New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-02-22
THAT AWFUL BILL.


THAT AWFUL BILL.
| That sturdy old Democrat, Henry H. Clinton,
has discovered the chief danger now threatening
the purity Of the franchise. This is nothing more
nor less than the Saxton Ballot Reform bill Mr.
Clinton lifts up his vcice-or perhaps we should
saw Tammany Halls voice-and cries out against
IT, metaphorically speaking in blue-covered
pamphlet in which he trembles for the future Of
our institutions through thirty long pages.
The Australian system would promote bribery
and encourage fraud The officers charged with
the duty of providing ballots would conspire to
withhold them or delay their delivery. Many
thousands of voters, or perhaps whole districts,
would be disfranchised few brides TO inspect
ors OF election would disfranchise thousand hon
est voters where only one-tenth of that number
can be bought now But it is the facility Of max
ing nominations which this bill proposes that
fills the Tammany Hall leader with peculiar dis
may. Almost anybody could run for Office when
500 signatures could make State nomination.
Strikers and corruptiOnists would make separate
nominations, and the authorities would be COM
PEELED to print the names upon the ballots. Hun
dreds, and even thousands. of names might be
forced upon the tickets.
The situation in local politics would be even
more frightful Any fifty gamblers, polcy-men,
conntcrfeiters and thieves could nominate candi-
dates for the bench Even the result of the cleo
ton might be staked on the integrity Of any one
of the 5000 paStepots, or the eminent fiexibility
or ilcorrigible stiffness of any OF the thousands
Of paste brushes provided for the use OF the
voters The proposed law would be Unconstitu-
tional anyhow, because when the Constitution
conferred upon certain class of citizens the right
to vote, il meant the kind Of vote then in use
" ard nothing else The proposed ballot would
he unconstitutional, because cross is not part
OF the English language, and is to BIO interpreted
TO mean that the elector wishes TO vote for the
candidate after whose name it is placed whereas,
such cross, according to Mr.. Clinton, means TO
ordinary minds that the name is crossed of.
One or two of Mr. Chntons suggestions seem
20 have some little value. One is that there should
be some explicit direction as TO when the ballots
are to be delivered by the authorities TO the cleo
ton officers in each district, inasmuch as mis-
carriage or intentional Withholding of the bal
lots for a short time might have a serious effect
Another is that opportunity should be offered
TO inspect the ballots before they are finally
printed, in order 10 detect errors. In actual prac
tice there would probably be no need Of legal
provision 20 secure this, and the requirement
that the ballots be printed in various newspapers
before the election would amount 10 the same
thing; but IL would probably do no harm 10 have
the law explicit upon this point As for the rest.
Nm Clintons fears come near TO being absolutely
nonsensical The reader would suppose that the
system he attacks was entirely new conception
and had never been put 20 the test OF practice
We look In vain through his pages for the slight
est hint that every objection no makes has been
answered by thirty years successful operation OF
this system, and by its steady increase In the
favor OF civilized nations. IL is not TO be sup
posed that straw candidates win be forced upon
the ballots in great numbers only TO be made
ridiculous Common-sense will govern in these
matters, as 70 does in most others. The restrain
ing power Of public opinion enforces its limitations
In oil the countries whore tire Australian system
Is In use. But no great harm would be done even
II few foolish and irresponsible nominations
should be made. The expense Of printing few
more names upon a ticket viii not be appreciaole
Mr. Clinton seems TO have looked at this matter OF
nominations until IL got 90 be very big indeed
Does IL involve such appalling dangersP Nobody
Is compelled 20 vote for these irresponsible nomi-
nations, and not many are likely 20. Does Mr..
Clinton really think that the public safety would
be endangered II fifty criminals should nominate
candidate for judge2 In the first place, they
would be very unlikely 20 do it: in the second
place. who would vote for such o candidate?
The presumption Is that public officers will per-
form their duties. In the countries where the
Australian system has been In this expecta-
ton has been the basis OF IT, and it has not been
disappointed. Mr.. Clinton apparently forgets
that any dereliction on the part Of public Officer
in connection with this act could be discovered
and punished without tho slightest difficulty, be
cause the duties Of each are well defined. The
prospect OF Imprisonment from six months TO three
years, with or withom fine. would not be alluring
TO election officers
Great stress is laid by all the opponents of the
system upon the danger OF losing votes by mistakes
or informaties, especially in view Of the great
number Of candidates at elections. Upon
these points also we have the results OF experience
90 set against the predictions OF ignorance Mr.
Wimore In his book notes the fnot that In both
England and Australia very few votes are lost in
this manner, and that the total number of
votes increases the proportion Of defective votes
decreases IL Is mistake 20 suppose that long
lists of candidates are not voted for elsewhere
under this system AZ School Board elections in
England there arc sometimes as many as twenty
five candidates. 1t has been found there that
even with the clumsy method for taking the votes
Of illterates votes can be received at the rate
OF from 80 10 200 per hour Our fine old Demo
cratic friend has made the best case for Tammany
Hall against tho Saxton bill the circumstances viii
permit-and it isn't his fault that the ercum-
stances are dead against him.
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Mr.. Cleveland promised the Mugwumps that he
n. l.