The record-union., 1891-03-02
A GooDLY COMPANY OF cRANKs.

The San Francisco Chronicle again
ZONES to the support of the opponents of
ballot reform. Its main arguments are
hat the present law is good enough, and
chat the proposed law will stimulate the
organization of piece clubs.
Let US see about that. Under the pres
ent law the buyer of votes can make GER
tain that the goods are delivered. All the
chatter about the "vest pocket ballot" is
bosh. Whoever talks it on the floor of
the Legislature must assume that his
hearers are fools. Practical men know
that voters are cowed and marched to the
polls, with boss lieutenants grasping their
arms and seeing to it that the ballot de-
livered is not exchanged for the con-
cealed one in the vest pocket.
But what humiliating and despicable
plea it is to put forward, that men can
vote secretly and free from the frown of
employers. or the COW of those who can
punish them, only by sleight of hand ex-
change of ballot from pocket to palm.
Under the reform law the voter goes to
the polls alone, alone prepares his ballot,
alone casts it.
Practical men know that under the
present system the police are powerless
to keep the way to the polls clear. Gangs
of roughs, the hirelings of bosses, mass
about the voting windows, fill up the
lines over and over again, and by various
devices keep voters who do not care to
engage in fisticuffs and ribcrushing, from
the ballot box. Under the reform system,
at the polls, no'ticket peddling, no lead
ing of men by the elbows to the box, 10
bracing up of drunks beastly intoxicated,
to cast their ballots.
But says this solitary champion of boss
and ring rule, the new law will encourage
piece club formation. In what way ?
What is there now to prevent it? How
will the new system stimulate it? Be-
cause it guarantees to every man who
can secure the necessary Endorsement the
right to run for office, will that enlarge
the now open privilege to form piece
clubs? These clubs can organize unre-
strainedly at present, and put up any
candidates they please. At least under
the new system they will be compelled to
secure written backing, and in orderly
manner register their candidates.
This covers the whole article of objec-
ton through which the Chronicle wal
lows. 1t is a mere repetition of fears and
doubts and ifs and butts. 1t ignores the
experience of seven States where the law
is successful-even in New York, with
a1 of Governor Hill's riders, pastors,
hindrances and stumbling blocks, the re-
form law is better than the old one
Though that unblushing statesman
loaded the reform with chains, and hob
.bled it with crippling provisions, still ii
proves its virtues to be superior to even
Hill and Tammany
1t is worthy of remark that the Cftro1a-
icle stigmatizes the friends of ballot re-
form bills as cranks and bogus reformers
This discloses the pot-house motive o.
the enemies of the bill. Whenever the
venal and vicious, the weak and the un-
progressive are driven to the wall they
resort to vituperation, forgetful that in il
there is no strength. "When your cause is
in danger abuse the witnesses and viliify
the opposing COUNSEL" Ifthe Chronicles
stigma attaches to any, it brands as
cranks the people of these States, in al
of which the reform ballot system has
been adopted, or has been indorsed and
demanded by one or both-and ofteaest by
both-of the great political parties: Mas
sachusetts, Wisconsin, Kansas, Ken
lucky, Maryland, New York, Indiana
Oregon, Nebraska, Washington, Mis-
souri, Minnesota, Michigan, Connecticut
Alabama, Ohio, Illinois, Wyoming, Mon
lama, Nebraska, New Jersey, West Vir
ginia and Iowa-verily a goodly com
pany of cranks.
u,rrr,