The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-12-04

ly, by the ayes and nays: The names
of members are called in alphabetical
or other order, and the answer of yes
or no; the clerk keeps the tally and re-
ports the result to the presiding officer,
who communicates it to the House. To
these methods there may be added a
fifth, a European invention: Each
members desk is connected by two
wires with an indicator behind the pre-
siding officers chair. By touching
one or the other he votes yes or no,
and the result is seen at once and by
all. The adoption of this practice
would be sad blow to the American
device known as filibustering. by which
so much valuable legislative time has
been consumed.
There is one mode of voting which
is capable of being employed in cav
euses aid political conventions, but is
wholly inapplcable either in popular
elections or in representative assem-
blies. This is called the marking
list" and is probably more popular in
New England, particularly in Mass
achusetts, than anywhere else. Sup
pose three delegates are to be chosen
to a convention to nominate Con-
gresham. The caucus votes to open a
marking list. Nominations are made,
and the names are written down upon
sheet of paper. Each voter then
makes mark opposite the names OF
three persons whom he prefers, and a
plurality of votes elects. If there are
persons to watch and see that no voter
puts down more marks than he ought,
that he does not mark more than once,
and that no unauthorized person marks
at all, this is very expeditions way OF
voting, and the counting is matter of
very little labor or time.
merely glance at one or two of the
methods of voting at popular elections.
The ordinary American election needs
no description. We all have the ticket
distributors, the ballot-boX and the
other surroundings of an election be-
fore our eyes. Unfortunately, too, we
know how even granting all the i'm
provement suggested above, the privi-
lege of the freeman is abused. Men,
whose real names are not on the regis
try, vote under assumed names even
yet-names which are not on the list;
they vote more than once at different
precincts; the ballot, invented to give
them an opportunity to conceal their
action, is recognizable rods away; men
are brought to the polls like so many cat
tie and vote as they are told to do. This
picture is, let us be thankful, getting
rarer every year among us, butunfortu-
nately it is correctly drawn for too
many American elections.
The ballot in England, however, is
very different from that which goes by
the same name among us. 1t is a
machine of great complication and in
tricacy. and totally inapplicable to our
system of government. Englishmen
elect only members of Parliament and
few local officers. The administra-
tive and judicial officers are all APP
pointed. The plan which may possibly
work well in general practice for the
choice of single member, or of two
or three members on one ticket, could
not be employed in an election for the
choice of various executive, Legislative
and judicial officers for nation, State,
country and city at the same time.
1t is impossible to describe briefly
the ballot system adopted in Great
Britain in 1872, and only an outline
sketch can be given. The public nom
ination is abolished, but the nomina-
ton day is preserved, the ceremony
taking place in the presence of only a
few designated persons. If only as
many candidates are nominated as are
to be elected. they are at once declared
elected. If there are more candidates,
there must be a ballot. The cleo
ton officers procure the printing
of the requisite number of ballots,
which are bound in the same way as a
merchants check book; that is to say,
there is a coupon which may be de-
tached. leaving part of the leaf still
in the book. Upon the ballots are
printed the names of all the candidates
in alphabetical order. When the cleo
tor presents himself at the polls, he
first satisfies the presiding officer that
he is legal voter. The latter then
tears off a ballot, upon the back of
which he puts an official stamp, after
which he enters the registered number
of the elector on the retained part of
VIC vi anu LldhcS d
mark against the name of the voter on
the registry.
The voters and the ballots both being
numbered, in case it becomes necessary
to ascertain how any particular person
has voted, as, for instance, if there is a
contest on the ground of illegal voting,
the identical ballot given by each per-
son may be found and examined. The
voter, having received his ballot, re-
tires to a room provided for the pur-
pose, where, unseen by any person, he
makes mark opposite the name of the
person for whom he wishes to vote.
He then folds the paper so as to con-
ceal the printing and mark within. but
to show the official stamp on the back,
returns to the polling room, and throws
the ballot into the box. To use the
words of Mr.. Webster in quite another
connections: The deed is done. No
eye has seen him; no ear has heard
him. His secret is his own, and it is
safe" He is obliged to keep it a
secret, too. There is a serious penalty
attached to the exhibition of ballot
after it is marked. The man may tell
any one how he Woodland he may tell
a lie-but no one can know whether he
has told the truth or falsehood. When
the ballots are counted no one but the
presiding officer can possibly know