Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-03-25
neapolis and St. Paul. Whatever war exists
is between Minneapolis and the remainder of
the State
TIE SECRECY OF THE BALLOT.

TIE SECRECY OF THE BALLOT
The Democratic Congressional caucus de-
cided upon recommending legislation that
| shall forbid the use of any marked ballot at
Congressional elections which would have a
tendency to destroy the secrecy of the bal
lot. This decision was reached after dis
| oussion on the use of tissue ballots in some
of the Southern States in the elections of
| 1876 and 1873, and it was the unanimous
opinion of the gentlemen present that such
devices ought to be prohibited as far as Con-
| gress can prohibit them. The numbering Of
ballots, the use of colored paper by which
| the ticket of this or that party can be dis
tinguished, or any other device of a like ma
| ture is calculated to destroy the secrecy of
the ballot, and to subject the voter to inhu-
ences which should not control his action at
| the polls. For instance, if an employer was
| a Republican and his emr,loye was Demo-
crat, or vice versa, and marked tickets were
used at elections, the employer might easily
ascertain how his employe voted, and sub
ject him to unjust and perhaps outrageous
! treatment.
The purpose of our present system was to
give every citizen the right to cast his ballot
| fearlsssly and independently, without fear or
| favor Devices have been introduced, how
ever, which place it within the power of any
person to ascertain how another voted. This
| system is radically wrong, and wholly in con-
PREVENTION of the meaning of the laws. The
question of numbering ballots was brought
before the district court of Ramsey county
| last fall, and the decision was rendered that
any mark or device by which any person
| might ascertain how another voted was ille-
gal and unconstitutional, and that therefore
all ballots so numbered or designated were
void. There was no dissent among the very
able gentlemen who heard the case, for under
the constitution no other decision could be
arrived at. The law especially declares that
the ballots at all elections shall be secret,
and ballot is not secret which is numbered
or otherwise designated. The decision, we
are sure, will be affirmed by the State SUI
preme court as we'll as by the supreme court
of the United States. Yet there
are other devices that might not technically
come under the ban of the law, by which
the voter may be Influenced in his conduct
at the polls, and it is these devices, we I'M
derstand, that Congress proposes to prohibit.
The action can be taken none too soon. It
is within our personal knowledge where men
have voted honestly, and as they supposed Sc
cretly, who have found themselves turned
out of employment because the knowledge
of how they voted was possessed by their
employers. Such instances are not rare, and
are probably known to every reader.
We think it is high time that something
was done to protect the citizen in his right
to vote as he pleases and for whom he
pleases. Without some provision that shall
protect the secrecy of the ballot, suffrage
will be failure, and tho employer will con-
troll the votes of his employees. Such state
of things is subversive of libarty, and is cor
tainly not in consonance with the spirit of
our go7ernment. ..