New-York tribune., 1890-01-03
THE VF1R'.S UOHK.


Shall not 1890 be made the year OF ballot
reform? The only thing necessary is that all
the people who realize the necessity OF that
reform shall determine to do everything III
their power to push it forward this year, to cast
aside partisan OF personal influences that may
at any time stand in the way, and to unite un-
reservedly with any who are working IN good
faith to the same end. The people who place
ballot reform second and something else hrst,
whether it be Democracy, or Civil Service re-
form. or tariff reform, or temperance, are apt
TO be the very men who defeat publication OF
the ballot, or do more than anybody else to
defeat it. If the farmer really means to get
his hay in before it rains he has to stop work
on various other fields and crops long enough
to take care of that hay.
There are good reasons for making ballot
reform the order of the day, and giving to that
work the precedence over every other this year
in the legislation of the various States There
is already strongly aroused public sentiment
to sustain such efforts. There are fresh evi-
dences of the satisfactory working of measures
adopted in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
There is an intense feeling among adherentS OF
labor organizations, and particularly among
the Knights OF Labor that they will never be
able to exercise their mghtful influence until
a truly secret ballot has rendered the suffrage
| of all wage -eaners really free. To that con-
, yction Mr. Powdery, the head OF the hnlghts
of Labor, appeals with great eanestneSS in his
New Years address, urging citizens to organ
ize ballot-relorm clubs, and to exact pledges
from legislative candidates, not only to vote
I.,,t of,tca 10 ont IN mo-
ltical caucus that may attempt to bind them
on that subject.
Evidently there is a strong feeling here
which may be largely influential in other states
besides Pennsylvania. Good citizens who
realize the great need of ballot reform will not
stop to waste force in controversy with the
| wage-earners about the relative extent or I'M
portance of existing abuses. 1t is enough that
| intimidation or coercion does sometimes de-
| prive the employe of his freedom in voting,
and that ought to be stopped no matter
whether the wrong is done in the interest OF
one party or the other. If the Knights of
| Labor will bring their influence to bear upon
| Governor HILL of New-Y ork and Governor
Albeit, of New-JerSey, possibly they may be
able to overcome the hostility of those leaders
to a reform which ought to 90 forward, even if
il be true, as some Democrats assert, that bal
lot reform tends to injure the Democratic party.
The right position for every good citizen in
this matter is to remember that the Hills and
the Abbetts of to-day are thinking rather of
their private ambitions than of the public well
fare. or the advancement of the principles of
either party. The Democratic party would not
deserve much hard work if it were not likely
to outlive these men and their personal amb-
tons. But if the party is ever to win the con-
fdence of the majority in Northern States and
especially of the working people, it must not
stand in the way of reforms which arc found
necessary to the independence and well-being
of wage -earners No political party can afford