Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-10-05

"boss,n whom he knows he can trust. He
does not ascertain how the elector votes
for the purpose of publishing it from the
house-tops, but for the secret and potent
use of the political ring-master he serves,
and who has never yet hesitated to ascer-
tain as best he may. how ''the cattle" vote.
That fact in his possession gives him a
vantage ground fer political purposes that
is priceless to hiEn.
When Mr.. Wakefield manages to ex-
plain to the American people how the re-
turning officer proceeds to pick out the
ballot of the party charged with persona
ton or double voting, without opening the
gummed-6own corners of many or all the
ballot papers until the one wanted is
reached, he will have maintained his
point, But this he cannot do. For It is
clear 10 even the "unintelligent" that in
ninety cases out of a hundred large num-
bersof corners will have to be turned up
and examined before the one searched for
is reached. Mr.. Wakefield is unao1uainted
with the ways that are dark of the Ameri-
can political manager if he does not I'M
| derstand that the numbering system opens
! to the venal the door through which they
can invade the secresy of any ballot, and
therefore of all ballots cast.
! The Australian system is complete with
out the numbering system; it is useless
appendage. If, however, the number is
placed upon perforated corner when the
| ballot is handed to the voter, in order that
the election officers may identify the ballot
as the same given out when the electoI
returns, and this corner is torn off and de
stroyed or deposited in a box that i.
locked and sealed to deposit it, ther
there is virtue in the scheme. Such ;
| plan, and which is identical with tha
adopted by the Young Mems Democratic
League of San Francisco last winter ant
was urged upon the late Legislature
successfully prevents the practice o
| frauds that Mr.. Wakefield admit
are perpetrated in Australia under tht
other system. These frauds are accom-
plished by sending hired voter to tn,
polling place, who takes his official ballot
into the secret booth, and instead of mark
ing it, returns to the ballot-box blan!
paper, which, when folded, is the counter
part of a genuine ballot. He thus passe
out with true ballot in blank, and deliver
it to the boss, who then sends in seconC
| voter with this genuine ballot marked t,
suit the purposes Of the master. This bal
lot is cast, and the hireling brings out tn
| ballot he receives from the election officer
and the process is thus repeated, perhap
all day, and with single genuine ballo
| scores of purchased voters are used, with
out the possibility of detection, excep
some one of them turns traitor" Bu
with the open number on the corner, which
on the ballot being folded must appear OF
the outside, the judge of election identi
fes the ballot returned for deposit as tht
same one given out by him and tickeC
off" against the voters name on the pol
list. 1t is thus impossible for dummy
ballot to be cast and a genuine one carried
out of the booth, for if the elector spoils {
ballot in marking, or wants a fresh one
for any good cause, he is required to return
the first before any duplicate is issued
Mr.. Wakefield studies the California
scheme, and which we look forward to be
law of the State ere long, We think he
will be compelled by good conscience tc
confess that it is an Improvement upon the
Australian system and better couserveS the
secresy of the ballot, even though, in his
estimation, it is proposed by the uninteli
( cent and oriavspca-mou1erc