The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-01-02
VOICE OF THE PRESS.
Some Objections to observation-disclosures
tions of Able journal.

Some Objections to observation-disclosures
tions of Alb lie journal.
The Terre Haute Gazette, in an article on the
subject of election reform, says:
The object of registration is to prevent
colonization and repeating but it accomplishes
these objects very imperfectly il at all, If re-
ports from cities where the law is in force are
to be believed. Moreover it does very clearly
and plainly circumvent the essential object of
ing for the absolute secrecy of the
ballot, intended to prevent intimidation
and bribery. Men could be intimidated and
brlbed into refraining from registering and
men who would intimidate and bride men to
vote would be quick to seize upon this weak
spot in the law to carry the elections by force
and fraud. OF course the man bullied or
bribed into not registering would only count
half as much as the one bullied or bribed into
voting with his bulldozer or seducer, but on
the other hand the prevention Of registration
in this criminal way would be easier and more
certain and cheaper than the actual control of
the vote on the day Of the election. The
Gazette Is, therefore, quite of the opinion that
registration should not be mixed up with this
proposed law, providing as far as may be the
absolute secrecy OF the ballot.
The Gazette makes the following suggestions
Tor the proposed law:
1. Let the voter prepare his ballot in a
closed room. mere stall or booth, open at
one side, would not secure a sufficient seques-
tration OF the voter during the preparation of
his ballot This could be easily arranged by
having a door to the stall.
?. Have the voter place his ballot in en-
velope provided by the election officers. Make
1t mandatory on him to place his ballot in the
envelope and seal the envelope while in the
room and before he energies from il 10 place it
in the box. Make it illegal for the inspector
10 accept a ballot not placed in an envelope
and sealed by the voter in a room by himself
3. Make it mandatory on the commissioners
or trustee or whoever appoints the minority
party representation on the election board to
appoint qualified persons designated by the
recognized party committee of the minority
party. BY minority party" is meant the
party next in number of votes at the last pre-
vious election to the party to which the COM
missioners or trustees belong. Make it manda-
tory on the commissioner or trustee or whoever
appoints the officers of the various election
boards TO give admission to the election board
room from the beginning of the voting to the
end OF the count OF one representative OF any
party whose candidates names are on the
ticket. These unofficial persons are not to be
clothed with any authority nor to receive any
pay, but to be given facilities for observing if
there is a free ballot and fair count.
4. Make the election precincts small so as
not to contain TO exceed 400 votes.
3. Require election boards TO make out as
be custodian of one. and the Judge of opposite
politics of the other. Before adiourning re-
quire them to fill out smaller blanks with the
total vote received by each candidate; require
all the members of the board, the inspector,
tAe two Judges and the two clerks TO sign them,
and give one of these blanks to each member
of the election board and one to each repre-
sentative of any other parties who may be pres
ent in accordance with the method hereinbe-
fore prescribed. When this is COM
plete, destroy the ballots This is i'm
portant. If the ballots are preserved,
some prearranged system of private marking,
undiscoverable, except TO the person looking
for it and not sufficient TO invaidate the ballot
may give some person examining them after
ward an opportunity to discover how a person
inundated or bribed voted. The object of
this whole system Is TO preserve nviolate secrecy
OF the ballot, and this is important The Gazette
adds: 4 law on this subject must be devised
and passed this winter. 1t is absurd and out
rageOus that 10000 voters in the great state of
Indiana, ninety-nine out of every hundred of
whom are honest and only want a fair and free
and honest ballot. should continue to live I'M
der system which gives the one-hundredth
rascal an opportunity to corrupt if not to carry
our elections