The record-union., 1891-01-18
AN OBJECTIONABLE BALLOT RE-
FORM BILL.

Eoh1M BILL.
Mr.. Dibble's Assembly bill for reform
ballot system differs very materially from
the original Federated Trades bill, drawn
by Judge Mcguire. Both are now before
the Legislature. The Dibble bill is APP
parently reform measure, but we do
not think it will commend itself to the
friends of genuine reform. On the con-
trary, it viii tend to cripple and impede
the progress made towards securing a
desirable ballot system.
According to this new measure the bal
lots, havinga perforated line and stub,
are to be printed by the political parties,
societies or candidates, and three days
prior to election, by them, are to be
turned over to the Clerk or Registrar,
who, in turn, delivers them to the cleo
ton boards. If party or Independent
candidate casts ten per cent. Of the regis
tered vote he can require the State or
county to pay the cost of printing the
tickets to which he has been put.
This is not an Improvement. 1t is not
economic, nor can we understand how it
will conserve the purity of the ballot or
prevent ticket counterfeiting. Where all
ballots are printed at State or county ex-
pense, they Will not be open to unofficial
manipulation. The Dibble bill, however,
discriminates by paying for the printing
ofsome and refusing to pay for printing
other ballots, and leaves all subject to
manipulation by bosses and ward trick
sters. The poor man who desires to run
for office and can secure fair Endorsement
is enabled to do SO under the Federated
Trades bill, without cost and irrespective
of the total of the vote he may receive.
He cannot do so under the Dibble bill.
The bill of Mr.. Dibble provides, as
does the other, for two ballot clerks, and
for two'ballot-boxe at each poll, and for
booths into which the voter retires to
secretly prepare his ballot But in the
Dibble bill the voter must take from the
clerks each OF the several tickets into the
booth, or at least three. On these the
clerks indorse the initials-on the back OF
the stub-and the voting number of the
elector. In tho booth he is to prepare
his ticket, fold all ballots he has received.
and cast the one he he's prepared after the
number has been identified and the
stub detached, which is also cast into the
box. The other tickets he delivers to the
clerks.
How much simpler it will be for the
voter to have all the tickets printed of
ficially upon one ballot, instead of being
compelled to handle perhaps half dozen
distinct tickets, to fold them all, and to
assure himself which one of the folded
papers he has pigeon-holed between his
fingers, he has prepared for casting.
The clerks are wisely forbidden by
speech to influence the voter in taking
any one of the several tickets displayed,
under MIR. Dibble's bill. But how easy ii
well be to ''force," as the gamblers have
it, tickets upon q large class of voters, too
many of whom come to the polls without
ability to resist or detect such devices.
But this is not all; the Endorsement OF
the initials of the clerks uIon the
ballot-stub is not preferable to the
use of printed number upon
officially watermarked ballots. The
Endorsement is useless and dilatory
proceeding. In New York it is about to
be abandoned as valueless and a hin.
drance, as well as a dangerous proceed.
ing. Insistance upon this Endorsement
process would warrant the suspicion thai
there is purpose behind it not conducive
to the secresy of the ballot The indorse-
ment plan was in the Federated Trade:
bill and was equally Objectionable, and
the reasons for its abandonment were
fully set forth in the SUNDAY UNION O
the 11th inst. Under it the bosses coulC
secure a grip upon the throat of reform
that would make any new law embody
ing it a thing of no consequence to them
since they could identify any ballot, in tht
counting, and the knowledge that thi:
could be done would COW any voter they
might be able to punish Mr.. Ames ha:
introduced the Federated Trades bill a:
Assembly Bill 8, with the indorsemen
clause omitted, and this makes it the bes
of the bills presented. 1t still needs cleal
expression in Section 13, that the party
tickets may be printed in separate col