394 



INDIANA. 



have occurred, if the Legislature shall choose to pro- 

 vide therefor by an appropriate enactment. The 

 Court, though not now composed entirely of the same 

 members as when the decision was made, will, it is 

 believed, feel constrained to accommodate itself to this 

 suggestion, whatever view the new judges might en- 

 tertain, if the question were one of first impression. 1 

 therefore earnestly recommend that a bill be speedily 

 passed, giving the electors of the State another oppor- 

 tunity to pass their judgment upon these amendments. 



The amendments have been the theme of frequent 

 and careful discussion. So general is the sentiment of 

 unbiased men in their favor, that I believe if a vote 

 upon them could be separated from party politics, it 

 would be nearly unanimous for their adoption. 



The expediency can hardly be questioned of limiting 

 within reasonable bounds the debts which may be con- 

 tracted by cities and townships, so that taxes may not 

 become an intolerable burden, and of fixing a limit 

 upon the fees to be paid to officers in the populous 

 counties, so that while they shall be adequately com- 

 pensated, estates and suitors may not be burdened with 

 needless costs, and our politics corrupted by the ex- 

 penditures made in the greedy scramble to obtain of- 

 fice. These reforms are provided for by two of the 

 amendments. 



Another amendment is of such extreme importance 

 that it may be regarded as almost vital to the elective 

 franchise. When the elector places his ballot in the 

 box, it is a hollow and preposterous ceremony if some 

 other person, not entitled to the franchise, may neu- 

 tralize his vote by a fraudulent ballot, or if some dis- 

 honest officer may substitute a false ballot for the one 

 he has deposited, or stuff the box with fictitious ballots. 

 Our laws do not provide the Constitution will not al- 

 low that they shall provide that the person who 

 offers his ballot shall prove, even when challenged, 

 that he has resided a single hour or minute in" the 

 county or precinct where his vote is offered. It is 

 enough that he shall show that at the particular in- 

 stant he is such a resident, and has resided in the State 

 for six months. No registration law can be passed ; 

 the Constitution will not allow one. 



The consequence of all this is, that where even the 

 most expensive and organized vigilance is maintained, 

 persons from other counties and other States, not en- 

 titled to vote at the precincts where they tender their 

 ballots, often succeed in depositing fraudulent votes ; 

 and, where this vigilance is not maintained, the feeble 

 flood-gates against fraud fly open at the first assault, 

 and the ballot-box is deluged with fraudulent ballots. 



I find upon examination that nearly all the Northern 

 States, except Indiana, require, as a qualification to 

 vote, a previous residence of the voter in the precinct 

 where his vote is offered, and that hardly a less num- 

 ber require a registration of voters. These laws are an 

 expression of the people of those States, founded upon 

 experience, that such provisions are necessary to pre- 

 serve the purity of the elective franchise. 



The last Legislature passed an act providing 

 for a revision and codification of the statute 

 laws. There had been no code of the laws 

 compiled since 1852. The Board of Revision 

 appointed consisted of James S. Frazer, David 

 Turpie, and John H. Stolsenburg. The revi- 

 sors classified the acts contained in the fifty- 

 one volumes of statutes according to subjects, 

 omitting laws which are obsolete from lapse of 

 time or disappearance of subject-matter, and 

 giving the decisions of the courts in foot-notes. 

 They interpolated in the text proposed amend- 

 ments to the existing laws, which they also 

 formulated into engrossed bills, to be laid before 

 the Legislature. 



The immigration of colored people into the 

 State, chiefly from North Carolina, was made 



the subject of an investigation by a committee 

 of the United States Senate, presided over by 

 Senator Yoorhees. The extent of the immi- 

 gration was variously reported at from 500 to 

 2,500 persons or more. They had been sadly 

 misinformed as to the prospects of obtaining 

 employment, and many of them suffered severe 

 want. Messrs. New, Martindale, and other 

 prominent Kepublicans, denied that the immi- 

 gration had been set on foot or encouraged for 

 the purpose of gaining a Republican majority in 

 Indiana. General Conway, on the other hand, 

 who has been engaged in various schemes for 

 the improvement of the condition of the former 

 slaves, and particularly in the exodus move- 

 ment, testified that the object of gaining a 

 political majority in Indiana had been the 

 principal motive for diverting the stream of 

 immigration into Indiana after the sad results of 

 the exodus to Kansas became apparent. Lew- 

 man, Mendenhall, Mills, and others, minor In- 

 diana politicians, also disclosed in their testimo- 

 ny a concerted plan for importing negro voters. 

 The National Greenback-Labor party assem- 

 bled in convention in Indianapolis, April 28th, 

 and nominated the following State ticket : for 

 Governor, Richard Gregg ; for Lieutenant- 

 Governor, Thomas F. De Bruler ; for Secretary 

 of State, Jacob B. Zeagley ; for Auditor, George 

 W. Demaree ; for Treasurer, John F. TJllery ; 

 for Attorney-General, John L. Miller. The 

 following platform was adopted: 



The National Greenback-Labor party of the State 

 of Indiana, in Convention assembled, declaret : 



1. That the power which issues and conrols the 

 volume of a people's currency is the absolute dictator 

 of their financial and business interests. 



2. That the people are capable of managing their 

 own financial and business interests through their Na- 

 tional and State Governments. 



3. That the delegation of that power by the Repub- 

 lican party to a moneyed oligarchy has precipitated 

 upon the country the present financial and business 

 ruin. 



4. We therefore demand that the people's Govern- 

 ment shall immediately resume the control of their 

 currency, and issue the same directly to the people, 

 without the aid of bank corporations, and in sufficient 

 volume to do the business of the country on a cash 

 basis. 



5. That all currency, whether metallic or paper, 

 should be alike full legal-tender. 



6. That the producing classes of the world are now 

 enslaved by interest-bearing debt. 



7. That we are now in the midst of a revolution, 

 having for its object the removal of this, the greatest 

 enemy to individual liberty and national progress. 



8. That the $870,000,000 of our national debt, soon 

 payable at the option of the Government, should be 

 paid as soon as practicable, according to contract, in 

 silver coin, or non-intcrest-bcaring notes, which shall 

 be full legal-tender currency. 



9. That the whole of our bonded debt should be 

 paid in like manner as soon as practicable. 



10. That we are unalterably opposed to another dol- 

 lar of bonded indebtedness, either State or national. 



11. That all wealth is produced by labor, and that 

 all class legislation against labor is infamous. 



12. That every laborer has a divine right to the le- 

 gitimate fruits of his own toil, and the Government 

 should secure to him that right. 



13. That the public lands should be sacredly held 

 to furnish homes for actual cultivators. 



