New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-01
8ALLOT PEFORM TO THE FRONT


Of friendship to moult.
------------.--.
BALLOT REFORM TO THE FRONT
It is clear that there will be a hard fight at
Albany between the real and the pretended
friends Of Ballot Reform. Governor Hill is
too shrewd a politician not to know that his
veto was dead weight upon him in the last
campaign. His High-License veto disguised
respectable voters, but it gained him the en-
ergctic support of the liquor dealers, to which
he owed his election. The veto OF the Saxton
bill was no doubt, part Of The price of his
nomination. but when that had once been OBJ
tanned, no one supported him on account of it
who would not have supported him in any
case, and it alienated thousands OF voters
among the wOrkingmen. We may therefore
expect to see prompt movement of the Gov
errors representatives in the Legislature
toward an apparent Ballot Reform-one that
shall have its form without its substance. The
friends of real Ballot Reform will need to be
on their guard.
They are, happily, showing marked activ-
ity. A Ballot Reform League has been formed,
which is said to number already more than
10, 600 members in this State, and includes
many men of prominence and character. Mr..
Saxton, the author of last years BILL has con-
siderably modified it to meet the Governors
objections, and has the new measure ready
for submission to the Legislature. The changes
to which most interest will attach are those
affecting the secrecy of the ballot. The old
bill required that no person other than electors
engaged in receiving preparing or depositing
their ballots should be present within the
guard-rail except by authority of the inspectors
of elections. The new bill permits |" a person
present for the purpose of challenging the vote
of an elector about to cast his BALLOT to he
within the guard-rail also. 1t is provided that
fac-similes of the official ballots shall be pub
lished in the newspapers twice before election,
which would enable any illiterate person to
prepare himself beforehand to mark his own
ballot. 1t is provided that in marking the
ballot the voter can copy an unofficial sample
ballot brought by him into the compartment,
whether it is marked by him or not, but the
sample ballot must not be printed on white
paper. This will enable the respective parties
to provide their illitegate voters with sample
ballots with the candidates marked; but as
the ballot on different colored paper could not
be voted and as the worker" outside would
have no guarantee that the marking would be
followed, he would have to take the same risk
of being deceived in buying vote as under
last years bill. The probable result would be
that he would not buy 1t is also provided
that an elector who is physically unable to mari.
his ballot, such as one who is blind or with
dis9' ed hands, may bring friend with him
.rt1 the polling place and have him mark the
J. q Co; ,lso that no elector shall tell any one
in the polling place for whom he votes
Those who opposed the Saxton bill because
they affece ed to believe that it destroyed the
secrecy of the ballot will have to find some
other pretext If they wish to keep up their op-
position 1t will not now be necessary for the
illiterate voter, upon whom they have expend-
ed so much sympathy, to declare his prefer
ences to the election officers. lie can learn be-
fore he goes how his ballot is to be marked, and
he can take a copy with him to guide him.
But he cannot vote any ballot other than that
marked on the back by the election officers,
because if he were allowed to vote the sample
ballot he brings with him a fatal leak would
be opened in this wall so carefully built up
against bribery. Other changes made are to
meet minor objections made by the Governor.
The voter is to have ten minutes to prepare his
ballot instead of five. The expenses of munich
pal elections are to be a charge upon the city,
and not upon the county, in which it may
happen to be situated. One per cent Of the
voters at the last election in political division
may make an independent nomination, instead
of per cent, as by the last bill, but nomina-
ton for a State office will not need more than
500 signatures, and for a smaller political di-
vision not more than 80 These are easy re-
quirements.
We hope to see practical and honest meas
ure as the outcome Of the deliberations of the
Legislature of 1889. 1t should not be par
tisan bill, and we trust it will not be. We hope
to see a much larger number of Democrats this
year joining with the Republicans in this work.