Rensselaer Republican, Volume 28, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 December 1896 — Postoffice Elections. [ARTICLE]

Postoffice Elections.

Charleß Griffin, of Hammond, who was a promibtent candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, is in favor of urging the legislature to start in motion a constitutional amendment which will prevent aliens from voting. He said this state is one of a very few which allows a foreigner to vote after he has declared his intention of becoming a citizen instead of compelling him to wait till after he is naturalized before being given the right of suffrage. Hundreds vote who never expect to become citizens, and the power thus wielded by this element is enormous in some of the larger cities.

Six out of the nine republican congressmen-elect in Indiana viz: Faris, Landis, Crumpacker, Royse, Steele and Henry, have now denied the story that an agreement had been among the congressmen to have postmasters in their districts selected by party elections. The last one who has spoken on the subject is Congressman Heyry of Anderson, who says:. “There is nothing in the postoffice election agreement story. Speaking for myself, it is utterly without any foundation. “I have never been favorably inclined to it, and the more I have seen it tried the less I think of it: Such elections stir upstrife within the party in the locality’ and at the same time do not give as good an opportunity to select by an election a desirable man as in the case of ordinary elections, where nominations are first made by the opposing parties. All of the strife is within the party lines. My feeling is that if I am called npou to nominate a man for the position of postmaster that I should use my judgement and try and nominate such a man as ought to be selected under all the circumstances. ‘JWhile it is not a desirable duty to perform to have to decide between many good men as to whom should be named for a place, yet if that dnty devolves upon me, would not feel like shirking the responsibility by saying that I would recommend any one who might receive the most votes at an election, without regard to his fitness.”