The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1890-01-11
5 illiteracy. Onl,


labor under ,some physical
81 which prevents them from
I'D THEN own ballots, such as
ses& paralysis, the loss of both
y &c, will require official assist
For the guidance of the iiterate
whip can see and is able to make
iark with lead pencil it is pro
fed Vat he may take with him into
e polling booth and the compartment
e he secretly prepares his balol
smile of the official ballot, with
ssmes OF the candidates similarly
aged, but printed upon different
led paper and without the official
which marks the official ballot.
: fac. simile ballot he cannot deposit
~ his vote, but the illiterate voter can
Leave it marked beforehand by any per-
b ron or friend in whom he has conf
H Once, and he can follow or copy it in
QHafklng his own official ballot which he
1atends to vote. The publication, BY
authority, of the form of ticket, order
pames, ETC., in the newspapers would
te the same purpose. The voters
isibilities will be perfectly protected.
will be equally protected from being
s.eased- upon by any cor
<prNT designing eiectiion eff-er.
Every lhiterate voter, every voter who
cannot read English must trust some
body in the preparation or selection of
Us ballot. The Australian law, thus
!. difed, enables HIM to rely upon
Nance OF his own choosing, while
49,. wing at the(same time the essen
!. i tial principle Of the law, which is the
Hcomplete segregation and withdrawal of
$ Il the voter, at the time and place and in
the act of voting, from all human OBJ
servation, and, therefore, from all com
- pulsion, whether of bribery or of intimi-
dation. Thus is Senator Germans OBJ
. lection completely met and answered.
The truth is the objection itself is
- wholly fallacious and misleading. 1t
of assumes an amount of illteracy among
no, the voters OF Maryland far in excess,
probably, of what exists. 1t assumes
Is that the Democratic party has most to
ere fear from the possible Acknowledgement
at of iiterate voters, which can only be
red upon the further assumption that the
Democratic party in this State is the
party of least intelligence and has the
largest proportion of lliterate voters in
its ranks. 1t assumes that ihterate
as voters will rather lose their votes than
,ate confess their inability to read, when
H. they would not lose a dollar for the
same reason, but would as readily put
'"e their cross mark to receipt for money
the as sign their names. 1t assumes that
the confession of ignorance and an appeal
,at- to official assistance are necessary fea-
lures of the system, when just the con-
trary is the case. 1t is purely and
wholly matter of detail and conyen
nia' fence to the voter, just as the method
has of marking the ballot intended to be
-eat voted is matter of detail. The Mas
c,n sachusetts law requires cross-mark in
ink or pencil to be put opposite the
'"e name of the candidate to be voted for.
We the New York bill, as proposed to be
'se, offered again by Mr.. Saxton at the
eg- present session of the Legislature, pro-
bis vides for scratching or erasing all names
but those of the candidates for whom
~ the elector wishes to vote. The essen
ene tals OF the law, and these are what the
people demand, and what it is the duty
of the Legislature of Maryland at its
ure present session to provide, are: /.
of Open nominations, not restricted to
/, those Of the political managers and
pc bosses. 2. An official ballot, printed
pc at the public expense, having thereon
g the names of all candidates in nomina
3 ton, and delivered to the voter only a.
NJ the time and place of voting by the
AZ" ties officers. 3 Absolute privacy
,r$ed immunity from observation on the
4 e. t Of the voter in the act of prepar
~ Sand casting his ballot. These are
1amentals all else is detail merely.