The sun., 1890-01-24
Against the Australian system.


The bogus ballot reformers have been ask
ing OF late, with great petulance and asperity,
what objection can possibly exist against
their exclusively offlcihl" Australian bal
lot and while they ask this question
they give their answer to it by stating that
there is none at ALL and that any one who
does not agree with them Is a "spoilsman."
The bogus ballot reformers do not amount
to quite so much as they did before the ma
ture of their scheme was understood; yet
their demand for objections to kangaroo
ballot requires notice.
The first objection to an exclusively
official ballot Is constitutional, and has
been pointed out with entire cogency and
clearness by Governor HILL in several Of his
messages to the Legislature. The law Of this
State provides that the ballot shall contain
only the names OF those persons for whom
the elector desires to vote. The Australian
reformers do not propose to alter the Con-
stitution so as to change the terms OF this law,
but they intend to pass statute through the
operation of which the voter will be obliged
to cast ballot containing not only the
names Of those he favors, but the names OF
those he does not favor; so that he must
name every one running for the particular
offices to be filed. AS sensible men foresee,
this would throw open the door to future
litigation, with fair probability of the law
being declared unconstitutional, and the title
of every man elected under it being placed
in dispute.
The second objection to an exclusively
official Australian ballot Is the vital and
important one that it proposes to take the
,bnJa oh Of xpt mi nf tho han6a
of the people themselves, and to lodge it
with "sworn officers" OF the Government.
That is an invasion OF popular rights at
once so dangerous and SO insidious as
to outweigh all possible advantages on the
other side. Under the present law the Gov
ernment has absolutely nothing, as such, to
do with voting in this State. The people
make their own nominations, and the vari-
GUS political organizations designate poll
clerks and inspectors to receive and canvass
the ballots, which are printed, distributed,
and kept by the candidates and their friends.
No officer of the Government has any part In
the matter The people, through their various
party organizations retain charge OF It, Till
the polls open, all candidates are upon
an equal footing. While the voting Is going
on, each candidate is entitled to a watcher;
when tho ballot boxes are opened, and the
count begins, it is the legal right OF any
citizen to watch the canvass. Not until the
representatives OF the people. and Of the
various parties into which the people are
divided, have publicly declared the result,
and certified to 1t, in the presence OF the
citizens assembled, are the returns handed
to the "sworn officers Of the Government.
The bogus Australian rcformers propose to
change all this They want to give the ex-
elusive charge Of handling and distributing
the ballots OF marking them, in the case Of
certain voters, and Of counting them. to the
"sworn officers" so called, who are to alb
sorb the powers now exercised by the peo-
ple and have monopoly of the tickets. of
giving them out, and of the power Of mark
ing them for unlettered voters who are to
surrender their rights to them.
The recommendations made by Governor
ALBEIT on the subject OF an official ballot to
the New jersey Legislature are directly op-
posed to the views of the bogus reformers.
though the latter have pretended to be
greatly encouraged thereby. The official
ballot Of the reformers is one to be printed
and circulated by the State. and by the State
only, within tho polling place on election
day, and not elsewhere. What Governor
ALBEIT recommends Is q ballot printed by
the State and distributed among the voters
In advance Of the election, 30 that the
citizen can, as now, prepare 1t for use at his
home. among his friends, and with such
guidance as be may desire, yet free from
any terrorism or espionage from the "sworn
public officers" In that sense Governor
ALBEIT advises no change for we have now.
In effect In this State an official ballot, since
the law prescribes the size, color, and quail
ity Of the paper to be used and the wording
and type of the endorsement. In order that
uniformity may be attained and secrecy pre-
served. What the bogus ballot reformers
are after Is an exclusively official ballot"
to be made up in the polling places and con-
trolled by Government officers, 80 that the
illiterate. inexperienced or uncertain voter
may be wholly dependent upon them. and
his power OF consultation with his friends,
relatives, or party associates may be taken
away from him.
There are fully dozen good, sufficient,
aud conclusive reasons why the exclu-
slvely bogus ballot should be objected to,
but the two which, We have named
will probably SUFFICE The whole Australian
scheme. from beginning to end, is plan for
robblng American electors OF the birthright
OF their citizenship, manhood franchise;
for overthrowing universal suffrage, for dis
crediting unletterod voters. for protecting
hoaters, and for setting up centralized