Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-01-24


CURED to place opposite each name he de-
sres 10 vote letter "X," as shown above.
In case there is more than one man to be
eectcd-as for senQtor-and tho elector
wishes to vote for all three he can draw a
straight lire past tho party candidates in
stead of max 'ng an "X," which would indi-
cate who he was voting for.
Upon receiving his tick = the voter goes
into one Of the booths and prepares his ballot
as ab we indicated If he is blind, illiterate,
or otherwise incapacitated for preparing it
he must call one Of the officers 70 assist him;
and if ballot becomes soiled or torn it
must be returned to the ju lgcs who will
issue another-endorsed as before. Every
ticket must DO either cast or re urned to the
JUDGES, so as to prevent fraud BY not allow
! ing ticket TO be taken from the polling
place would insure secret ballot, for then
no man could be voted by striker" as is
often done now. Under such a law he could
cast a ballot in full accord W th HIS senti-
ments. No one, aside from the duly quail
fed officers is allowed TO talk TO him or enter
the booth IN which he Is making out his
ticket. When he has his ballot prepared he
/ folds IL In such manner as to conceal The
/ IA ard expose the endorsement on the
ba *, hands it to the inspectors, who identify
II as ohic ial by the endorsement ON the back,
sees IL placed In the ballot-box and passes
put at the other side Of the room from which
4 he entered
The law further provides that the tickets
! must be furnished by the state This pro-
vision is wise ono. 1t closes the last gate
10 fraud. No one but an official appointed
or elected-who had sworn TO faithfully and
impaytially perform his duties would be al
lowed to handle or furnish tickets, and then
under restrictions. Through such an ar
rangement it would be absolutely impossi-
bic for any party or parties to secure an Off
cial ticket prepare IL for a bribed voter,
have him enter and call for another, pretend
to fill IL out, pass in the one he had been fur
nished and carry the one given him by the
judges to the consprators on the outside,
who would thereby be able to fix" votcrs
as under the present law.
All this would be prevented. Workers at
the polls would be dispensed with, and the
expense attached to a campaign would be
reduced TO almost nothing.
In order for a man to have his name ap-
pear up n the official ticket IL was pro yided
in the Dill vetoed by Gov. HILL that state
nominations w re to be certified fifteen days,
and local nominations ten days, before o &c
ton; nominations Of political party which
ut the next pre- 'eding election polled pr
cent of the who'c vo @ wore to be certified
by party officers and independent nOmina-
tons, II for state Office wcro to be certified
by u thousand voters and If for local Office
by n hundred
| Mr. Post asserts an incontrovertible truth
in another sentences, when he says, ALREADY
poor men rarely obtain political advance
ment without assuming big 'tions to be
redeemed by offci i perfidy, and the obSta-
Giles TO unallied candidacy have become so
great as to often prevent and always to
discourage Independent nominations"
To this system 1t is objected that by re-
gu ring nominations TO be made in advance
of elections IL denies a constitutional right
of voters to select cand dates from tho
whole body of voters. From such eminent
authority as Judges Cooley, McCreary and
Folger, and the highest courts Of Pennsyl-
vania, Massachusetts and New York, 10
may be safely inferred that restriction of
the franchise to candidates nominated a
short time before election is a reasonable
regulation and not an unconstitutional
interference; but tho inference is not ne
cessary, since the system allows each voter
to reject oil candidates and write new
names upon his ballot.
1t is objected, also, that by requiring the
blind and illiterato to expose their vote Ia
election officers, secrecy of ballot is as TO
them violated. Under our present system
vot ng is not secret; these same illitera,e
and blind voters who would be required To
expose their ballot to the election officer un-
der the Australian system have to do the
same thing now, under our present law, but
to less reliable parties; theresoro the ballot
would be as secret TO them as IL ever was.
, Some faults are also found with the ticket
herewith presented, many thinking 1t would
be better to have each party ticket on a sep
arate slip Of paper which would prevent
confusion, and probably aid the judges in
their canvas.
The states should adopt this law, with
, such amendments as may seem necessary
and thereby make it impossible for charac
/, terless men to foist themselves upon a com
munity; and make it Just as possible for mer
, poor in purse, but rich in intellect-to bt
, elevated to positions of trust and honor
Workngmen, and honest business mel
/, generally, should join forces in one attemp
TO have state senator's and representatives
introduce and pass the law known as tn,
Australian System"