The Portland daily press., 1890-12-23

The Bangor Wings position upon the Aus
tralian ballot question, If we understand it
Alright, is that inasmuch as the sentiment Of
the people is correctly expressed under the
present system, therefore it is nnwise to
discard 1t In favor of a system that can &C
complish no more than the present one, and
which may entail additional expense upon
the State. Now If the Wings assumption,
that under the present system the sentiment
Oh the people is always correctly expressed,
be well founded we admit that change TO
another system which would cause addition
al expense would be i'll advised To spend
money for nothing is always unwise. But
we take issue with the Wings assumption.
The question of the correct expression of
public opinion Is not settled when 1t is
shown that the party has carried the State
which had majority of the voters. The ex-
preston OF public opinion at the polls can
never be correct until the vote of every indi-
vidual in the community correctly expresses
his sentiment. Now we claim that under
the present system there is not such an ex-
preston. We admit that in very few in
stances has there been sufficient amount of
incorrect expression to have changed the gen.
eral result If it had been corrected, yet we be-
neve that at every election there has been
more or less OF this incorrect expression. In
1850, If the proclamations of the Republican
leaders were not misleading, this incor-
reel expression amounted to enough to
change the general result. The opponents
OF the Australian ballot practically admit
TED last winter that incorrect expression was
frequent and growing more so, inasmuch as
they increased the penalty against bribery
ana suggested quite number of regulations
winch were confessedly for the purpose of
minimizing these incorrect expressions. In
deed we Incline to the opinion that the Whig
Itself when 1t says there has been a correct
expression OF opinion under the present sys
tenn means no more than that the eeperal
result has usually been correct. We do
not believe that it will contend that tboro
have not been numerous instances where in.
dtviduals have failed to correctly express
their. sentiments at the ballot box either
through hope of gain or fear of punishment
In other words, that bribery and intimida-
ZION have interfered with correct express
sion OF the sentiments of some OF the voters,
how many cases of this kind there have
Deen we 90 not undertake to say, but there
can be no doubt that there have been some,
nor, Judging from the legislation of the last
legislature, can there be much doubt that
these cases are on the increase. Now the
friends of the Australian ballot recommend
That system because they believe that Il will
greatly reduce the number of these cases
They recommend change simply becap,a
they believe the change will be for the he,
ter. They contend that when man con
vote In absolute secrecy it WILDE impossihla
70 intimidate him. And they also contend
tnat when the vote buyer ceases to be able n
determine how the man be buys votes he
wiz Dc likely to stop spending bis money in
mat way for the very simple reason that
,nan VIII not spend money for goods unless
10 10 sure that they will be delivered. That
Is 70 say Tue friends Of the Australian ballot
claim that their system win exterminate in.
timldation and greatly diminish briherr
If they are right, then the ouest,on ., ~
pense becomes one of very little conseonsnoa
A free ballot lies at the yery fonnda, 1870:
our form Of government, anc the naonia TN y,