Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-12-26
STILL FIGHTING REFORM.

The San Francisco Chronicle protests
tnat it wants information on the subject of
ballot reform, and that it is willing to be
convinced of the virtues of the proposed
election system for California 1t has this
statement in yesterdays issue concerning
the feature of secrecy:
The numbering of q corresponding stub or
counterfeit will not do, for that is certain de-
strUction 10 secrecy. The ballot is secret when
il goes into the ballot-box, but not secret when
it is taken out and counted, for if ballot No. z4S
is issued to a voter aud his name recorded
when he casts ballot 2lS, is it not evident that
the counting OF the ballots makes a complete
record of how that particular voter has voted?
As the Australian law is applied in
Australia, the Chronicle is correct in its
conclusion that secrecy is destroyed. But
in Australia non-voting class acts in the
capacity of counters and the ballots are
destroyed after being counted. Neverthe-
less, the fact of how an elector voted can
be ascertained in Australia, and therein
les the defect of that law. But the law
proposed for California, and originated in
San Francisco in the Young Mems Demo-
cratic League, completely obviates the OBJ
lection to the Australian law. 1t provides
that the printed ballot number shall APP
pear only upon corner of the ballot, be-
low which runs a line of perforation.
When the voter comes to the ballot-box
his ticket must be folded, as under the
present California system, and this num-
bered corner thus appears on the outer
fold. The ticket having been by this
number identified as official, the voter, or,
if he prefers, the Inspector of Election,
tears off the number and the ballot goes
into the box absolutely without mark of
identity, and its secrecy is thus insured.
In Connecticut they furnish the voter with
an official envelope in which he seals up
his ballot.
The Australian system of depositipg the
numbered ballot, or an Endorsed one, was
proposed to the last Legislature, and the
REcoRD-UNIoN at once pointed out the
objection to it and protested against its
passage. The Federated Trades had the
bill in charge, and for a time their repre-
sentatives were indignant at the opposi-
ton Of this journal, but when shown the
reason for it, the bill was withdrawn and
amended so as to remove the objection, the
promoters of the measure frankly acknowl-
edging that they had been in error. So
that what the Chronicle is now bringing
forward is ancient history. and has alto
gether a musty smell. That journal
should endeavor to keep pace with the
history of ballot reform.
But our San Francisco contemporary
has discovered another mares nest in the
reform system; and though the RECORD
UNION has recently thrice demonstrated
that it is in error, the Chronicle yesterday
rclsserted its misstatement. 1t charges
that a hired voter, in order to prove to his
master that he has kept the contract of
sale, takes into the voting booth ballot
SO closely initiated after the official, that it
cannot be detected when folded. He re-
ceives from the ballot clerk genuine bal
LOT, but votes the counterfeit and brings
ont the genuine Is proof of his servility,
and this genuine ballot the boss then uses
with another purchased voter, who brings
ont still another genuine, but blank ballot,
and thus the master can vote the slaves all
day, and lose the vote of but one of them,
that Of the hireling who cast the counter
felt ticket, which, of course. is thrown out
when the count is entered upon.
All this sounds convincing and seems to
work complete defeat to the law. But
how brief tale serves to disabuse the
mind. The official ballots are bound, two
hundred in book with stubs numbered,
for which the election officials receipt
The elector procures his ballot from the
ballot clerks, who record its number on
the pol list as they now do the order in
which the electors vote. The ballot, when
returned for casting, is folded as now; the
inspector, before receiving it or allowing it
to be cast, examines and calls out the num-
Der on the perforated corner, the poll
clerks reply that that particular voter re-
ceived that particular ballot and is en-
titled to cast it; the number is then de-
tached and the ballot cast. 1t is simply
impossible for the hess or any one else to
get counterfeit ballot into the box under
such a system, except the election officers
are in COLLISION with the rascals. Against
su3h collision, as against conspiracy to
commit crime, there can be no protection,
except such as punishment affords. We
come 70 a point in all proceedings where
there must be repose of human trust in
some ore. But the reform law does not by
so much as a hairs breadth enlarge the
capacity Of election officers for becoming
corrupt. Under reform system they can
lie rs vicious as now ana viii be unless the
peoplc PIT Il, nest men behind the allot-
lczss. Bu the reform system viii make