The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-01-10

Maine is not the only New England State
TEN this year. The last New Hampshire
legislature appointed committee to exam
inc into the subject and report at this SEES
sion. Both political parties are committed
to the adoption Of the new system, of which
Governor Tuttle, in his inaugural address,
spoke as follows:
My immediate pred In the guberpatorial
chair took occasion, in his inaugural address, 10
although = bill "to secure ana pr0mnte the pu ity
of the BALLOT was introduced fn the house during
the session OF the legislature. 1t was postponed
indth itely on recommendation of the judiciary
Committee.
The subject has since been discussed to con-
siderable extent by the Poop and press of the
state, and both of the great political parties ia
ther pl .tfUrmS, nave pr0nounc-d IN favor OF the
Austria ian system Of voting. The experiments
with this system IN Massachusetts appear TO have
given almost universal satisfact on and from sew
eral OF er states come favorable reports OF its
working. bespea ak for the matter you Thought
full consideration, inasmuch as the tim. seems
ripe III me state for the enactment of some law
ihat VIII ten to lessen the opportunities for bri
berry, ana protect our citizens iu the full and fri
exercise OF the right of suffrage.
The only possibility of the defeat of the
new system now is disagreement as to
the particular plan to be adopted. That
SNeSN NASAOhSO Va SPAutSu Will uclCdb bu0
measure Is not probable, however. When
the legislature convened Thursday, Mr.
Page OF Concord introduced ballot reform
Ill, and Mr.. Steele of Dover gave notice of
two others, one providing for the printing
and distribution of ballots and the regula-
ton OF voting, and the other relating to tie
government of caucuses. Mr. Page, in the
preparation of his bill, has used the Massa-
chusetts law as guide, but as that law was
passed when the use of the secret system of
voting in this country was largely expert
mental, he has found it necessary to make
some changes to secure better arrangement
OF the provisions Of the bill and greater
clearness as to its meaning. A most i'm
Irtant difference between the bill prepared
by Mr.. Page and the Massachusetts law Is
That providing for holding a state election
aud city and town election on the same
day, the names of all the candidates being
printed on one ballot. The bill makes no
provision for an educational test but In one
matter, and an Important one, there are safe
guards not found in the Massachusetts law.
The Page bill provides for a uniform system
of tally sheets to be provided by the sec re-
and towns. 1t provides further that the
votes shall be counted as soon as the polls
are closed, that, while being counted, no bal
lot shall be placed nearer than four feet to
the guard rail enclosing the space
set apart for the votes and that
only those persons qualified by this
law to be there. shall enter or remain in this
space while the vote is being counted. In
the matter of penalties there is an important
addition to the Massachusetts law, making
the man who prints the ballots liable to a
fine of $1,000. or one years Imprisonment, or
both, If he appropriates or gives away or al
lows to be taken any of the ballots. In most
of ITS other provisions the bill is in substance
like the Massachusetts law. The ballot law
introduced by Mr.. Looney in the Maine Leg
islature two years ago was practically the
same as the law on which Mr. Pages bill is
founded.