The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1889-10-11
Tasfor One.

enters one or the booths back of the
railing, where, secluded from ObserYa-
tiOn, he prepares the ballot by placing
in the blank column cross opposite the
name OF each candidate for whom he de-
sires 10 voc or, if he prefers, by writ
ing the names of candidates of his own
nomination in place of those already
there. If there are several candidates
for the same kind OF office, as corOners
in the sample ballot above, or presiden-
tial electors. and he wished TO vote the
straight" ticket of his party, he
places the cross under the name of the
party, or draws IL through the space in
the blank column allotted to the party's
can iidstes, which signifies that he votes
for each candidate named in that space.
Thus, in the simple ballot, a cross uu-
der the word Democratic, " or through
the first two spaces OF the blank column
to the right. IS one vote each for Alex
ander Jacobs and Harvey Sylvester.
After preparing his ballot by indi-
eating every candidate for whom he
votes, the voter folds il in such a man-
ner as 10 conceal the face and expose
the endorsement, ard Withdrawing from
the booth, gives the ballot to the in
spectors, who identify it by the Indorsa-
ment as Official. II is then deposited
Ia TUG DON anu tue NOLcE PASSES OQg at
the gate marked exit
From the time he receives his ballot
until he casts IL, the voter is permitted
to have no communication with any one
but the election officers, and with them
only for official purposes ; and only elec,
tion officers and persons actually eugag-
ed in vo ing are ever admitted within the
railing.
Upon proof of inability from physical
inhrmity or illiterancy, a voter may call
into the boz b officers appointed and
sworn for the ruIpDse, to aid him in
preparing his ballot and when a ballot
is accidentally destroyed OF defaced it
must be exchanged for q clean one.
The Importance OF the latter require
ment may not at once be apparent but
to secure secrecy every ballot delivered
to a voter must be either cast or re-
turned. This explains the necessity for
indoTsing ballots. But for the ipdorse-
ment blank paper outwardly resemb-
ling ballot might be cast by a voter,
who would then be able surreptitiously
TO carry away an official ballot. This
could be prepared for q bribed voter, the
proof of its use being his production of
q second official ballot. That could be
similarly prepared aud used, and SO on.
Such fraud, as the 'Tasmanian
dodge" WAS successfully perpetrated
in Australia in the early DAYS of the
system but its repetition was prevent
! ed by requiring ballots TO be officially
indorsed.
AS 1t is essential that ballots be print
ed at public expense and distributed by
public officers, the system must include
some mode of certifying nomir atious TO
the proper authorities reasonable
time before elections That proposed
by the Yates-SaxtOn bill of New Y ork
was perhaps as convenient as could be
desired. Under it. State nominations
were to be certified fifteen days, and To-
Cal nominations ten days before cleo
tiou nominations of political party
which at the next preceding election
| poiled three per cent. of the whole vote
| were to be certified by party officers
and independent nominations, If for a
/ State Cffice were 10 be certified by a
/ thousand voters and il for a local
/ office by a hundred.
a brief explanation OF the way in
/ which this system effects its objects
! cannot anticipate or answer captious
/ objections, but will be useful to candid
/ inquirers
/ Penal laws are Intellectual to preveu.
bribery and intimidation. The prima-
4 ~ remedy is secret DAllOt. And this
is best secured when the only proof OF
an electors vote is his own uncorrobor-
ated assertion. Under the Australian
[ system no other proof can be made
I That fact gives to the most timid among
dependent voters a sense OF security
which 10 axes him free. And to bribery
it is fatal. Bribers are not likely TO in.
/ vest money on the faith of n bribed
mans naked serticn if there be such
virtue as "honesty among thieves, ,
it is not acceptable security to The
thieves themselves.
But the secrecy, though the primary
remedy for bribery aud Intimidation, il
not all that Is required to purify elec-
tions. nor the only remedy the Austria
liam system offers.
The printing and distribution of bal
lots Is a most important part OF The
election machinery, and, left to private
enterprise, inevitably tends, as does tn,
farming out OF any other public func
tion. 10 breed corruption and build III
monopoly. 1t makes necessity for ir
responsible organizations which come
to WELD autocratic power oyer the Do
iitical party they claim TO serve, and in
turn. through discipline almost military
in its severity, are dominated by an in
ner circle of LEADERS" As ballots car
neither be printed nor distributed with
out money. and may not be faithfully
handled unless tTusty workers are re-
warded with more than an election day
I stipend, the organization undertaking
the work has plausible If not reasona