The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-12-28
BALLOT REFORM IN MAINE.
What the New System Is and How
IL Works.
Difficulties of Vote Buying When the
Delivery of the Vote Is Uncertain.
MIR. Looney Speaks OF the New Leg
isIatlon That is Proposed.


steps to be taken to change the electo-
the Legislature.
'Such steps win be taken." said Mr.. Loo
ney, "as soon as the Legislature assemblies.
The plan proposed is modification of what
is called the Australian system of voting.
Massachusetts has already passed a law
based upon this plan, and the Republican
Legislature of New York passed such bill
at the last session, but Governor Hill vetoed
1t in the interest of the corrupt ward poll
ticians of New York city,"
do you think there is demand for such
a law in Maine?"
II know that there is. Since have been
thinking the question over many prominent
citizens of the State have spoken to me.
There is Mr.. Charles II. Prescott, editor of
the Biddeford Journal, ex-Mayor Moses, of
Biddeford, and many other citizens of that
city and York county who are very much in
earnest that the election laws shall be
changed in order to put stop to the bribery
and scandals that have come up. / notice,
especially among the young men of the city,
desire for change. Several members Of
the Young Mems Republican Club, prominent
clergymen and members of the Knights of
Labor have been particularly urgent that
something should be DONE"
'It is reported" Mr.. Looney, 'that you
have been cooperating with others in draw
ing up bill to present to the Legislature
Would you be willing to give to the PRESS
the details of the plan?"
Certainly, should. The great object of
the bill is to prevent bribery by making the
ballot absolutely secret. Men will not
put out money for votes unless they are GER
tain that what they pay for will be delivered.
Now this system provides that the voter must
do his voting so that no one, not even If the
uoter should ,oish 1t to be known hotc he
uotes, can tell ,ohat ballot has been cast.
How many men, do you think, will
put out money for votes when the only
assurance the buyer can have that the
vote has been delivered is the word of a
criminal as to his crime? Other advantages
are that the system will regulate the nomina-
ton of candidates and provide for the print
ing and distribution of ballots by the govern
ment thus striking blow at caucus packing,
and making the assessments of candidates
for Office unnecessary.
"The operation of an election under the new
system would be as follows: All nomina-
tons for candidates that are to be voted for
on the state ticket are made to the Secre-
tary OF State by certain time, say IA DAYS,
before the election, and for candidates for
city elections are made to city clerks not less
than six days before city elections The
nominations can be made by conventions or
caucuses of parties, as they are made now, or
through what are called nomination papers,
that is, by the subscription Of a regulated
number of voters to request for the nomi-
nation of a candidate. The town meeting,
called merely for the transaction of town af-
fairs and the choice of town officers will not
he touched by the bill.
"All the candidates to be voted for at the
same polling place are printed on the same
ticket. This ticket the voter receives on en-
tering an enclosed space within the polling
room, from the hands of an official ballot
distributor. The voter then retires to one
OF a number of small closets that will be ar
ranged in the room. In that closet is shelf
where he can mark with pencil or pen en-
tirely free from any possible observation or
espionage. He has before him the oficial
ballot just received from the official ballot
distributor. On it are printed the names Of
all the candida ties 10 be voted for; and oppo-
site each name is small blank space. The
voter marks cross against the names of
those candidates whom he prefers. Then, II
he wishes, he may enclose the ballot in an
envelope which has been furnished him with
his ballot, or he may deposit it face down
In the ballot box without an envelope. In
case he does not put the ballot into an envel-
ope, there is yet no chance for the nature of
the vote to be known, because the ballots are
all alike except the small crosses which could
not be distinguished by one watching, and
finally because the system is fortified by the
law that keeps the polling places free from all
but officers of the election, within a certain
number of feet of the ballot box. The
voters action is absolutely secret BE can
not let anyone know how he votes, except by
telling, even If he may wish to.
sit may be objected that the voter will be
in ignorance Of the candidates whom he may
wish to favor. But this is not SO. For the
nominations will be open to public inspection
SO that they will Immediately appear in the
newspapers. Not only this, but the bill pro-
vides also that the nominations shall be
officially advertised and posted, and besides,
that specimen ballots on tinted paper shall
be put about the walls in the polling places
so the public can examine them. Besides
that, the party newspapers and party COM
mittees will undoubtedly see that every
voter is supplied with cards, through the
mail or otherwise, of the candidates they adj
wise him to support"
"How about the cost of fitting up polling
places for this SYSTEM"
THAT would not be large. The closets or
stalls where the voters retire to mark their
ballots would not cost much, even in the
cities where many more will be required to
accommodate all the voters than in the
smaller country towns"
'Will not the extra time required to vote
by the new system be so much that more
than one election day will be required?"
That point has been considered, and II is
proposed in the bill that will be presented
that the hour for opening the polls shall be
earlier. The polls will open at 7 o'clock in
the morning and not close until o'clock at
night. That will give several hours more
time than Is allowed at present, and with
plenty of closets for marking the ballots, all
the voting can be done before the time for
closing the polls, even in the largest towns
or wards.
"Has the system had such trials that you
are convinced that its workings would be
what is anticipated?"
"Yes. In Australia and England, it has
worked admirably. Under similar laws in
those countries, bribery at elections has al
most entirely disappeared. Such is the tes-
timony Of public men representing all shades
of political opinion. A similar act went in
to operation in the last municipal elections
in Milwaukee, Wis, and Louisville, KY.
The trial of the law in both of those cities
was complete and gratifying demonstra-
tion of its practicability and wisdom. The
elections for the first time in years were
quiet and orderly The strikers and heelers
who, in former elections, infested the poll
ing places, browbeating. intimidating and
bribing voters, were conspicuous by their
absence. The press of those cities was
unanimous in expressing approval of the
working of the new law"
Surprise Party.
A delightful surprise party occurred at the
parsonage Of the Chestnut street M. E.
church, on Wednesday evening of this week.