Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-03-06

- --.s.sa e1aa N - - rp11npano1
- - 80 - - 8 49, 1 n -
ASf ~ 49, hape - mae3k-&Aex "a
S.vsr- I'M ~ d r<ssaae myas1f -
~ - - t..ve N .t~aveees 10 ~
-. hefievs IN this I'll kecsase I
11s-A y i. ,ishk. hecnpse thInk II afn IT
- IN e spuAsdl psssf. <lscsiens. beeass
I eharA 4 4 III visAa, becsu.e I thisk NJ
- n - hall b opward parR elec13oas
Aeeanse I bSIIavs - resals 81 ~ Ill
v5ll - d aive . hetses msn an1
80 = q heeeer etass politically
I helev. shae - slrens<h aad durability
a 4 sovpenneet hhs esRs depeads upcn
- me-. pnsrsnsell<d exsfession Of The
neop2e. Whs1eveF peac ical mems vill
s;vs = tAaa rsea,t - shoaN qulchly
sdosx II shongd - she aim Of ever
.af,iosic citizen 10 thros around the ballot
hor evevv eafeeuara possibls In order taat
sbss bon nay pse ssef the honest expses
e;on Of he honeea pecp!e Of the STATE Of
Naiue. Ths American people b4lievs in
fn;r plsy. They ars q veil satisfied viii
8 nal ,pifv or one = With majority Of
An they want % know IL that
ehsf m.iov;tv Of one hss been honestly OBJ
tainrd How hss Il been in our State for
the mast fev yeare-hcw has Il b~en wish
The pa,ty papeps whenever theis party has
suffered dtfssts You zee them come out
in broad head lines Nth ceiee Of fraud .ofib-
CIV aud coRruption. ! will not say shetheR
that exists Or not but the Vfy fact that
they pviut shese things in thetp papers Tor
the Intelligent voters in the State Of Maine
10 reed shcvs thxs they believe
that the intelligent vosefs think
there 10 some foundation for their
statements. At least, there 10 .
possibility Of fraud under our present sys-
tenn oS elscsions. Twin admit that In
CHANGING from the present system TO . new
az stem. the burden Of proof 10 upon the
deferders Of The new syssem. In other
words. they mu.t chow that the present
az stem 10 an imperfect one; secondly, that
the system they propose to substitute Tor it
il a bette, ., stem Ard Il practicable. Nov,
il i. rot my intention to shout fraud,
bribery ard corruption. II 10 not my pur-
pose 10 say TO that extent that esiats Ia our
State leave II to the honesty and the IT.
tellisspce Of each representative upon this
d 'or to decide - N what extent bribery and
Intimidation sxsts in TIE city, the
town or the elsss OF towns that be repre-
sents J Know eacn one OF you ~ii De
influences In your own corsc'erces ~hen
YOU CONSIDER TIE matter from That stAnd
point. and Sun satisfied to have you v0se
on THE bill with that understandins IL 10
sufficient for the purps see OF III argument
for me to chow fhst bribery and fraud ana
Intimidation car he pfscticed openly under
our present system- II 10 Sufficient for me
t. show you that the bribef can take the
psts he has paid to the polls, can take the
ballot and pu' il his hands and see him
Place II in the ballot bx He can take
ballot ard give IL to person outside OF the
polling place and take him inside the poll
ing place tn see rim deposit that ballot
Nov. 10 system that VIII permit OF such
fraud, such brf>erv - that, p RI CT eys.
tenn OF voting! D' you think. II
. better ssa'em coud be propoard,
or 9, stem where it would De more diff cult
to b'ibs -pels1Aal that It should not be
-z1optea? I leave IL to YOU a 10 iiiRei.s
men to deci,e this question for yourselves
The same rule IL regsrd to bribery will ap.
ply to intimidation Nov. as to what in,imi
datioa 10 - applied o POLITICS, or a. ap. "
it in regard to purchasing the votes Of ,ndi.
viduals Itis suy means beyond d rsus,
zion to ifduce man to vote-sny meant
b. yona lee,t;msta argument and persuasion
When YOU 20 beyond that, when Won say e
a voter, YOU mus, vote 90 and 90, or wher
you bril- 2 jnfiu nee TO bear mon that vote,
60 mate him vote contrary to what ID
wishes {, vote. then that il intimidation.
care OF how severe or how mild the intim.
idai n may he To illustrate: il an EN-
p,oyer ha. a number Of e nufoyees and politi
cal .xci,, mept runs biah, the checker O,
the n ,lt,ic., lead, ~ Of the different p.rties
ar. snx,aus TO chain 4 canvass OF thu
tn. and they are snxious to koow how the
voter 10 to vote II this employer should
saw to those employ es or say to his ssep,
20 that it viii reach the ears Of his employ.
-, II sish you I, vote for my interest. i,
i. for nv interest that .uch and such mer
are elecsed and I shall take care Of those
mel .bo take care Of nv interess :" in .uct
. csnd ton Of affairs - ,hAt the persons il
his employ, many # them poor men, labor.
,na men, having families dependent upon
hem for support, dare not set otherwise
ha, In accordance with What they under.
stand to he the lea q d the views OF ,hei,
employer The result 10 that they 20 to The
ballot box, the checker at the ballot bo1
SEES that the man casts the desired
ballot aod the deed 10 done. 1 claim
that any system Of election that will
admit OF any party or of any indi vidua
ksowing just how each individual votes OF
how 80 out Of every 100 vote, 10 wrong.
cisim that it /. not jast, il i. not right, ant
u we can propose 10 YOU Q system that Sil
Ill " each m IN to vote - he pIeases, il "
can present to you . .. sem that will allow
a man to v,te without everyone seeing hou
be votes. I claim that it ,hould be adopt I
an ! l think the sober judgment of this
House will ~ rule Nov, what is the pro
posed syeten? In the drst place, il il pro
posed that the ballots shall be print. d b,
the State. Nominations are msae and sem
to the secretary Of State, and 90 many day,
b. fore election the b,llots are printet
and sent tn the several ward clerks
These ballots a-e placed in s.aled
pack ages. They are not opened unit
tue ward clerk goes inside the poIlins
place they are placed up N a ,sbIe NJ
voter has any or can get any outside OF the
rail duYiug election DAY. BeGdvs that
,he instructions al the voting places ma, be
iilus,rsted, perhaps, by supposing we are in
IN, al room 20 feet long by 10 feet wide,
a rsil ng placed in the middle of the roam
10 feet in front and 10 feet back, whore
the voting officers are As YOU z /, in upon
the righs I'll g of ,he rail you End table on
~h'ch are placed these ballats, and two
ward clerks. 10 the back part Of the room
there are three or four booths, A. the case
may be, where the party can arrange the
ballot After he has marked his ballot he
comes out up,n the other side where the
vard clerk il and deposits his ballot. This
is the system that We propose for you 10
adopt today. Nov II . person hiss bribed