The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-03-07
The Bangor wing and secre. Ballot.

the Bangor Whig and secret Ballot.
AZ The Bangor Wing declared some months
ago that 1t would not again refer to the sub
Ject OF ballot reform until it became matter
OF public interest or concern. Within few
lays 1t has resumed the discussion of the
subject which is tantamount to a confession
that 1t has become one Of public Importance.
This shows some progress on the part of our
Bangor contemporary. But there is room
for good deal more. The Wing is not yet
converted to the reform, and it makes it
Qdite evident that 1t doesn't mean to be IL 1t
can help it, This disposition, however, is
not altogether discouraging to the mis-
slonaries who are laboring with it, for
when man or a newspaper begins to brace
himself to resist argument and appeal it
shows that the man or the newspaper which
does 1t Is beginning to feel their force.
q In Its search for weapons with which to
fight the Australian system the Wing has
stumbled upon paragraph In the Toronto
Globe In relation to a recent election in Hal
demand In the Province of Ontario, in which
IL is declared that there was bribery to such
an extent that a Liberal majority of
100 was changed into Conservative
majority Of the same number. The Wing
deduces from this fact. or alleged fact, the
conclusion that a secret ballot does not put
an end to bribery.
Nobody has ever contended that a secret
ballot win absolutely stop corrupt practices.
The most that the friends Of this kind of
ballot claim is that by making 1t more diff
cult to bride 1t will diminish the amount of
bribery. If the Wings objection to the Aus
tralian system is that 1t will not put COM
plete stop to bribery. that objection cannot
be removed. But we would remind 1t that
the same objection lies to the prohibitory
law. and to the laws against larceny, and
arson and murder-all of which we believe
itis supporting. And 1t gives these laws its
support on the solid ground that they tend
TO diminish the crimes against which they
are aimed. The fact, then, that there is
bribery under the Australian system, does
not initiate against the adoption of that sys-
TEN In preference to ours unless it can be
shown that the former offers no more obsta-
cles to bribery than the latter. for If 1t offers
more obstacles 1t certainly tends to diminish
bribery. ~
But the Toronto Globe alleges that great
amount of bribery was practiced at Halde-
mand. Statements of this kind by an organ
Of defeated party the day after election are
always to be taken with great allowance
The Wing well knows that after every de-
feat Of the Democracy in this State their
organs shout bribery, frequently al
leging that the voters were bought up
like sheep. The Wing has not been
accustomed to believe them, neither
has anybody else. Human nature is not
much different in Canada from human
nature In the United States, and as the feel
Ing between the rival parties In the former
Is much more bitter than between the two
leading parties In this country 1t Is reason
able to infer that the Toronto Globes state
ment very much exaggerates the fact. But
assuming II to be correct what then? Does it
initiate against the protecting power Of
secret baliotp Not at ALL According to the
Globes own statement this bribery was
possible because the voters, or many of
them, did not believe that the ballot
was secret. "The briber" says the
Globe, who at the election was generally
N outsider, paid voter certain sum, told
him the deputy returning officer ,could be
able to tell at the polls hoto he voted and 1t
the roter carried out his bargain he ,could
get a further sum-"
Z 1t has been frequently alleged by the OPP
ponents Of the eecret ballot that the fact
that 1t could not be determined under the
Australian system whether man who had
agreed to vote fora consideration had done as
he had contracted would make no difference
to the vote buyer. But here is definite proof
to the contrary. These vote buyers at Hal
demand took great pains to convince the men
they were buying that 1t would be known
just how they had voted, going SO far even
as to tell them explicitly how it was to Re
found out. We are quite content to allow
the public to Judge from this whether a So
cret ballot interposes obstacles to bribery
which an open ballot does not. We contend
that the Wings extract from the Globe on
which 1t relies to prove the worthlessness
of secret ballot really demonstrates its
value. 1t was confessedly by convincing
some ignorant voters that the ballot was Sc
cret In name and not In fact, that the brib-
ers were able to ply their corrupt practices.
This view is further sustained by an editori-
al In the Globe relating to this very election
in which II says:
tis obvious that the Globe, BY fairly pointing
2us al the reasons which make for the secrecy q
, e paiiot mas been doing great deal to expose
Ing nes hno 10 Illustrate the design OF The liars
Ano 70 great extent the legislation pr0posed Inv
NJ. MoWau IS upon the same lines III aims "
glvlng WIDER publicity TO the existing laws which,
safeguard the secrecy Of the ballot. II. M dha
mex electlon the voter is approached nv The
"h-tler, and told II he does not vote AZ ba 4 m
the TACT can be discovered the voter can noi1t ~
which say PLAINLY that the 'heeler'' is Wing Tba
Increased stringency of the laws against he viz
lation OF secrecy must also have a goou effect
WthouG fraud or gross negligence on the mari ~
the election 0n1cers, it's even now PRACTICABLE i'm
possible 10 ascertain how man casts his vote.
All these officers will now be forced to study the
law more carefully and to be more faithful and
v1gilant In the performances of their duty TO keen
inyiolate the secrecy of the ballot.
The editorial clearly shows two things;
first that the Canadian ''heeler'' has deemed
10 an essential condition precedent for the
success of any scheme for the bribery and
intimidation of voters that the voters be In
some way conviced that 1t could be found
out how they had voted; second, that the
Globe. Notwithstanding the charges of cor
ruptiun at Haldemand. still thOroughly be-