The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-03-01
TIE BALLOT REFORM BILL

1t mag be as well to explain the present
situation Of the Ballot Reform Bill. 1t has
passed tile Senate with only one dissentient
vote, the Senator WHO cast. that vote eX-
planning that he aid SO not so much because
lie was opposed to the bill, but because he
dit not understand if. It was then taken to
the Assembly. In that body it had been in
formally understood that it should be a
special order for Monday. But Gould, for
objects Of his own, moved that it be taken
UP at once-on Thursday morning. That
motion was tabled by a vote # 20 TO q. and
q motion to make the bill special order for
Monday morning at II o'clock was carried,
apparently without division. 1t would be
a mis- axe to assume that the vote on the
motion 10 table was measure Of the rela-
tive strength Of the friends and foes of the
bill Il merely meant that majority of the
Assembly were. ayerse to taking it up be-
fore tie tine set Il is quite possible th ls-s
the 9ulb,e TIE members are in favor Of the
biII .-.-
There are reasons why they should be.
Quite a number Of States have adopted SINH
lar bills, among others Massachusetts, Iudi-
ana and Oregon In the State first men,
toned the last election was conducted under
the provisions of parallel statute, and it
was observed that it worked we'll The bill
now before our Legislature is a transcript
of the Massachusetts law, with few addi-
lions and notifications. The object of the
bill commeuds itself TO all who are in favor
Of honest elections. 1t throws additional
safeguards round the casting and counting
of ballots, and it regularizes nominations
which do not emanate from political cOnyen-
tons. 1t may not accomplish all that its
friends expect of it, but its intention is
praiseworthy, and it is a step toward the i'm
proyement Of the machinery of self-goVern-
ment.
1t ought surely to have a trial. From one
reason or another. the system by which the
people fill elective Offices is a failure-the
persons for whom the people vote are not,
as a rule, their choice; but they must vote
for one or the other of them or throw away
their vote. It is all very well to say that
conventions could not abe packed by politi-
cal bosses if the people did their duty and at
tended the primaries. But under boss man
agement that duty is exceedingly unpleas-
ant, and no one has yet devised plan by
which citizens can be compelled to attend
the primaries and fill conventions with the
right men. 1t looks as though this defect
in our system was incurable under our prs
ent election law. At any rate, we are not
making any perceptible progress toward cur
ing it, and, if it is to endure, good citizens
viii cast about for some device to defeat
the mischiefs resulting from the control of
conventions by political managers. The
bill now before the Legislature, which is
misnamed the Australian suffrage plan, be-
cause it embodies few features of the law
in force in Australia, proposes to supply
that device. fought to be made as perfect as
possible and tried If it fails to accomplish
its fun purpose it can be improved in accord
ance with the lights of experience. If it
succeeds, the gain will be substantial at
once. co e'
In theory our present system is almost
perfect, but in practice it actually subyerts
self-government.. The nominating conven-
tons, which are supposed to represent the
people, no more do 50 than they represent a
foreign nation. They are the creatures of
political bosses, and they are chosen to ex-
ecute their will. In effect they convert
what was intended to be pure democracy
into an Oligarchy. San Francisco IS rotten
borough, and the same is true of other cities
in this State The people see this plainly
enough and chafe and growl at being COM
PEELED o choose betweentwo meu who are
often both equally unfit. But thus far no
practical scheme of relief has been pro-
posed. This new bill is voucbed for by its
authors as a remedy that will answer. A
number of Intelligent States have so far
agreed with them that they have placed it
on their statute-6ookS. Why should not
California follow the example,?