The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-04-08
- rhe Anetralian sallot. =.

/ ts-A The Australian Ballot. -
There is quite difsrercs Of opinions as
to whether tn trial that was given the
/ Australian system of voting in Rhode
/ Island the other day was a success or a fail
ure. Those who ara hostile u the system de-
clare their belief that it was a failure, ami
! that the system can never become popular
I an this country, while those who favor it are
| confident that within very few years it.
or modification OF it. will be adopted Dy
/ al the states that have not yet done 50. Il is
asserted that the system caused malv dem1-
Gratis in Rhode Island to lose
Their votes, because the voting was So
/ slow that they lid not have
/ a chance to cast their ballots before the polls
were closed. In answer to this ass srtion it
| is said that great many worki1gnlen cams
TO tbs polls just few minutes before tbs
hour for closing them, and that all could
not be accommodated. They were prime
/ pally factory hands who could not get away
| from their work sooner tnan they dill IL Is
doubtless true that a majority OF them
were democrats, but il the old system Of vo.-
| ing had been in use it is probable that a very
considerable Der cent OF them would have
lost their votes under the circumstances.
In the discu ssiou OF the trial OF the Aus
tralan system in Rhode Island the fact
seems to be overlooked that much delay was
caused by lack of knowledge on the part
Of the voters as to the exact course 1t was
necessary for them TO pursue in order to gss
their ballots into the boxes. Ii is true that
directions were placed conspicuously in the
booths in which the voters prepared their
ballots, but these were, in MANY instances.
overlooked. The conseqne ice was that
voters spent too much time in askiag cues
tons for the purpose OF finding out exactly
what they must 10 to meet the requirements
of the new system. Doubtless il another
election had been held the following day.
the same number of ballots would have been
cast in much less time.
As the people become familiar with the
system many Of the objections which are
now made TO it viii disappear. There will
be little or no time lost in asking questions,
and fewer mistakes of the kind that require
time to correct viii be made. The voting
viii go on like clock-work. and it will be
found that pretty nearly as many votes can
be cast under the Australian system as
under any other The voters OF Rhode
Island, both democrats AMI republicans,
seem 70 be well disposed toward it. and
appear to think that it can be made to
answer admirably the purp Sc for which it
is intended.
Gov. Hill. Of New York, vetoed the Sax.
toa bill not, he says, because he is opposed
10 ballot reform, but becauss of some of the
features Of the bill which he believed to bs
unconstitutional. 1t provided for a system
OF voting very much like the Australian
system, and the authors Of it thought that 1t
was superior in some important particulars
to that system.
If Gov. Hill. as his political enemies as
sert, is opposed to any reform of the ballot,
he IS making very great mistake There
IS so much illegal voting and so MANY frauds
OF one kind and another upon the ballot
box that public sentiment is strongly in
favor OF ballot reform. The other day, in
New Jersey, sixty election officers were ar
rested for assisting in putting fraudulent
ballots in the ballot boxes. 1t il pretty well
ascertained that at the last election
IN Hudson county, in that state
many illegal votes were cast. OF course
such wholesale frauds tend to make honest
people distrust popular elections. II those
who have access to the ballot-box IS have it
in their power to defeat the will of the
people, and exercise that power, it will not
be long before honest men will cease TO
vote.
Itwould be interesting to know the views
OF the Australian system entertained by the
most intelligent of the officers of the Rhode
Island election. They were in position to
see what defects, if any, the system POS
sesses. From their observations enough
might be learned TO so modifythe system as
to make it very generally acceptable. 1t is
very generally admitted that a reform of
the ballot is greatly needed In very many
of the states there is more or less illegal
voting. The demand of the times is for 9
purer ballot, and he who leads the way in
satisfying this demand viii receive pras,
and win fame.