The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-07-06
The Ballot reform Monstrosity.

The Ballot Reform Monstrosity.
Chairman Allan t. McDermott of
the Democratic State Committee has
written couple of letters for New
York newspaper on the New Jersey
Ballot Reform Act in which, in his
usual luminous way, be brings all
the essential features OF the new
system into bold relief. The letters
are written in tone of iinpartiality
which leaves it hard TO determine
just how far the writer approves the
measure; but to the man who makes
up his mind for himself from study
OF the provisions it must be plain that
the law is a mass Of erndities, i'm
possible Of consistent or faithful ex-
ecution on any large scale.
There is some story afloat that q
young mems political club on the
Heights was about to start school or
class to give instruction in the oper-
alton Of the bill; Mr. McDermott's
letters, we presume. are also intended
pedagogically. When intelligent
people deem such precautions neces-
sary, is it unreasonable to conclude
that the law carries its own condem-
nation In its complexity.
+ The cranks and doctrinaires, like
Altemus and Abarbanell, who are
mainly responsible for this insane
legislation, see in the invention of
endless specifications of dates and
methods, in the establishment of in
flexible rules which make no allow
ance for accident and leave no room
for Individual Judgment, mighty
safeguards against fraud. To
the practical man, these cast
iron rules of procedure convey
the first premonition of the break
down OF the system. As Mr.. McDer-
mott explains it. the ceremonial Of
registration affords no guarantee
whatever that the real voters will get
upon the lists, and still less that
host 81 fraudulent will be kept OFF
them, So long as they go through GER
tain motions on certain days, we can
not for our life see anything to pre-
vent gang of thugs like the Mo-
shell Fallon- Hart Delaney combina-
tion from first fabricating dishon-
est registry list. Nor do we see
what is to hinder them from hav-
ing it voted upon by repeaters and
colonizers, or from stufIing the ballot
boxes nselyes-always provided
that they comply with certain
mechanical forms which they can
easily faIniliarize themselves with. but
which will only serve to blind and
delude the outside public The
average man is not going to waste
much time learning the new-fangled
art and mystery of voting. He is not
Obliged to register: that duty is taken
away from him and put on the cleo
ton officers; he will drop around to
the poll ON Election Day. If his name
is not on the list he will quote little
Scripture and go away. If it is, he
viii cast ballot. and take it on trust
that everything is lovely--for do not
Altemus and Abarbanell and Herbert
Potts say so2
In about two years, he will find out
that under cover OF these. modern
Eleusinian mysteries, his manhood
and citizenship count for just about
as much as the election officers and
their bosses have mind to let it.
1t may be asked whether we have
any better system tosuggest than this.
We answer yes, the simplest that can
be devised Make every man go to
the polls and register himself before
election day. Give outside watchers
unlimited chance during both voting
and counting. Compel the voter to
adopt some simple plan to render his
vote secret lin this respect the pres
ent law is all right. This is all you
can do with any hope Vt effect, and
after all this, your system is worth
Less unless you have honest election
n