Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-04-24
ELECTION LEGISLATION.
Objection to the Hurst-Jones Bill.
Pamphlets Sent from New York 70
Espringfield Exposing Flaws. In the
Australian. Voting scheme

Sons"iho ehS ioiioNius SpcCiai, WuiCu
bears on a question that is now before
the state legislature, and with which
Hon. E. w. Hurst, of this city. is
prominently identified:
The Hurst-Jones election bill. en-
bodying the Australian system, is meets
ing with opposition, but it is coming.
from the far off state of New York, Md
is not likely to be very effective. X the
last session of the New York legislature
bill adopting the Australian election
system was passed by<both houses. but
vetoed by GoverS0r Hin on the grounds
of uncoustiISfti onalitv in restricting to
an ek're9de degree in certain of its pro-
s,,ssiSii6s the rights of the voter. In the
shl introduced at this session of the
assembly, the particular provisions to
which Governor Hill objected were modi
fed, but it is insisted by the New York
papers that Governor Hill and his party
are still against the bill. and are using
all their influence to defeat the measure
which has already passed the house and
is pending in the senate on third reading.
Whether Gov. Hill will veto that bill in
the event of its passage is still an open
question. but the republican papers OF
New York city insist that the bill is be-
ing actively aud somewhat secretly an.
tagonized by the party that claims domi>
nance in that state. One of The methods
Of warfare adopted by the opponents of
the proposed legislation has been the or
ganization of literary bureau in New
York city for the dissemination of print-
ed arguments against the measure. Ev-
cry member of the Illinois legislature
today received forty~page pamphlet
directed against the Hurst,Jones and the
Johns election bills and the Australian
system in general. 1t Is
SIGNED BY HENRY L. CLINTON,
of No. lis Broadway, New York. and
reviews the bill section by section in an
elaborate argument of which the follow
ing are the leading propositions:
1.-The bill is faulty in details and fun
dsmentally wrong"
''Such bill would not prevent, but
would promote frauds.
ut would necessarily result in the
disfranchisement of large numbers of
honest voters"
1T wolld be utterly impracticable."
lit would be powerless for good and
potent only for evil"
at would be unconstitutional and
void"
The following are some of the argu
ments made by the author of this elabor-
ate document: 1.-THE " hole system hinges
upon the printing of ballots at public
expense, and the distribution of them by
sworn officials. The county clerk in the
different counties in the state is to have
sole charge of printing and distributing
ballots. The theory is that the county
clerk is to print the names of the candi-
dates with proper designations or the
Offices they aspire TO tilD nominated in
the way and by the methods designated
by the BILL
THE door would he open to frauds
without number; they could be practiced
with ease, and almost with impunity.
Under the present system the committees
of political parties and the candidates are
sufficiently interested to see that the bal
lots are correctly and properly printed.
But under the operation of this bill those
mostly interested, until the poles opened
on the morning of election would have
NO OPPORTUNITY OF AscERTAININe
whether the ballots were. correct, and il
they were incorrect there would be no
way of remedying the evil.
THE fourteenth section provides as
follows: Before the opening of the polls
the county CLERK of the county shall
cause to be delivered to the Judges OF
election of each election precinct or town
which is within the county, and in which
the election is to be held, at the polling
place OF the precinct or town, the proper
number OF ballots OF each kind to be used
in such precinct or town
This section ought in explicit lam
guage to state exactly when the ballots
are to be delivered. Although it does
not expressly say so, the fair construction
is that they are to be delivered on the
morning of election. OF course, they
should be delivered after the boards OF
election judges have organized and be-
fore the voting begins. They must all
be delivered at or about the same time
Itwould not do to send these ballots before
the morning of election, for that would
afford opportunities for tampering with
them. To have them all delivered on
the morning of election, in any OF the
large cities, would be somewhat OF a task.
The bill provides no safeguards against
mistakes ead frauds. Suppose the per-
son instructed to deliver the ballots
should fail to do so in time, or should
not deliver them at all. In such election
districts voting could not proceed. How
easy would it be for dishonest judges to
collude with the persons instructed to dee
liver the ballots. II voting were thus de-
L = e., 81 fnr
ONE HOUR, OR HALF AN HOUR,
the result of the election might be
changed and the majority of votes in
such districts practically DISTINGUISHED.
Such delay involving might change the
result Of the election even in respect to
the city and county or state officers.
Such delay in 1884 might, and probaS
bly, would, have changed the result of the
presidential election, the successful can
didate having a majority in New York
(Which decided the electioD) of less than
LOO votes.
The greatest evils which would in
evitsbly result from the scheme of this
bill would probably grow out of the pro-
visions contained in the sections which
relate to the manner of making nomina-
ton of candidates for public office. The
county clerk is to print and distribute
ballots for all the candidates whose Mons
nations Cor rather certificates of nomina-
tions) are filed in his Office in the manner
specified in the bill, hence the extreme
importance of nominations. Only the
names of those nominated according to
the provisions of the bill can be printed
on the ballots.
'If this bill were passed what would
be the effect with reference to conven-
tions Of the principal political parties7
Candidates who fail in obtaining romin-
atoms are quite apt to think they are un>
fairly beaten. Under the sting of defeat
they would call another convention and
have themselves nominated. Under the
present system they are not likely to bolt,