The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-09-28
Only A TRICK.
Republican Ballot Reform
Claims Still Further
Exposed.
RECORD OF THE LEGISLATURE.
T.
Speaker Hudspeth Tells the Story
of the Kane Bill.
RECORD OF THE LEGISLATURE.

This Republican newspaper nonsense
about the ballot reform measure and the
alleged killing Of it hy the Democrats in
the last Legislature, was very satisfactor-
lily shown up by Senator Edwards inter
view in THE JERSEY CITY NEWS yester-
day; but in order to make the falsity of
Republican claims more evident called
on Speaker Hudspeth and asked him for
his views on the subject.
There is no man in the State better able
to relate the true history of the effort
made last winter to purify the ballot, and
when the nature of my mission was
made known to him he said:-
''pll tell you story. There was once
an eagle that sought its eyrie, and upon
sWoOping down on its nest IL saw q worm
there. The eagle asked the worm how
it managed to get in the nest and the
worm blandly replied that it crawled
there.
"This story" continued Mr.. Hudspeth,
describes the so-called Australian bill
and the attitude of the Republican party
in regard to that proposed legislation.
1t was an open secret in Trenton and
about the State House last winter that
the so-called Australian bill introduced
by Kane, of Middlesex, the Labor repre-
sentative in the House, would ultimately
be defeated by Republican tactics. I was
I re-referred the bill from the Committee
on Elections, where had originally re-
ferred it, to the Committee on Judiciary"
why did you do this?" l asked.
Because / knew the bill would receive
fair and impartial treatment at the
hands OF the committee, the majority of
whom were lawyers of experience, and
felt certain the proposed legislation
would be thoroughly discussed in all its
parts.
DOUBTS ABOUT THE BILL.
"At my suggestion public hearings were
had and the bill was fully discussed. 1t
was finally reported to the House with
some amendments to rectify errors and
discrepancies and many imperfections in
the original bill. This Australian bill
was not like the Saxton bill, as many yet
suppose. The objects it sought to ac-
complish We're to be obtained through a
machinery that was impracticable, and as
many thought impossible, because of the
mode of establishing the Election Board,
the manner OF the reception Of ballots and
the distribution, character, printing, etc.,
which were provided for theoretically,
but not practically. 1t was with the idea
of renedying these imperfections that the
amendments were made"
did the bill pass the House as
amended?"
..Yes; but even after it's passage rumors
few fast about Trenton that the bill was
impracticable, and many of the Republic
cans laughed over the fact and declared
that they had the Democrats in hole,
as they intended to make them pass the
bill, imperfect as it was. The bill went
to the Senate as amended, and was there
given an exhaustive examination and
hearing before the Senate Judiciary Com
mittee, majority of which were Demo-
70 w q
made by them, were in favor of a proper
bill to accomplish the objects sought by
the Australian system. AS this bill was
found to be impracticable substitute
was reported to the Senate"
THE SUBSTITUTE.
sWhat was the nature of the substi-
tute?"
sit was o ballot reform BILL" said Mr.
Hudspeth, emphatically, land it provided
for secret ballot, guarded against cor
ruption and intimidation, and furnished
the means to attain that end. and pro-
vided severe penalties for a. violation of
the law.
after the Senate passed this bill it
came to the House, and, If | recollect
Alright and think the record will bear
me out, it was defeated by having every
Republican vote cast against it.
1--WE all know that reforms move
slowly. The Republican minority was
aware that some reformation of the
present system of elections was neces-
sary. They knew that the Kane, or So
called Australian, bill was impracticable,
and would not accomplish the purpose
sought by those who honestly desired
reform in this particular. 1t was for
that reason that the Republicans all
voted for it in order to throw the response
bility for imperfect and impracticable
legislation on the Democratic majority.
II challenge any Republican in the
State to show me wherein the Senate bill
was not an improvement on the Kane
House bill, or to say that the Senate bill
as passed by the Democrats in the Senate
and receiving the votes of majority of
the Democrats in the House, was not
step forward in the interest of ballot re-
form"
sWhat do you think Of the claims of
the Republicans that they are the true
ballot reformers?"
'It is all cant and nonsense. They have
tried the same thing before, and the re-
suit certainly should have taught them a
lesson, but, as Chauncey Depew lately
said, they learn nothing but forget
everything the boy to whom he
referred, who wandered in a graveyard
eating green apples and singing Nearer,
My God, to Thee