New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-13
THE BALLOT REFORM LAW.
EFFORTS TO SECURE NEEDED AMEND
MENTs IN THE LEGISLATURE.


SENATOR sAxToN on ABUSES OF THE PRo"i'
SION FOR INDEPENDENT NOMINATIONS
THE BLANKET BALLOT AN IMPERATIVE
NrED-CRIuusMs ANSWERED
,vpoN THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TniBuSE.'
Albany. April Ex-senator saxton's Ballot Reform
law Il Is universally acknowledged, greatly euuoeu
corrupt practices at the polls IN this state las' ia'
Loss votes were purchased by far than for years pre-
y,onsly voters were not ntimidated by gangs OF
,,tlcal rufans tho election orderly TO remark
ble extent independent voters easily expressed their
/ choice among the candidates, and use OF frauduleno
ticrets was practically ended But certain dcfectS IN
the law were revealed which made 1t lmpefatveiy
necessary that 1t should be amended by the present
IeeisIatnre one Of the chief of those defects was
tbe abus of that section of the law which PROVIDED ior
,dnondont voting Inscriptions politicians by per-
srading their followers ID sign nomination certincaes
had their own names placed upon ballots containing
also the names OF candidates OF the opposite pohuo
marty their intent being to deceive voters ana oo'h
support tom men who had no intention Oh Notns io'
them In the Twenty fourth Ward OF New-fork' as
the result of this vlllanous procedure voters we'e
compelled to choose their ballot from sixteen others
when senator saxton Therefore, set to work amending
his Raot Reform law this year, Of the first amend
monts which he drew up was one to distinguish dell
nitely all kinds OF ballots. HIS BALLOT heior Ia" DIS
thus amended has been approved OF by te S'aee SEN
ate and is now before the Assembly, winch uhoonot
edlv viii concur in the amendment. rms amehdmeht
reads follows: ,, 4. a..
Tho s,puers OF a certificate made according to the
provisions Of this section shall not designate as 'ne
political other name %aTv without using in con-
nectlon Herewith other WORD OF woIus arts
tingulsh the name selected Dy ynT r o dessnatn in
Scating that such name is that Of any regular party
or political onlanlEauOn' - o,.
Another amendment bearing upon the same point
| reads as follows: ,.s a M
pointed shall not require the name OF any nnon
nominated in such a cernncaVe T" 10 P
more than one kind OF q 0alo~ ,,
senator saxton also in his bill. as another checR
N an abuse of independent certificates modneo Vo
Ballot Reform law by increasing the huiioei "a 80
natures required to make an indepehuehV hoii'auon
| Tins IN make an independent nomination ior d o'oVc
office 5000 names must be written upon Vhe me-
Of nomination, instead OF 1000 Names as III io'V'
| ZOO names when a nomination is for an once W 10
euod hv tho voters of district less than state ana
greater than a county, an increase Oh s'o naies
| 1900: $50 names when an Independent honnn"'O"
| made for Assemblyman, instead Oh Ioo h'no' % w
present and COO names TO make an lhuepo"uonV ,,
iraton for n city officer in New-Nork ana brooASn'
| instead of 300 names, as In the piesehO INV ,
| within tho last two days Horace b. Demins s".
o+bor % 1ndonendentss In New-lork, have criuciseu
with much severity these amendments mauc W '.'
ator saxton and have argued that they "ouia ui.na
| independent nominations and lhdepcnuc"U Noe
Todav The Tribune correspondent asked senator sax
ton 10 express his views upon these cruclSnS' Ah''
| he kindly did Here is what he sald'
| AT am glad of an opportunity to say something
rnon tho snbiect I want TO state at the outset tna0
I am decidedly in favor Of every reasonaoe opPU'
| tunity for making independent nomhauohs
people should be permitted to vote for ca"ulua'' VI
their choice and ought not In this respect 10 Uc .o
! toI,od nv the tyranny OF party machines Ie
| f1t f1a hal w.
corn is that the power OF making Independent nom
tnot,ons will from the nature Of things, be grossly
ahused There were as many as fifteen Elhus oi oa.-
lo+s from which voters In some parts OF Ne"-1orh
civ had 10 make their choice last foil. prel'c'
thss unless material changes are made IN the law,
there viii be more different klus VI oai'''' '
than there were last fall. .,.
| arho M, which seeks TO amend the law contains
I,bs nrovision that the name OF each indcpehdehC
nominee might be placed on two different nhus Oh
lhejlot had placed that provision there mysen, Dc
c,use saw that without 1t the people could not nave
the full benefit Of the system OF independent nonhna
!Hcne When the bill came up for a third read
linz Senator Ijnson moved TO amend it by providing
that the name Of each candidate nominated by one
certificate sbould be printed only on one KIND OK
ballot As q matter of fact, Senator Linsons amend
ment expressly declares the law to be as II was IN
tended by its trainers. No one supposed when inc
law was passed that 1t permitted the name OF u
lean VI
more than one ballot That was the intention OF the
Inv and that s the way It was judcialy construed
I onncared therefore, to the Senate that my amend
lmcnt extended the law In this respect, beyond It's
( oriclnal meaning and senator Linson's amendment
Twas thercupOn adopted
"Does this prevent Independent nominations
"Not at all. I acknowledge that they are thereby
, made mora difficult. ! sorry for that, but l
think It is absolutely necessary to do so, In order to
avert n great danger to tho canse of ballot reform.
seems to me that citizens, who aim at good govern
Iment ought to be willing TO take as much trouble
20 secure their ends as politicians do to secure theirs
The politicians certificates Of enumeration wher-
lever they can gain any advantage by so doing Last
d fall certain candidates had themselves placed on
e severaI kinds of ballots. They procured separate
= certificate for each ballot. This spring an hide
pendent candidate In Rochester procured two certf
Gates and had his name placed on bo.h the Republican
q and the Democratic ballots. That course can be
pursued Just we'll II the proposed amendments are
). adopted
"The 'caveap provision is to protect a candidate
l. from being forced upon ticket with those who's
F. names he does not wish associated with his own
% WHY should he not have thB right The candidate
when nominated by party or Independent certificate ha
the privilege under the law Of declining the nomlna
ton entirely. Why should he not have the prvileB
of saving that his name shall not be associated on
ticket with that Of every potrhouse politician who see
fit to secure a nomination for object In one Of III
towns of my own county, Of Wayne, sodus, thi
spring license candidate for the Office OF Excs
Commissioner forced himself upon both the Republican
: and the Democratic tickets This compelled tn
= people TO place mo license candidate upon bot
!, tickets Another candidate took tho same an
the result was that eight tickets In the field an
n the people disguised with system under whic
: | such an injustice could be perpctIated. No part
candidate would decline TO have his name placed upo
an Independent ticket his associates upon the ticke
good citizens. Candidates want TO get all IN
r tickets they But almost anybody can procur
i signatures 10 certificate, and II person Of ba
= character wants his name printed upon a ballot h
ID ought not TO have the power Of assocang with hlr
d a number OF candidates Of high character
" what would result II the law amended sul
Ne gested by Mr.. Demngl"
| Each party candidate would I'm many cases hav
his name printed on the ballots Of anothe
party. Every scOundrcl would have placed in hi
hands the power 10 blackmall a party candidate b.