New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-03-19
BILLOT REFORM LEGTSLATION,

Tho senate has ordered to a third reading
the Saxton bill amending the lew Ballot law
in several particulars. Ii is TO be hoped that 1t
will soon reach the Assembly ana be prompt!
PASSED by that body. 1t would be puDIlc MS
/ fortune if the Legislature should ADJOURN heA'
month. as it talks of doing, without amehdlh"
measure OF such vital importance to every at
izen in the light Of its working AT the laN' NO
vember election. il will be remembered tha''
although the intelligent men Of both the great
nartie> bore witness that il was marked I'M
proyement upon the electoral system Whlch II
superseded. nevertheless, they reported that the
practical test developed serious defects IN GER
tain of its provisions
The Saxton bill while it does not cure all
these defects cures the majority OF them. II II
becomes a law the elections OF next iall VIII
cost less and be conducted with simpler ma
chincrv than those Of 1890. Frugal minded
supervisors from one end of the state - the
other gr,lmblcd AT the election balls Of last ial.
In Albany County. for example, those bills
amounted to So 900 while the corresponding
hill, in 1889 were only $3.50. Were 1t not
for the TACT that Governor Hill has expressed
himself Il, radically opposed TO a blanket Dali
LOT Senator SaXton would doubtless have IN
corporatcd i'm his biz section dong away WIN
SEPARATE ballots. Such a section would nave bc"h
decidedly in the interest of the taxpayers since 1t
vould materially have reduced the cost al cleo
| t;ons Eut since the Governor has given pubAc
notice that he will not sign bill providing for 4
bloni,ot b1llot that he regards blanket ballot
- unconstitutional. Mr. Sax,on has confined the
hill which went to q third reading on Tuesday
IN such amendments rs II i talr TO assume VIII
not encounter the Governors veto. Our NJ
banv correspondent in hi. abstract OF the oil
has named the chief Of these. Inc number oI
ballots to be printed is reduced onc-hali II VIII
take : 900 SignatureS-the present law requires
only IOOO-to nominate an indcpcndcAt can
didatr for state Office. while the number oi
signature, required 10 nominate independent
| candidates for minor nominations IS proportion
ately increased IN election district l. 10 consist
| of 800 vOterS-thc present law says 800 ballot
clerks are prohibited from putting their INITIALS
on ballots: voters are relieved ffcm remaining
in the voting-booth . specified time; IN" OK
pcnse Of the publication OF the list OF candlda'c'
| is reduced; The name of the political party Is to
be put over each party ticket; marked ballots
| are not to be counted all of the hrotN voted
are % be destroyed within thirty days after an
| election
| On the opening day Of the present session, IN
January, Mr.. >aAton introduced several bills re-
| latng to elections. One of these amending the
| Ballot law Of 1890 50 far aS II relates - IN
spcctors Of elections in towns, has already been
signed by the Governor. The others are still
pending, including measure, providing for the
abandonment of the paSter ballot, for the adop-
| ton Of the blanket ballot, and for procuring 4
| speedy decision OF the courts touching the con
| slituionaity Of the latter. But whether or not
any or all of these fail the bill which we have
| been considering ough; TO succeed. There is no
politics in it, and public sentiment is behind it,.
| II would accomplish "A reform in which all voters
are necessarily interested.