The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-03-05
NATIONAL AFFAIRS.
The Union League Plan for Flee
fion Reform.
Minister Phelps Beats the Record
sTr. Nye en Mr.. cieveiand
Personas Gossip.

TIE Tniors League Club has ssszas 4
Recommendation with regard TO bal.
iot-reform legissat3ozs. which deserves
careful consideration. st least. At the
hands Of the legislature Ii VIII be re-
mersbered that Governor Hifi dis.
pIsyed extreme anxiety upon this
subject In his annual message. lie
was made to realize as soon a. the
workmen showed where they stood in
this matter that he was In a very aTk-
ward position. When he came 10
write his message he sought TO pro-
pitiate them by saying as much a.
possible In favor OF ballot reform
without going 30 far as TO cut loose
entirely from me trading politicians
OF Tammany Hall and the County DE
mocracy. Therefore we find that. IN
his message, while not positively IA
yoring the printing and furnssnsrlK "a
ballots AT public expense, he expressed
himself as disposed to recommend
its adoption as an experiment fairly
entitled 70 reasonable trial" also
that he is willing 20 see law passed
keeping all persons except the peace
officers and the eiectOr actually en-
gagged in voting at distance from the
polls while he + casting bis vote. thus
securing q large degree Of secrecy.
such as exists under the Milwaukee
law. On the other hand. the COVER
nor distinctly opposes the provision
that only official ballots shall be re-
ceived, and declares that Il would be
unconstitutional 10 require ballots r.,
be marked by the ballot eserss.
The proposition submitted By the
COMMITTEES on electoral reform. and
approved by the club. il that these
two latter features shall be eliminated
from the Saxton bill, which can h.
done by dropping 80 lines from q bill
of IA pages, and that the 30 lines shall
be framed ia a separate blu, both 10 be
passed and presented TO the governor.
The latter he would undoubtedly veto.
the former he could not refuse 10 sign.
without a self-ssuitiGeation from
which even ne would probably shrink.
The result would be that we should
have a Law providing for the printing
and distribution Of ballots at public
expense, and 20 doing away with the
necessity OF assessing candidates, and
also screening the voter from obserya-
ton while he Is casting his vote. In
other words, we should have better
law than Milwaukee. where the author.
titles do not furnish the ballots The
party could continue to press the un-
successful bill for years, IL necessary
until il became law.
This is the proposal. One import
ant point 10 be considered il whether
the enactment OF such law, aYowediy
to meet the governors views. and one
not carrying into effect ali the features
OF the reform tG which the Republican
party Is pledged, would involve a sur
render OF principle. such as many Re-
publicans have felt would be involved
in the passage of the excise commits
sion bill. without the previous passage
OF a high-license bill. An effort has
already been made TO show that the
eases are parallel. But are they so
The legislature could net pass the ex-
else commission bill and high-iicense
bill, and send them to the governor at
the same time, because the one would
contradict the other In the sums Fixed
for license fees. But the two bills into
which II Is proposed 10 divide the Sax
ton bin do not conflict in any particu-
lar. They fit together like the two
halves OF an apple. They could be
sent TO the governor on the same day
without the least inconsistency, and II
he should choose 10 ,sign both, the total
result would he aeli-rounded Law.
Then 1t IL also 10 be remarked
that the large reduction in the fees
proposed by the excise commission
amounts IA a lowering OF the stand
ard Fixed by the high-iicense bill of
preceding years. Does the omission
from one bill of the provisions that
only Official ballots shall he used. and
that hallot-clerks shall mark the ball
lots, present q parallel easef These
are important features OF the law.
but are the cqnai ia importance to
the othersg The bill which the gov
ernor must sign. in order not O. be
laughing stock. would give US bal
lots printed and distributed at public
expense. put an end 10 bribery
through the form of hiring workers. !"
and would secure secrecy in casting
the ballot. Are not these the chief
features of what Is known rs ballot
reform. Ii seems TO us that 10 divide
the Saxton bin into two parts. so that
the governor could not repeat his
fayorite trick of defeatins the whole
OF q reform upon pretext attached
to some one part OF il, would not in
volve the Republicans in any incog-