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

ers or party leaders
B. W h ich n facilitates z A,A ,..,-. - -,
bribery and corruption noSt.r 80 hsft nv 'ekNi
BY anording them con- w
Venient covers.
To this system il is objected that by
requiring nominations to be made in
advance OF elections 1t denies the con-
stitutional right of voters to select cans
didates from the whole body of voters.
From such eminent authorities as
Judges Cody, McCTary and FoIger. and
the highest courts of Pennsylvania,
Massachusetts and New York, it NAV
De safely inferred that restriction of
the franchise TO candidates nominated
short time before election is a reason
able regulation and not an unconstitu-
tional interference but the interfer-
ence is not necessary, since the system
allows each vo'er TO reject all candI-
Gates and write new names upon his
/ ballot.
/ Il is objected, also, that by requiring
/ the blind and illiteTate to expose their
/ vote TO election officers secrecy of the
/ ballot IS SIS TO them violated. Under
our present system voting is not
| secret IL was for that reason rejected
] by the British parliament aud the Aus
/ tralian system adopted. The object
now is TO secure secrecy, but in aiming
1 at that we are confronted with a class
OF voters to whom exposure of their
| ballots to somebody is necessary. and
al exception must be made in their
favor to prevent their disfrancnisement
| What form which shall be consistent
with the highest degrees of secrecy can
that exception take ? If allowed to
carry their ballots away these voters
fall into the hands of irresponsible and
perhaps dishonest persons, and NAV
madR lnnnnantlU " oil
| strumeuts for peIpetrating some form
of the ''Tasmanian DODGE If, for their
benefit, official ballots are generally cir
culated, all efforts for secrecy are frus-
trated. And Il they are permitted 10
take "frienG" into the booth, the door
is opened for the bribery OF every yenal
/ voter who is. or can successfully pre-
tend 10 De, unable to read English. Ex
posure OF ballots mus be prevented by
every means that Ingenuity can sug-
gest but In exceptional cases in W atch
IL cannot be avoided il may most safely
De conhded 10 election officers, who re-
present opposing parties. are under oath
or secrecy and fidelity, can be readily
detected N ma.feasance. and when de.
tected are liable to severe penalties.
AS TO blind voters this seems to be- the
only course, but respecting the illiterate
any exception to the general rule NAV
De avoloec by identifying the names on
the ballots with numbers, or by print>
ing them with inks of different colors.
There is no reason to believe that the
Australian system OF voting is about
TO receive favorable consideration in all
the States where election abuses have
been seriously felt ; but its adoption
would so surely dispense with machine
organizations that there is also reason
} to fear attempts at essential modific. :
J tioD. These are likely TO be in the di.
rection OF allowing the delivery of bal
lots TO parties and candidates before
election. and distribution as we'll by
workers" at any time or place as by
sworn officers at the polls. A little
thought will show that this would con-
tinue the power of political machines
and endaDger secrecy. Any such mod.
ihcation no intelligent and sincere ad.
yocate of electoral reform can accept
for in this matter It is no. true at this
time that half a loaf is better than nc
bread" 1t were better that the res
form be delayed with the force of public
opinion pressing il forward, than thai