The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-03-06

THE SECRET BALLOT.


The constitution of the state of Illinois
guarantees to its inhabitants the fright 20
elect their officers by ballot, and guarantees
that the secrecy and sacredness OF the ballot
shall be preserved, and there is no law which
permits any officer, or any person having
charged of the ballots, to examine them at
all, except in case of contested election
Yet it was only few days ago that an in
innate of the court house clique Tor that part
of il which is run by the county cierk) told
a man that he was surprized to learn that he
was a demoorat. The msu replied that he
had always been a democrat, but asked what
had occurred to make his politics subject
of remark. or how he found out that he was
a democrat. The answer was: 81 found 1t
out down at the court house." Now the
question Is how he "found it out down at
the court house." Has the package OF bal.
lots for this or any other town been opened
for the purpose of privately ascsrtaining how
people voted?
The law of 1861 has the following: provi-
sion:
PRESERVATION OF BALLOTS.
ST All the ballots counted by the judges
of election shall, after being read be strung up
on strong thread or Irvine, IN the order IN when
they have been read and shall then be carefully
eaueloped and sealed up By the Judges, who shall
d;rect the same to the officer or officers to whom
bv law they are required to return the poll
books. and shall be delivered, together with SAID
Doll books 60 said officer officers, who shall
caret,v preserUe said ballots for sac months, ana
at the expiration of that time shall destroy Them -
And in all cases of contested elections the parties
contrasting the same shall have the right to have
said package of ballots opened, and said ballots
referred to by witnesses for the purpose OF such
contest But said ballots shall only be so ex-
amined and referred TO in the presence OF the
officer having the custody thereof
Il will be seen that no person has any
right (even if they are ''curious to KNOW TO
examine the ballots at all, except In case OF a
contested election, and then only to ascertain
for whom a contested voter cast his ballot
All ballots are required to be folded by the
voter, before he offers to vote, and folded SO
that it cannot be discovered for whom he
votes. And after the ballots are cast, sorted
and counted, they must be carefully sealed
up by the Judges" and returned to the coun'
ty clerk, and he is required to carefully
preserve said ballots for six months, and, al
the expiration of that time, shall destroy
them" He has no right, even to open the
bundles when he destroys them-uOr can
they be opened at ALL except in the case of O
contested election.
That is the law, and that law the county
clerk has sworn to regard and obey.
We suppose it is well-known that the
judges of election are required to number
each ballot when it is cast, and that the
number placed upon the ballot corresponds
with the number on the poll book against
the name of the person who cast the ballot
1t is, therefore, very easy for the county
clerk, if he was disposed to violate the law
TO open a package of ballots and by compar-
the number on a ballot with its number on
the poll book, ascertain precisely how every
man voted. Has this been done? 1t not
how could the gentleman we aliude TO have
''found out down at the court house" how
the person he spoke to on the subject voted
Aprop0s of Mr.. Summers scrap book
speech, Norfolk paper says sit is impossi.
BILE to conjecture the amount of harm done by
these wicked inventions, by prejudicing the
minds of the dominant majority on tse one
hand, and outraging the feelings of the van