Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 September 1890 — WHAT THE LODGE BILL IS. [ARTICLE]

WHAT THE LODGE BILL IS.

Democratic Lies About Its Character Exploded—lt Does Not Interfere With Local Systems at aU, but Merely Provides a Way by Which Frauds ~ Can be Punished. ■ -Sa* ' I [From a Speech in Congress by the Hep ?R- M. ; La Follette.] What are the provisions of this bill? j It makes false registration a crimp. It makes unlawful interference with registration, by violence upon, or intimidation, or bribery of any person lawfully entitled to a vote a crime. It make- wilfully keeping any false joll list or knowingly entering false names or fa'sa statements thereon a crims. It makes giving or accepting a bribe M> induce a persoq to vote or refrain from voting a crime. It requires the ballot box to be placed in plain sight of the voters and in such a position as to enable the election officers, National and State, and the voter, when voting, to see that the ballot is in fact placed in the box. It makes the willful rejection of legal votes, knowing them to be legal, a crime. . It makes the wilful acceptance of illegal votes, knowing them to be illegal, a crime. ■-' y It makes the fradulent substitution of one ballot for another for the purpose of having the vote rejected or for the purpose of having it counted fora person other than the voter intended, a crime. It makes wilfully placing ballots not lawfully cast in any ballot box among ballots lawfully’cast, for the purpose of changing the result, a crime. - ——- It makes unlawfully removing ballots from a ballot box lawfully cast, for the purpose of affecting the result of the election, a crime. It makes a wilfully false canvass of votes or the false certification and return of such vote a crime. It makes it a crime for every officer charged with a duty under the law to witfuliy neglect to perform such duty,' or to be guilty of any corruptor fraudulent conduct or practice in its execution. It makes false swearing, in matters pertaining to such congressional election, perjury. It makes stealing the ballot box or the ballots a felony. And it provides just punishment, by fine or imprisonment, or both, for each of these crimes against a government by the people through manhood suffrage. That is this bill. There is not a section, line, or syllable in it besides this more than is necessary to enforce with certainty these provisions.