Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-05-25
WHO BUTCHERED THE BALLoTl
The Senate Committee, Says the Indignant
State Reform Association.

State Reform Association.
The Executive Committee of the Pennsyl-
vania Ballot Reform Association has issued
the following:
To the Voters of Pennsylvania:
The issue between the supporters of ballot
reform in Pennsylvania and its enemies is
clearly defined, and should be Thoroughly
understood by every citizen. The Baker bill
as reported by the Senate Committee on
Elections Senators Grouse, Porter, Keefer,
Myl1n and Steel, Republicans, and Mcdonald
and Monaghan, Democrats) on May 20, is
but little better than as first reported on
May Z. 1t does not provide for proper free
dom of nominations, nor for equality of can
didates ON the ballot, nor for secret voting,
nor for an open count. 1t is not ballot re-
form measure. and, if passed, would tend to
greatly increase all the evils of our present
system.
Besides many minor points in which the
bill has been injured, the essential features
OF ballot REFORM as originally contained in
the Dill, have been destroyed in the follow
ing respects:
sirst-(Secs. 8, 8 and 33). The number of
signatures required for all nominations but
those OF the existing Republican and Demo-
cratic organizations, is based on such high
percentage of the entire vote cast as to
Die except in the smallest townships and
Doroughs. 1t would be impossible to secure
5,O0O signatures for State nomination or
o,VOO fora Philadelphia nomination, the gen.
ulneness of the signatures and the qualifica-
ton OF the signers to be sworn to absolutely
by ten persons, 60 days before election in the
one case and 40 in the other, when the slight
est error is fatal to the validity of the whole
paper, and the signing by persons not strict
ly qualified is made crime. All but the
regular Democratic and Republican NOM
nations are barred out by such system as
this, and the free right to vote is denied
Second-(Secs. IA and 23). The arrange
ment of names on the ballot in party groups
places all independent candidates, if there
ecould be any, at great disadvantage, and
the provision that a voter may (which
would often mean must) vote the whole
party ticket by making one single mark, de-
stroys the freedom and secrecy of the ballot.
tor the party watchers would always see
whether man who was told to make one
mark for the whole ticket did so or not.
Th1rd-(Secs. % and 30. The secrecy of
the ballot is made voluntary, and therefore
destroyed, by not requiring the voter to
mark his ballot alone, and specifically per-
mitting him to take another man into the
voting compartment with him mall cases.
present system is retained, but with greater
risk of fraud. The votes are to be counted
by the judge alone, and the party watchers
Fifth-(Secs. Is, II, 81 26 and 36). Sample
ballots" are required to be printed in large
numbers, to be given to any voter at his re-
quest, all check on the destruction of the
ballots provided is removed, and, by. the
omission dissection 36, it is not unlawful for
any one to have ballots in his possession
outside the voting room, although the abso-
lutte prevention of such an occurrence is es-
sential to the esecret ballot system.
When the bill in this worse than useless
shape was before the Senate on second read
ing on May %, every attempt to correct these
glaring evils was voted down. If it passes
third reading, it must go to a conference
committee. If that committee do not vir-
tually restore the original provisions of the
bill in all the above particulars or if they do
this and the Senate refuses to pass the bill
with these restorations, it ought to be voted
down.
Should the bill finally pass both branches
of the Legislature without change in all
these points, it would be the Governors
duty to vote it, for if it became law it
would be a fraud upon the rights of the
voters of Pennsylvania.
In any event. every voter should recognize
that genuine, honest, constitutional ballot
reform bill was changed by the Senate Com
lnittee into a measure full of danger to the
freedom and purity of the ballot, and that
the majority of the Senate has so far sus-
tanned this change. Ballot reform" means
''true ballot reform" and if this be not now
granted to the voters of PENNSYLVANIA every
Senator who voted with the majority must
be held anSWerable.