The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-19

could not have been the case, espe-
cially the secret ballot.
The ancient Greeks selected their
magistrates or decided political ques-
tons by secret vote, for which purpose
they used different colored beans. At
one time they used only the pole beans
Hence the term, from the Greek, going
to the polls" 1t was one Of the most
interesting and thrilling sights, we are
told, to see the Greek on election day
selecting his ballot from the bean bag
before casting it.
In the selection of candidates certain
colored beans were chosen by the prima-
ries TO correspond with the candidates
they We're TO represent. Sometimes a
packed primary would decide on a style
of bean to be cast for an unpopular can
didate, knowing that the last quart of
that brand of bean had been eaten at
breakfast the previous Sunday. Had
that happened here a style of vulcanized
rubber bean Of the same general appear
ance would have been made in the night.
The Greek origin of Boston is established
by the history OF the ballot, think.
At Athens the dicasts-whatever that
may be-used in giving their verdicts
balls of stone called psephi. or of metal
called spondui, whence comes the term
spondulix or money, which has also been
associated more or less with the ballot
throughout the history of the world.
Those pierced in the center or black in
color signifed condemnation, and
though this, Of course, was hardly politi-
cal balloting it soon led to it.
Petalism, which was so popular in
Syracuse at an early day, term which
has nothing to do whatever with pessi-
mism, was a system Of voting by words
written upon the leaves of the olive. By
using the plain leaf the voter signiied
81 give you leave;" but by making GER
tain other Greek characters on the ballot
it meant Leave the Office alone" Or it
might be marked so as to mean I'VE
beleave not in you"
The Romans first monkeyed with the
divine right of suffrage in the year 139
B. G., using wooden tabelle placed in
the cista-a sort of basket or wicker
rogas) or A. (antiquo) in the case of a
proposed law, and L. (ibro) or D. dam
MOI in the case of public trial. The
Roman custom of using the word damno
upon casting the ballot has given rise TO
the custom by which politics and profan-
ity are still seen so often going hand in
hand down to a drunkard's grave, to
see if he is in it, and, if not, with the
idea of utilizing it themselves.
/ have an idea that the Australian
ballot was also used in Rome at least
century before the birth of Christ, for il
is fact that at that period the wooden
tables used as ballots contained the
names of both the candidates, and had
puncts or holes opposite the name used
or voted for.
In Great Britain the ballot was first
used in 1862 by the Scots parliament in
proceedings in the "Billeting act, which
was a measure for ostracising and other
wise distguring a few political oppo-
nents. Each member of parliament wrote
in a disguised hand on a piece of paper
the names of twelve people whom he
didn't like and whom he would be glad
TO ostrscise. or at least help hold while
some one else did it.
These names were put in a bag, which
was at once sealed I'D and sent TO the
exchequer chamber. The king repudi-
ated this act, however, IN 1905. st the
present time voting is done in Great
Britain a good deal the same as it will
be done in this state hereafter. \ cross
is made after the name of the candidate
who is voted for, the names being in al
phabstical order on the ballot. Each
voter has : chance TO go and commune
with himself while thinking who he will
vote for. Fer this purpose he has little
booth, 20 which be can secretly retire
along with his numbered or stamped bal
lot, and unless his thoughts are highly
vociferous they cannot be heard outside
the booth, or. if heard, they viii be 50
indistinct that the law is really com
piled with in spirit at least.
Australia has a good method, which is
called the Kangaroo method, and has
worked so well that canvaSsiug for votes
has practically disappeared there, and |
sheep stealing is on the decrease. You |
are Of course familiar with this method /
more or less. Thorndyke. and so need |
not go into detail, but the principle is |
there as we'll as here, that even if you I
suy a voter you can never feel sure that /
he viii not be replevied by some one else. !
A man who will sell his vote will also
lie, or leave his honor in the Grand Cen
tral depot; therefore you can never feel /
sure Of vote unless after buying IL you 4
see thst IL Is dennsited and counted |