Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1864-08-03
The Vote nv Rall0t.

tuition, ordained in 1776, revised in 1880, ana
amended Several times since, that all voting LOT
representatives of the people shall be by ballot
[See State Constitution sections and g. and amend
lnents Of 1885, art !, sec. /, clauses and Inns
mode of voting has not been prescribed accident
or without design for in 1885 the mode Of choosing
officers appointed by the Legislature was changed
from ballot to oioa COCO. This change was in per-.
feet harmony with the popular vote by ballot, for
he selection by the members of the Legislature or
pApper officers, as Judges, Senator's, &C., being OF
a4 much concern to the constituent Is the enact
uent of good hws it equally essential to provide
in this election also for the responsibility OF the
members to the people, and this was done by the
Uiua 0oce vote. But the fundamental principle OF
popular voting is that the qualified voter should
be wholly free to vote as he may choose and should
be bound to render . reason for his choice to no
i man; and should be subject to no question for it
any where It has ever been prime study with
statesmen in free countries how best to secure
true and unbiased expression of the will of each
and every voter. Such was the case in the ancient
republics of Greece and Rome where the ballot
was adopted and such has been the case in the
land Of our ancestors, where the ballot has like.
wise been adopted. 1t is the Constitutional privi
lege of every man TO vote either with an open or
folded ticket and the mode Of voting by ballot was
chosen expressly to enable the voter to escape the
influences and annoysnces which sometimes attend
the exercise Of the franchise. And no one can be
ignorant that in proportion to the extension of the
right of suffrage to the poorer and the humber
classes Of men, the field of influence is wdened for
the operations of wealth. power and patronage.
1t is stated that such was the excrcise1of the roy
al influence over the Scottish Parliament in the
reign Of Charles the Second that after frequent de-
mands BY the popular party for the ballot in the
passage of laws it was conceded and it was ar
ranged that the Lord Clerk Register should hold
receive the ballots at the foot of the throne
and these should be secretly examined and burned,
which was faithfully observed, only the Register,
Having rooted quarrel against Southesk, did mark
his ballot with nip when he received it. and there
by discovered his vote" He had been suspected
Of voting against the wishes Of royalty, and this
mode was adopted to detect him and bring him into
disfavor:
Gov Vance, by printing his tickets on paper of
peculiar and unusual color, and his newspaper
organs, by calling on the public to notice what
>kind of tickets offered oy the voter has resort
ed to the process Of npping practiced by the Lord
Clerk Register. southesk was nipped and marked
because it was suspected he was opposed to the I'M
just demands Of royalty; and the soldiers have
been nipped and marked, the people will be on
Thursday next, as far as the Governor can do 1t.
1t IS both the constitutional and legal right of
the voter to present his ballot or ticket to the in
spector either open or folded up. If he presents it
folded up. the poll holder has right to open it.
Nor has the poll holder any right to open the ticket
for the purpose of writing any thing the back Of
it. But we understand the tickets of the soldiers
uere opened by the poll-holders, and the names of
their respective Counties written on the back, so As
to distinguish the ballots. This was not only un-
constitutional and illegal, but unnecessary. II any
srch writing the back Of the ticket was necessa-
~, to distinguish the tickets from each other that
were cast by soldiers from different Countess the
soldier himself should have been directed to write
the name of his County his ticket before he offer
ed it to the poll holder and the fact that different
mode was adopted proves that the object was to
prevent free vsting by opening the tickets and ex
posing them to the observation of by ISLANDERS.
Gov VANcE's ORGAN TIE CONSERVATIVE, OUT FOR
Re- CONSTRUCTION The Conservative of Friday last
copies an article from the Richmond Enquirer on
the subject Of negotiations for peace which con-