The record-union., 1891-11-07
THE BALLOT LAW AT THE EAST.


Some individuals who assume to be
facetious have attempted to attach nick
name to the reform ballot law. and possi-
blysare actuated by the hope that ridicule
will tend to make the law unpopular.
In this they viii utterly fail. Calling
the will of the people as expressed
through legislation kangaroo law" will
effect nothing. The law is not more
Australian than American-nor so much.
Before Australia was fairly known to
civilization, a similar law prevailed in
the American colonies. The voter went
to the town house, in New England,
procured slip on which were the names
of all candidates, took it home with him
and marked the names of those he de-
sired to vote for, and returning cast his
ballot by depositing with the chosen Off
Gals, who at the close of the voting
period announced the result.
The reform ballot law in its best form
in America is a great improvement upon
the Australian, and radically different
from it. 1t is so dissimilar, notably in
the handling and non-identification of
ballots, as to deserve to be called as it is.
the American reform ballot law.
Ridicule is a keen weapon, but it is
more dangerous often to the wielders
than to those against whom it is turned.
Such was the case in the East on Tues
day. In New York, where the ballot
law is badly handicapped by a paster
system, and the use of distinct ballots for
each party instead Of a blanket ballot, the
law worked very well. Some peopIe
made mistakes, but simply because they
were numbered with so many official
ballots, device that opponents of the
law secured in the Legislature, and to
which the friends of secret ballot
yielded rather than lose all. We are told
that despite all that can be said, the law
stopped vote buying very largely, and
for New York city the election there was
"a model one"
In Ohio, where a system much like
that of California is in effect, it proved
complete success. ''It was the most or
derby and business-like election ever
held" say the dispatches. "The new
election law gave perfect registry and
declaration of the peoples will" it is
added. In Michigan and in Iowa, where
Of
system obtain, the voting was free from
all the old-time evils. In Massachusetts.
where an excellent form of the law is in
force, the system worked to a charm, and
proved its excellence so clearly that no
man could be found bold enough to OBJ
ject to it.
From Nebraska come complaints that
the new law was cumbersome and tended
to light vote. But in that State bitter
opposition to the law has been waged by
the boss influences. and every effort was
put forth to overload and obstruct the
law. To a considerable extent these
efforts were successful. Nevertheless it
is confessed that the new law shut off the
frauds practiceu under the old system.
In all the other States where the re-
form ballot law prevails it has proved to
be all that is claimed for it-that it secures
absolute secrecy of the ballot and is wet
blanket upon vote buying. Unscrupu-
lous voters may still bargain to sell their
votes, but they cannot adduce proof that
they deliver the goods, and this makes
the risk of the vote-buyer too great.
All that can be done by the vicious is to
hire voters to remain away from the
polls. This the law cannot prevent.
But as the poll lists show who voted and
the registry lists the names of those enti-
tied to vote, publicity of the absence of a
voter tends to cast suspicion upon him,
since it is announced that "buying
silence is the new scheme of the bosses.
The effect viii be, therefore, to bring all
honest and self-respeeting men to the
polls to vote, for none viii wish to rest
under the shadow of suspicion. So that
the new scheme of the bosses will not be
likely to prove profitable or long-liyed.