New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-09-28
BALLOT REFORM AN ISSUE.
INDEPENDENTS WITH THE PARTY OF HON.
EST ELECTIONS.

%ot a@iSHNitN%'%'.
RECORDS OF THE TWO PARTIES THAT LEAVE NO
DOUBT AS TO THEIR POSITIONS ON yHIs
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES COMMITTED
TO THE FASTER FRAcD.
tsY TELEGRAPH TO THE TnBuNEl
Albany Sept 27.--Matthew Hale's letter de-
claring that as an Independent voter interested
especially in the establishment Of genuine ballot
reform, he must.v for j. Sloat Fassett, the Re-
publican candidae for Governor, has been swiftly
followed by letter from another Independent
voter, Gustav H. Schwab. Of Ncw-YorlS, declaring
that he has come to the same dScision. MI
Schwab well says: The stand taken not only
by Tammany Hall on the paster' ballot question:
but by the Democratic press in general against
any change In the present ballot law, seems 10 me
TO render it extremely doubtful il the cause OF
ballot reform can be safely and hope1ully IN
trusted to Mr.. Flower, whereas the plain ana
straiphtforward blanket ballot plank contained
in the Republican platform, the fact that gen.
uine ballot reform is one OF the main issues
brought forward by the Republican party IN TINS
carnpaign and the previous record OF the party Oh
ballot reform should in my opinion, clearly deter
mine the choice Of every independent voter
II Independent voters will review, as Mr.. Hale
and Mr. Schwab have clearly done, the IesS
Iatiye and convention records OF the kepuoilcah
marty and Of the Democratic party upon VniS
question Of ballot reform, they VIII hnu Una. 'ne
Republicans are committed to the adoption OF the
ahlonletp ballot IL they are intrusted with power
at Albany. whereas the Democratic party as
clearly has declared through its leaders IN the
Legislature and at the late Democratic State Oon-
vention that it will not surrender the Pas.ei
ballot and is opposed TO the blanket Daho.'
which. as Mr. Hale and Mr.. Schwab truly thlhk' n
the essence of balipt reform. MIR. faSseto noU
only stands upon a platform which unequlVocaLS
favors an amendment to the ballot law py 'iio
substitution for the paster" ballot OF pianheo
official ballot, but he also can point 10 Che law
that twice as a State Senator he voted Tor
paIlo. Reform bill which provided for a blanket"
ballot. Upon the last occasion upon wmcn nc
thus voted for a. blanket" ballo'' nanioiS' '''
ruary 10, 1890, he said incisively;
The exclusive ballot, in the form in %nc 6diS and
tanned in this bin, seems to be the svent bribery
effective weapon that can pc dcVlSeo u p''''''
and corruption at the polls. .,o..oa
Nv Sayton's blanket ballot bill was passed
nv the Senate on February 10, 1890, py the loi-
lowing vote: ,,or,o.,ou
Aves-MeSsrs. Ahearn, Birkett Chase, Cogsesihan!
pgrnter Ianghlin o'Connor, Richardson, kooeTtosoh
ssxton, SLOAN stewart van sTTSer Collins Hawkins
ives Jacobs McCarren Rcesch and stadler-o'
ONLY two Democrats, Ahearn and Chase voteu
for the blanket BALLOT pul' ""cieeo .,
Democratic Senators voted against H. IL VIII VIC
observable also that every Iammany nan oeno'y.
voted against the bill. This was consistent WIN
49, record for the two years, 1889 and 1890,
when The "blanket' ballot was under considera-
tion The bifferest speech made against the Dill
befora n legislative committee was mace ny
Rourl,e Cochran, one of the four or five men VINO
control Tammany Hail. before the Assembly
Tmdio;,rv Committee There rarely has been
heard in Albany such venomous attack upon
bill. Mr. Cochran and other leaders OF lam
many nominated Roswell P. Flower for Governor
at Saratoga, and one, therefore. can 1uuse INV
friendly Mr. Flower will be to ballot REFORM IL
elected through the influence of such men.
The Democrats of the Assembly Of 1890 were
also equally hostile to the blanket ballot bill
They were led in this opposition by William T.
Sheehan, the present Democratic candidate LOT
Eeutenant-G Governor, then an Assemblyman from
Buffalo Mr.. Sheehan displayed bitterness OIL
hostility to the bill which tells emphAticaly that
if he should be elected Lieutenant-Goernor he
would use all the power of his office to defeat the
measure Under the present Democratic dispense
tion the Lieutenant Governor has become the
despot of the Senate Using his influence with
minority of the Senate, he can defeat any measure
favored by the majority. That was convincingly
shown by D. B. Hill when he was Lieutenant-Gov-
ernor II Mr. Sheehan should be elected Lieuten-
ant-Governor, therefore, the friends OF the
~blanket" ballot will rightly conclude that for
three years no bill granting that reform will pass
the State Senate.
But to return to Mr.. Sheehans hostility to the
blanket" ballot bill. One incident will disclose
Mr.. Sheehan's opposition TO the bill. 1t Will be
remembered that the Ballot Reform League of
New-York circulated petition In favor OF the
bill, which received over $4,000 signatures OF
h. aynrpSely ask ed that q
blanket" ballot bill should be passed Here Is
a copy of one of these petitions:
do hereby petition the Honorable Legislature %, o.
the state Of 70 pass gSot ke,or Bill
~1 Is ' All ballots shan e O5Gsi ard shall be
printed 4S And SsH q al e esn9G Sds f &.
Office shall be printed upon the same ballot. -,,.,,
the boiling place on election day, by sworn public
C41 only official ballots 50 delivered shall be voted
The voter shall be guaranteed absolute privacy IN Pr
pairing his ballot and the secrecy OF the ballot sha
,'" Voters shall have the right to nominate cand
dates by properly certified petitions, and your peu
toner will ever pray, etc
This monster petition was carried into the
Assembly Chamber upon March B. 1s90-carried
by eighteen strong men. Speaker Hustled TOOK
the floor and said:
On behalf of 81 900 voters of tho cities OF
and Brooklyn, without regard 10 pohuCs tgeu; , GD.O
petition in favor of the saxton Ballot Reform bl any
request that be referred To- the 'uCcs s con
Which has this bill In charge. ask UNANIMOUS ooh
sent that this petition be received
But Mr. Sheehan apparently thinks that TIT
sacred right of petition should be suppressed Ill
ohiected vehemently even to the reception of th
petition Speaker Hustled, however, motioned t.
the bearers of the petition. which was in the form
of book, to advance down the main aisle OF tn
chamber There then followed remarkable
scene. which is thus described in The Tribune
March 4, 1890:
Mr. sheehan was standing In the centre OF ui
aiaie With one hand I'm his trousers pocket While M
right arm was working like siedgeiamner' ana u
was shouting at the top OF his voice lie wa ulIest
in the way OF the men with the book ana refused
stem aside TO allow them 10 pass him. Ihey pald ID
attention 10 him and he was pushed bodily in front 0
fne hook down the aisle and into the we'll Inc re
publican members of the House and those IN sympath.