Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser., 1889-11-29
The A AUStralIan BALLOT

tne
As the Australian foting is no"
one of the demand $ho would re-
form our election law as the question o.
the incorporation of TINT feature into the cleo
avs of the State will be mooted before ths
coming Legislature, it is important that our
people should consider it as it will affect cleo
tons in this section of the State, where the
iliterxte voter constitutes such an important
element.
The fundamental principle Of the Australian
law s that it affords the voter the opportunity
of casting a secret ballot without being subject
to the surveillance of anybody. For this pur-
pose it is provided that the tickets shall all be
printed by the State and furnished free of'ex
pense, aKd only such tickets, so provided are
to be received AMI counted by the
Judges of election. Upon these tickets the
names of all candidates Of every political par.
ty, &c, shall be printed on each ticket. The
voter, upon approaching the polls, is furnish
ed by the judges with one Of these tickets, and
retires alone to an adjacent room or booth,
provided for the purpose, where he checks the
q mes of such candinstes as he wishes to vote
for. He then returns to the polls and passes
his folded ticket to the Judges, and 1t is dep's
tied in the ballot box. These provisions re-
lisve the voter from all surveillance and in
,imidation and are excellent in themselves In
the Eastern States, where the protected"
manu- facturers have hern accustomed to ceerce
their employees int voting the Republican
ticket, the system has shown excellent results
this fall
As far ~ the system srp!i-s to the voter Who
,an read his ballot. i, practically puts into exc
,utiou the theory upon which it Is based. But
is is a remarkb'e fact that 10 the attempt TO ap-
ply it to the illiterste voter, who cannot read
ais ballot. !, has just the contrary effect. With
regard to this class Of voters. il his heen Fro
videi that there sh,ll be prompters duly ap |
pointed rom the several political parties. who
shall prompt and instruct tn. unlsitered voter
,s to how he sh Ill cheek his ballot. Now this
provision, il will be observed, has the eject o.
putting this class Of voters under the close and
exact surveiil nee and scrutiny Of leadin0 par
tisans. This feature, in this section OF Mary |
land, and in the Southern States generally, |
y here the ignorant colored vste is such large
element, will have decidedly dam .giag effect |
upon free suffrage which it is supposed to su-
courage So gre., 10 the spirit OF intimidatsn
and ostracism among colored and white Re-
publicans in this section, that the cs1ored vo- |
ter only dares to vote other than the straight
Republican ticket, " ben be can do 81 secretly,
without suhjecting himself to the severe pen
,l,ies of lapse from strict fealty to bis party
bosses.
From these facts it must bscnme obvious
hat The Aastra:ias system, 9Th any such
notification ~ 10 above indicated in favor OF
be illiterats voter. 10 mot what Ne vsn' here.
instead Of giving us fres ballot, il will sub
.ct the only class OF our voters that 10 nav in
he slightest desree subject ts Intimidation. to
till more systematic and exact Intimidation
md surveillance; sad ~ill, with rs, have juss
he coatrary effect 70 that intended BY the Law.
In this connection it il to be observed that
he Australia system had its origin and has
,ad its succe.ssul operation in those places
.spre tie iili,era,e vote. il no, entirely isn"r-
d or rejected, 10 only an Uncomfortable els-
neut iu the voting population.