Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1891-01-29

the subject should receive nothing bu
the most careful consideration at tn
hands of our legislators. The voters @
the State, as they have voiced thei
opinions through the public press, ar
almost unanimously in favor of ballo
reform to its fullest extent. That thu
Democratic Executive at Harrisburg Il
abreast of the times on this issue i
clearly shown in the following portion
of his inaugural address, which treat
wholly upon ballot reform, which car
only be had in its entirety through {
Constitutional Convention
BALLOT REFORM.
The Constitution requires that all elec
tions shall be free and equal, but such
elections are not secured by existing laws
Nor is our ballot secret. Fierce political
conflicts between parties have given birth
here as elsewhere to many phases OF
corruption, to the lavish use of money
by rich candidates, to fraudulent regis
tration, intimidation by corporations and
bv large employers of labor to false
counting, and to marked, altered and
suppressed ballot. These political con-
tests have revealed the existence of a
purchaseabe element in our midst
evolving all forms of ballot debauchery.
The sovereignty of the people depends
for its efficiency upon the cooperate in
telligence and the incorruptible integrity
of the sovereign. To make sure of the
former we have established our public
schools; to make sure of the latter we
have adopted the ballot-box, and have
thrown around it the protection of pecu
liar laws. But the abolition of the viva
voce vote and the adoption of the ballot
have proved to be only step toward
pure elections. Now, at the ballot box
THE EQUALITY OF ALL THE CITIZENS
must be sacredly protected; the free
mans franchise must be preserved.
But when law-abiding voters are con-
fronted at the polls with the corrupt
hirelings of leaders who scorn the law
they are degraded to an equality insult
ing and dangerous. For the purchaser
Of votes is q repeater by proxy; to him
.he commercial and industrial interests
Df millions are of far less moment than
his hold of power. Hence his gangs of
ignorance and purchased vice;
hence his sneers at the decalogue in
politics, his defiance of the law, his bold
attempt to thwart the popular inteli-
gence and to defeat the popular will.
He is the most insidious foe to our in
stitutions, for he aims at the overthrow
Of virtue, liberty and independence.
Every dollar used to defeat the un-
bought will of the people is an attack
not only upon free institutions, but upon
every vested interest. When money
shall be king at the American polls
money will be king at American Capitols.
1t is not mere local agitation that
the present demand for
THOROUGH REVISION
of election methods. A great popular
for ballot reform has set in,
and fifteen States of the Union have al
ready responded to it. All political par
ties in Pennsylvania have made open
profession in favor of securing the most
perfect attainable expression Of the pub
lie will, and the only question that we
now deal with concerns the most eXpe-
ditious and efficient method of its ac-
complishment. An Australian ballot
system is the best agency yet devised for
purifying elections, 1t is neither an un-
tested experiment nor a questionable ex-
pedient. Upward of eighty-fve millions
of people conduct their elections by its
1t is not the method of any
one country or people, but finds a home
wherever free and accurate eX-
preston of conviction is desired.
ITS CARDINAL FEATURES ARE:
First. Compulsory secrecy of voting
Second. Uniform official ballots con
tanning the names of all candidate.
printed under State or municipal au
thority.
Third. Official equality of nomina
tions when made either by party con
vention or by paper signed by giver
number of voters.
Under this system all qualified voters
have equal facilities for voting, and al
candidates have equal facilities for re-
ceiving votes.
Wherever tried, the Australian ballo
system has completely changed the as
pects of the elections. 1t secures tn,
tranquility, purity and freedom o
choice, and there is abundant testi
mony that it is the best, the most rapid
and facile mode of obtaining the un
biased wish and mind of the voters.
The Australian system has produced
effects far wider than the mere achieve.
ment of single reform. When oppor.
tunity is given to put honest and capable
men in public office and keep them there,
then is the standard of public service
and made worthy of the honor
able ambition of our best men, Ballot
reform offers not only free and pure
elections, but free nominations. 1t offers
a method of nomination tnat is open to
all, and frees us unmistakabIy from the
rule of political bosses. | will heartily
favor any well-considered legislation
which Will secure these or any portion
of these results.
a CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.
But it is manifest that the deep-reach-
ing and effective ballot reform for which
the popular mind in Pennsylvania has
been fully prepared by recent discussion
must 60 beyond the present restrictions
of the Constitution. The complete ad-
vantages of what has so widely approved
itself as the Australian system can
not be realized while the ballot number
ngprovislon remains in the Constitution.
That provision requires each ballot to be
numbered for identification. 1t is eX-
posure, in certain contingencies, of the
contents of the ballot, while the Aus
tralian system is expressly designed to
prevent such exposure in any contin-
gency. The dependent voter will never
feel the security to which he is entitled
and which the general welfare requires
he should have, while the danger Of ex-
posure. even by Judicial inquiry, hangs
over his head, But the numbering pro
duces other and far greater evils. 1t is
done by the election officer, who, there
fore, must handle the ballots and dro,
them into the box. When, again, tn,
ballots are counted a reference To cor