Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1874-03-13
How may our Polite. be Purified,


--
How may our Politics be Purified!
In considering this important question
last week, we stated rs the principal cause
of bad or secondrate men getting into our
civil offices, the fact that tho work OF Sc
lecting party candidates is performed by
ciques and party managers, rather than by
the people, and with reference to their
availability and manageablity, rather than
their integrity aid ability to fill the office
assigned. The truth Of this charge is pal
pable and recognized, and no evidence
of the fact will be called for, 1t is just as
true of one party as of another and in
deed, the fact cannot he greatly wondered
at in view of the present loose system of
conducting these public affairs.
The fault, it will he seen, is mainly one
Of method; but how our present caucus
system is 10 be supplanted by one that will
ensure free expression of individual
choice and judgment, we are not wise
enough to say. Only one method suggests
itself, and that is, The adoption OF a system
of registration in LEW of voting. How far
or in what way such a system may be
made practical, we leave for others to sug-
gest. We only plead the absolute necessi-
ty for the adoption of some method where
by it shall be rendered impossible for an
INSCRIPTIONS candidate or clique 10 over
ride and defeat the will OF a majority of
honest voters. To be sure, when it comes
election day, there is always one recourse
left-that of boiling the party nomination
but boiling, though "divine right" is
almost sure TO bring party disgrace, and
Inc nunest vVto', 40 hi- Marty candidate
isn't man for whom no can conscientious
ly vote, must, perlorce, refrain from voting
at all.
The idea Of adopting a system of regis
tration, as stated, is not new, save In its APP
plicaton. A similar sys.em has been sug-
gested in regard to regular elections. In
1869 an article appeared in the IN. "
American Baptist, entitled 1.-The Ballot an
Anachronsm," in which the writer used
the following language:
"There was time when the ballot SEEM
ed q necessity. Aristocratic and mUneyed
institutions had acquired such power that
the common people people were overawed,
and dared not exeScise the right of voting
according 10 their own convictions. Tho
serfS of despoiic landlord were in no con-
dition 10 resist his will hence, if they we're
to exercise the right OF free suffrage at all,
1t must be d,ne secretly. So the ballot was
adopted as means of protection.
But all this is now changed. In Amer
lea we do not derive the slightest advan-
tage from the ballot. Every body knows
how everybody votes. Every body is proud
of letting it be known how he votes. x man
N hA Nst Ii a. II.
ments would be looked upon as mean and
cowarcly. Ofthe hundreds and thousands
that vote in this city, there would not,
probably, be found dozen whose political
attitude is not well known. Throughout
the country it is the same. What, then,
does the ballot do for us? Nothing at all.
we have outgrown it. Not that we have
outgrown corruption, bribery and fraud;
but we find that the ballot is no protection
against them.
1--WE go further. Not only does the bal
lot do US no good, it does us much harm.
It enables a few demagogues to rule the
State of New York. . 1t has been
so for years. Efforts have been made to
rectify the evil, but without effect. Regis
tration has been resorted TO, but under the
ballot system, prevention is impossible.
The worst feature of our elections is the
difficulty of getting all the voters to vote.
Unless there is some question of overpow-
ering interest, large portion of the citi-
zens, and frequently those of the better
class, neglect TO attend tho polls. The
newspapers may exhort, entreat, and point
out the absolute culpabiity ofsuch neglect,
but the evil remains and will remain. Far
mers, mechanics, and substantial business
men cannot always devote half day, at
the precise time indicated, for depositing
their vote.
Cannot a better way he devised? Let
register be prepared for every township,
n a t.f tai. IL a
citizens who are legalized voters let a
week be allowed for every man to record
his vote opposite to his name, and fraud
would be impossible. The decentralization
attendant on public elections would be al
an end; instead Of drinking, quarrelling
and rowdyism, an election would be like
the quiet and orderly payment of taxes, or
any other business transaction; and, wbat
~ still moro important, we should OF tain
all, or nearly all, the legal votes. There
would be vast saving of lime, trouble and
expense, and the preservation of the vol
ume in which the votes were given would
furnish the most perfect means Of detecting
a fraudulent or illegal vote"
1t strikes us that there is much to COM
mend in the plan here proposed; and we
might be led TO accept it as embracing an
adequate solution OF the question of people
Us. politicians, were it not for a single fact
the existence of parties. 1t is
not TO be supposed that the adoption of
such system of registration as is here adj
vsed would have the effect of DESTROYING
our great political organizations. Parties
Will exist, party candidates will be put in
nomination, and party lines be drawn, so
long as men differ in their principles and
notions Of public policy. And with the
party will exist the caucus, or something
akin to it. Hence, 1t will be seen that the
remedy proposed by the Baptist is not suf-
hcient. 1t does not strike at the root of the
evil. The registration system Tor
its equivalenD must supplant the caucus.
As will have been seen, our ideas in re-
gard to this matter are crude, and the re-
marks we have made are merely intended
as suggestions; but the subject is one
to which the attention of statesmen and
relormers-nay, of the masses themselves.
VINO are the suiierers-ought to be objected;
and IT we have succeeded in making il an.
pear that the nomination and election of
public officers are matters which the people
ought 10 control, and may control If thev
teiH, we shall have done all that we in
tended.
An Outrageous Abuse, and Needed Re.