The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1889-11-16

It's the Australian ballot was useo
"a it is said that the system worked
1mIrably. |,
Under the law the names OF all can
ldates Of ali parties are printed on the
,ailots, they are furnished to the voter
i the polling place on the dsy Of cleo
ION by the State, no one besides the
voter Is allowed within the space re-
served for. the voter and he is allowed
ten minutes within which to receive
his ballot, designate the candidates OF
his choice by marking them, deposit
his ballot and make his exit.
The advantages Of this system are
said to be that IL relieves the candidates
Of the sxpeuse Of furnishing tickets,
renders fraudulent substitution and
Imitation Of ballots Impossible, does
away with the occupation. OF the ssheel-
er'' and ssstrIker, on election day aud
permits man to vote for the candi-
dates Of the party Of his choices In
peace and safety without let or him
drancs and with absolute guarantee OF
invlolable secr4g.
So satisfactory was the result OF the
test OF the law and system In Massa-
chusetts that its champions and the
advocate OF the purity Of the ballot
box are loud In Its praise and enthusi-
asticaily urge It's adoption upon the
other States Of the Union. Foremost
among these we note the National
Democrat, OF Washington, D. Q. That
paper elaine that the law will werk
equally rs successfully In the South as
In the North and 1t advises us to try 1t
saying that under It the Republicans
would at least be cut OF from charg-
Ing US with intimidation and fraud at
the polls. This eonf1dent assertion
has caused US to give some thought to
the matter Tor If there is any way 10
| the world to checkmate the state cic
Radical cry Of intimidation and fraue
at each recurring election and every
time 1t is defeated we are In for i
tooth and toe nail.
But will the adoption Of the Aus
tralian ballot In Louisiana work sue
cessfuily and will Its adoption stop ths
cry Of naturalization and fraud by tbs
Republicans
We do not believe that 1t will d.
either one or the other.
In the first place a msjority of tn
negro voters of Louisiana cannot read
and, therefore, they could not vote &C
cording to the Australian plan ant
maintain that degree of secrecy which
the law makers evidently though
essential to free ballot and which
they intend to throw around the vote
as guarantee Of immunity FROM fu
ture responsibility to anybody for tn
way he voted. Election commission
are usually reliable partisians and g
each and every party would be repre-
scented 1t would be difieuIt matter {
keep invioiate the secret as to how tn
voter voted.
And again, the question OF time is
strong objection to the method. ]
would be necessary for the commil
sioners or somebody else to read tn
ballots to every voter unable to read
himself, explain itand mark it and al
this would consume too much time 9
an election where the illiterate are 4
the msjority to hold 1t in day. Tn
statutory time allowed for each vote
in Massachusetts, is ten minutes br
there are many Louisiana negros VIII
would require at least half an hour
vote and then would not understan
how he had voted. or course it woui
not do 90 disfranchise citizen VIII
was trying to vote intelIisently an
understandingly by ocaIlins time" o
him and cutting him off at the expir,
| tion Of the ten minutes.
The Australian plan might do yer
well In Louisiana In conjunction wit
an educational and property tax su
frage qualification but on Its ow
merits 1t does not commend itself to u
II We do not think 1t will do in LouI