Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-12-11
RECENT REFORMS IN BALLoTING."

Allan Thorndike Rice, editor of the
North american RecieC, has been making
inquiry into the various systems adopted,
among English-speaking people, to reform
balloting, and his report is at once Gu
rious and valuable contribution to cleo
ton literature, for Just at this time there
is decided awakening among all nations
using the ballot as a means to voice pub
lie opinion, upon the subject of better Sc
curing a full and honest expression of
voters.
Mr.. Rice places the registry system as
earliest in the history of election reforms
but all mature men can recall how crude
the early efforts in that direction were.
Even with all the progress made in Cali
fornia, which drew from the best systems
extant when her Codes were adopted in
1872, our registry system is still at fault.
The chief i'll is the ineffective means pro-
yided for purging the Great Registers "
of names Of those deceased and removed.
We have not yet improved the registry up
to the point of preventing the voting of
dead men. Somehow they come up to the
polls from their graves in great numbers
at each election. The coming Legislature
ought to be able to devise some means of
keeping these repeating corpses out of our
political contests.
Mr.. Rice believes the English election
laws to be superior to our own in efficiency,
but they would not fit into American
methods without modification. He urges
that first step in reform is to cut short
partisan expenses absolutely forbid ex
penditures by candidates; stop the assess
ment abuse, and we cut off the gravest
evil in our system. To this conclusion
none desiring a pure ballot will demur.
Blot out the power of the political bosses
to assess )" remove from political COM
mittees the need to assess" and purifca-
ton of ofice-seeking will be largely
achieved. Even where no corruption is
consented to by the candidate, in great
many cases the cost of getting
Office" mortgages its entire term and rem
ders it unremuneratiye to the holder
For the assessments and "boss cinching',
it is proposed that Government shall bear
all the expense of the election, it in turn
to list to the candidates the actual and
necessary expenses, and those that are sue
cessful to reimburse the public treasury.
In Pennsylvania all torchlight professions
and like demonstrations are forbidden for
a specified time prior to election, and sue
eessful candidates are required to swear,
prior to qualifying, that they spent no
money in the election except for purposes
specified in the law. Recently State |
Senator declared his inability to subscribe
to the oath, and he was denied his seat.
The poor man can become candidate
under our present system only by mort
gazing his Office, and in nine cases out of !
ten his manhood, to political bosses and |
political brokers. In Australia all candi-
dates register as such and deposit sum of |
money. Those who fail to poll more than
a fixed proportion of the votes cast for the
successful candidates polling the least
votes forfeit their deposits to the Govern !
ment This is intended to prevent the
overlooking of the registry of candidates
and the exercise of the mere "whim'' to |
run for Office.
Regarding regulation of primaries Mr..
Rice quotes United States Senator as say
ing that of all the States California alone
has mastered the difficulty. But he is
misinformed. So far from having mastered
it. it has mastered California. The pri-
mary is no longer an independent and free
expression; it is largely the puppet of the
caucus. and the caucus is largely the
iumping-iack of the boss. 1t is true
that any one may call primary" under
the general law in California, bnt it does
not follow that the party men go up to the
primary and make it felt. As q rule they
know there is small need to do 50, because
the caucus has prearranged what shall be