The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-05-07
REFORM
Democrats Fighting in the
Senate for a Free
Ballot.
CARTER's WRETCHED PRETENCE.
Werts and Mcdonald Show Conclu-
sively the Strength Of the Nom
Partisan Committees Bill.

some time in getting to work this morn
ing and when they finally did they took a
recess to have their pictures taken.
It was fifteen minutes past one o'clock
when the Ballot Reform bill was taken
up. Senator Werts moved that the House
bin be substituted for it. This brought
the matter before the chamber ana Mr..
Werts said that ballot reform was
system whereby man could
vote uninrimidated and unbribed. He
next discussed an official ballot, which,
he said, was one printed at public ex-
pence and distributed by an officer. A
correct idea Of o secret ballot is where q
man can cast his vote free from intimida-
lion, unbribed and SO that no one but
himself will know how it was cast. A
trae system of ballot reform is one which
will do this.
officials cannot circumvent 80 that the
first prime 1al for ballot reform is honest
election officers; OF the two bills before
The Senate for discussion, thirty-one sec
tions are identical. After that for few
sections they differ. He then explained the
committees bill. 1t provides an official
ballot for each party to be distributed be
fore election. which in the senator's
opinion is the great safeguard of the sys-
tenn. Electioneering Is prohibited within
one hundred and fifty feet Of the polls
The Senate substitute admits Of election
eering right up to the polls.
TRUE sAFEGUAD.
Under the House bill, the voter may
have been labored with by the workers,
and he may enter the booth with pocket
full Of ballots. He meets an election
officer at polls who hands him more
q booth where there are more ballots
There. alone, by himself, he puts
a ballot in the envelope, and goes
direct to the box where he votes.
No mortal man can tell what ballot was
voted , , = IN 4, tn the Z envelope. Ths Senator
Itremoved all possibility of. intimidation;
the system also SO far as can be done by
human law prevents bribing. When
offered q bribe and directed to cast
ballot by our employer the voter says II
Will" but when he.goes into the booth
where ballots are as free as air who is
going to tell which one he votes.
Ii there are any marks on the ballot,
they invalidate it. A system which pro-
vides for no marks on the ballot is far
superior to the marking. of the Australian
system.
CARTER BILL ABsuRpITIRs.
The Senator exposed the absurdities of
the Carter bill by showing how the in
structions on DianiSet baiiiots and the
cards issued with them only added to the
confusion Of voters. He next showed that
the House bill assured more secrecy than
the Carter bill Under the Carter bill
two OF the election officers signed their
names to the tickets when they
gave them to the voter. Those
TWO men knew how the voter
voted and who knows how many they
would tell The advocates of the Carter
bill object to the distribution Of the official
ballot and they provide for the distribu-
ton OF fac simile ballots, which he de-
cIared was simply the difference between
tweedledee and tweedledum. Hesshowed
how by the aid OF carbon paper the marks
on the official ballots should be repro
.duced on the fac simile and thus man
could show that he voted as he was paid
to.
CAPTER IN REPLY
Senator Carter made strong plea for
his bill He said tnat it was demanded
BY the people and that the system it de-
vised had been successfully tried in other
countries and States The House bill, he
said, If adopted would go down in his
tory as the "half loaf system
Senator Werts, by adroir Questions,
knocked the ground from under many OF
his positions. He closed by introducing
the petition of the Hudson County Ballot
Reform Association, signed by 5000
names. This is Hudson county for bal
lot reform" he said, and shout of deri-
sion went up from the floor and galleries.
D6uatOf QnCOOuAlu Ieau some OIL Lue
names on the list, and found that they
were residents of other counties. Sena-
tor Carter was much abashed, and took
his seat much confused.
M'DONALD SPEAKS.
Senator Mcdonald followed He scored
the Senator from Burlington for the
sneaking manner in which he offered the
substitute when he took part in the de-
liberations of the non-partisan COM
smittee because he could not have his
way in everything. Senator Mcdonald
said he voted for Carter's ideas far
oftener than Carter did for his in the
committee.
He appealed to the Senate not to give
the people too much law and a system
which would disfranchise many voters.
Instead of the Werts bill being half a
loaf, it was a wholesome meal which
would not gorge the public Many men.
he said, were insincere in this matter and
were striving to discover how not to pro-
vide true ballot reform.
The committee bill would have been
law long ago. had 1t not been for this
Senator Mcdonald speech was an
eloquent effort, and made an impression
upon the large number present