompt ac-
of deposits, and the life insurance
companies, with over two billion
of assets. Tihis vast stable invest-
ment fund belongs almost wholly
to people who have no personal
reason for feeling alarmed over
a tax of tjwenty-five per cent up-
on a bequest exceeding one mil-
lion dollars to a remote relative.
Inheritance taxes alarm only the
manipulators of capital not the
owners.
o—*
RATE YOURSELF
HIGHER.
A soldier once took a mes-
sage to Napoleon in such great
haste that the horse he rode drop-
ped dead before he delivered the
paper. Napoleon dictated his
answer and. handing it to the
messenger, ordered him to mount
his horse and deliver it with all
possible speed.
The messenger looked at the
magnificent animal, 'with its su-
perb trappings, and said, 4'Nay,
general, this is too generous, too
magnificent for a common sold-
ier."
Napoleon said, "Nothing is too
good or too magnificent for a
with one and a half billion dollai* tion was deemed necessary and
Justice Suman was hailed out
at <1 o'clock' in the morning and
a warrant issued for the suspect-
ed party. Some delays occurred,
but finally the preliminary hear-
ing was held here last Saturday,
the state being represented by
County Attorney Weldon and his
assistant Chester Lowry—the de-
fendant by attorneys W. R. Jooe*
of Oishing, and J. Ml Springer,,
of Stillwater. 5
The result of the preliminary
was that the cEefendant was
bound over to appear at the Oct-
ober term of the district court,
then to be tried oil! the charge of
stealing cattle.
Attorrneys Weldon and Lowry
are to be complimented upon the
manner in which tliey have con-
ducted this affair. While they
have no desire to bring} troubJe
to any innoeent eprson, they are
determined to- investigate the
matter thorougfciy and to 9ee
that justice is meted c«t. Good
citizens may rest assurred that
the County Attorney's office^wiil
do its full duty in t/j£s mfirt»te&>
without^ fear or favor.
We understand that a certain
party, who manifested much in-
terest in the fate of the defend-
combing down from Mr. Weldon
and learned that the County At-
torney expects to do his duty
and sift the matter to the bottom..
French soldier."'
The world is full of people like j ^ attempted to, critieise Mr.,
this poor French soldier. who j Weldon probably with some idea
think that what otliers ha\e is too 0j? coercjon? neeeinred a good
good for them, says the Ram's
Horn;, that it does not fit their
humble conditions; that they are
not expected to have as good
cent if going to remoter relatives. thinS& as those who are more tav" j The Searchlight wishes, to coin-
The tax gradually rises until jored* They do not reallze hmv | pliment the boys of on the
estates exceeding a million dollars they weaken themselves by this | work tlw?y j^ve clone aDjd
pay five per cent if going to nehr mental attitude of self-deprecia- thg ardm. witk wkich tlu,y have
relatives and twenty-five per cent tlon ol self-effacement. j r(£ponde<1 to the call as ywell a*
if going to others. 548 AWAKE. !the skiU tkey haVe manife®te,d irt
Governor Dix and some eomrae* ' j conducting the search and in o.tU-
cial bodies have demanded the re-1 Antioch Lodge. No. o48, A.H. er matters appertaining thereto,
peal of this tax. alleging Chat has been showing the prop-
since it went into effect more tha "P"* and much energy.
five thousand safe deposit boxes j About April 27. P. A. Braman
in Ne/.v York have heen surrend- ! ™**d three head of yearlings
ered and more than four hundred | "nd a*ter searching for them, re-
million dollars of securities havered the loss to the A.H.TJ.A.
been withdrawn from the state; j »»oys. H. L. Harmon, John Bush,
also that the law frightens capital Frank Morg*nf A. Winklemann
awav from investment in New and other members of Antioeh
York corporations. j immediately got busy and
Obviously only multimillion- about ten days after located the
aires are able to indidge the cattle.
pleasant exercise of bequeathing The circumstances were such
large sums to persons who are | as to cause them to think that
not near to them iu relationship; *<>me one was responsible for the
and it is only upon such bequests cattle being where they were. Af-
that the tax talis heavily. A pro- ter a hasty night conefrence with
cession of multimillionaires indig-, the editor of The Searchlight,it
We also wish to say that we are-
glad that Payne County has a
county attorney willing to aid th«*
Ant is in carrying out the purpos-
es of the organization, and who
believes enough in the principles
of the \ntis to be one of laem.
Mr. WelOon is a member in good
standing of Cushing, No. 742.
Some officials often think th*
Antis are too zealous bu,l )h\>.
Weidon is not one of these.
o—— -
Some of the papers are already
beginning to worry about the pro-
per way to spell chigre whether
it is chigger or chigre. The
right policy is to pay attention to
the fly until time for the chigre
to arrive.—Ottawa, Kans.,Herald.
■
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Green, E. M. The Searchlight (Cushing, Okla.), Vol. 2, No. 28, Ed. 1 Wednesday, June 7, 1911, newspaper, June 7, 1911; Cushing, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc285826/m1/4/?q=%22%22~1&rotate=270: accessed June 30, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.