The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1889-11-24
Mayor Cleveland Indicates
the True Limits of the
Theory.
AN UN-REPUBLICAN SYSTEM
Where the Australian Long Ballot
System Injuriously Affects the
Laboring Classes---Absolute Sc
crecy the Grand Requirement.

the present day which has awakened
more interest than ballot reform. Both
on account of the prominent position
which it occupied in the last campaign
and of the action which the next Legisla-
ture is expected to take upon it, it can
safely be said to be the one absorbing
political subject of the day.
Therefore anything which is said OF
written about it is of interess, but when
such an able and skillful politician as
Mayor Orestes Cleveland talks upon the
subject. more than usual Importance
attaches to his utterances. Especially is
this the more apparent since by his
knowledge Of local affairs and the
acquaintance with national legislation
which he acquired while the representa-
tive of this district In Congress, the
Mayor is able to speak with authority.
twas in order to obtain his views upon
ballot reform that called on the
Mayor yesterday He expressed will
ingness to speak upon the subject and
said:
OPPOSED TO SHAM.
II am opposed to any sham or pretence
of ballot reform. The reform that is
needed is one that will enable working
men to cast their ballots in secret and ac-
cording to their own desires. Employers
must be prevented by law from any form
of intimidation whatever. They must be
prevented from making any demand upon
their workmen, either by hints or direct
threats. Vote-buying must be made too
dangerous for even the Quays and Dud-
leys to engage in it. The ''blocks of fiYe'
business must be stopped absolutely. To
accomplish this, one of the best means
will be to keep away from the voting
place all but the person casting the ballot
IE'sThe voter should be so screened from
public view that the purchaser of a vote
cannot tell whether the voter keeps faith
or not, and as the person who sells his
vote is rs dishonest and detestahle.Rs the
one who buys it, the purchaser VIII not
risk his money when he cannot tell
whether he is cheated or not object to
the general government interfering with
elections in the States, but that is the
tendency now, and look for legislation
in The next Congress of such radical
nature on this subject as to raise the ques-
ton of violation of the Constitution Of
the United States. The great menace to
this Republic now is the tendency towards
corruption at elections by the use of vast
sums of money, with promised rewards to
those who contribute most freely.
AGAINST THE VOTERS FREEDOM.
That elections can be made safer or
purer or better in any sense by having
the State print and furnish the ballots
do not believe. On the contrary, fear
that q vast power will be welded by the
State against the freedom of the voter
As matter of fact, freed from all nom
sense and political claptrap, the voter
should be allowed to write out his own
ballot if he so desires, or any candidate
should be allowed to print ballots with
his name on them and distribute them
amongst his friends and the people in
general for their use in voting. Any
abridgement of this natural and common
sense method is an encroachment upon
the rights of the common people and an
effort at monopoly.
the free expression of the desire of voter
in this free country. It was taking
idea to put before labor association to
tell them that the poor man should be
allowed to run for office and the State
should print his ballot for him. But the
voice that sings that song is the voice of
the spider to the fly. 1t is an effort to
prevent the workingmen from distrib-
uting his own ballots If the only object
was to furnish ballots free of cost it
would be an absurd pretense of aid, be-
cause the actual cost of the ballots is so
small that poor mans friends could
aid him to print them easily, and if they
cared for him they would gladly do SO.
LONG BALLOTS A HARDSHIP.
O. .sBut if the object is to prevent him from
SO distributing his ballots, then it is an
encroachment upon his rights. If the
long ballots are to be used, from four to
to six feet long, as l have seen them, on
the Australian plan. and the working
men are to be required to mark the
names they desire to vote for, it will be
hardship on the best and truest men in
the country, the men who go to vote on
their way home from work all covered
with the black and CRIME of the work
shop, and with hands that are unsuited
to the handling of paper, pen or pencil at
that time. When people are chasing after
thing with headlong haste it is best
sometimes to stop and think a little. and
if we are to have such a system thrust
upon us it should be well considered from
all sides and made practicable.
81 have seen the suggestion thatethese
Official or State ballots, should abe
numbered. That would be an outrage on
the voter and a reversal of the whole
principle involved, because his vote could
be traced by his own lumber on the regis
try and all secrecy would be at an end,
and especially so If the general govern
ment takes charge of the elections as l
believe it will If the Republican party is
continued in power. There is but one
common sense idea In a popular election
in this free country, and that is that the
people shall have the opportunity to ex-