The record-union., 1891-12-18

new system can, despite the machine,
have his name upon the official ballot,
and as the latter contains blanks that the
voter may fill with any names he chooses,
the incentive to manipulate the primary
and the convention is weakened, because
the certainty or probability of the machine
ticket being put through is greatly re-
duced. If any thing, the official ballot
operates to make the conventions put up
better tickets, and to make primary and
convention manipulation less offensive.
Again, Mr.. Blake contends that the
cost of preparing the official ballot is
enormous. But reliable statistics prove
that the cost is far below the aggregate
outlays of political parties for a similar
purpose under the old system. This cost
is visited upon the people, whether it ac-
crues the one way or the other. But, ad
mitting the charge of Mr.. Blake, liberty
is not dearly purchased at any cost.
Again this new Daniel discovers that
the secresy of the official ballot is cheat,
because it compels the illiterate and in
firm class to disclose to some official how
they vote. But how did these people un-
der the abandoned system protect them
selves? They had not the guard of even
an official who, if he violates the trust, is
liable to the imposition of severe penal
ties. This illiterate class was formerly at
the mercy of the "polls workers. the
boss lieutenants, or of persons who were
not under the law bound to keep the
secret.
Lastly, Mr.. Blake finds the new law
regretable because it stands in the way of
better system, ''the compulsory use Of
the official envelope in connection with
the retiring BOOTH" So it is disclosed
that MIR. Blake is an objector because he
has another plan, and which, after all,
embraces an essential of the official ballot
systematic retiring booth.
Now the official envelope system is not
new; it has been tried for many years in
many places, and it has been demon
strated that it falls short of the need of the
hour. 1t requires every voter who is inn
portuned to cast his ballot for particular
person or party, to practice a sort of
thimple-rigging. He must, in very many
cases, accept the party tickets offered
him. When he is in fear of influences
that can punish him he must prove to
such by his action at the polls that he has
their ticket, and must pretend that he is
about to vote it. When he enters the re-
firing booth he must bring from conceal
ment the ticket he really means to vote,
and seal it i'll the official envelope. He
must then dispose of the ticket the in
timidator has forced upon him. In one
State, where the official envelope system
was tried, the bosses required the men
they had the power to threaten, to tear off
a bit of the ticket and return it to the
boss, that he might make the voter be-
lieve that he would fit the ''indenture'' to
the ballot when the count came on, and
| ascertain if faith had been kept. 1t re-
quired special Act of the Legislature to
defeat that scheme. Other devices are
practiced also under the envelope system
that the law has been unable to reach.
But under the official ballot system the
ballot can be had only after the voter en-
ters the voting inclosure, thus the intimi-
dator or purchaser can receive no assur-
ance that his goods have been delivered.
These considerations are timely, be-
cause there is on foot throughout the
country a shrewdly devised scheme by
machine politicians for an assault along
the whole line upon the official ballot
system. 1t is to be kept up through lit
erary bureaus and by political chicane,
with the hope of making the new system
distasteful and thus secure its repeal
here and there. Friends of the system
must, therefore, be prepared to meet
every advance and to uncover every ap-
proach made to shake the faith of the
people in the official ballot.
The States which have not adopted the
new system are Alabama, Florida,
Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi.
| North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas
and Virginia. In Kentucky the new
Constitution commands the Legislature
at its next session to adopt the reform
system and provide for its operation.
We have. then, thirty-three States of the
Union, really thirty-four, which have
adopted the official ballot. In some OF
| them, however, it is marred by serious
defects, and in one or two, as in New
York and Connecticut it is almost value
less, because of the paster- ballot attach
ment and the right to print party ballots
in the first case, and an envelope and
Identification system in the other In
one or two other States the new system
will not be in operation in the fall cleo
| ton Of 1892.
THE Galveston NelCS enjoys the dis
tinction Of being an apologist for the leg
islation of the day. There is a grain OF