The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-12-01
The PARTY Of INTELLIGENCE. y

! A good many Republicans were in favor
Of the Australian ballot before the election,
! because it required intelligence on the part
Of the voter to prepare it properly for the
ballot box. The Republican party is of
course 1.-THE party of intelligence" if many
of lts advocates are to be believed. But
after the election quite a number OF them
are against the cumbersome system.n
And strange to say, they base their obiec-
ton on what proves the lack OF intelligence
in many Republican voters.
For instance, in Massachusetts it is
claimed that Governor RUssELL's election
was not the result of Democratic major
ity, but was occasioned by the stupidity of
lots of Republicans who blundered ia mark
| ing their ballots thus voting for one canal
date when they meant to vote for another.
This might be viewed as a convenient
and ingenious method of accounting for the
election of the Democratic candidate for
governor, if it did not reflect so badly on
the boosted intelligence OF Republican vot-
ers. AS it is, it either shows that many
Massachusetts Republicans would not vote
against the popular Democratic incumbent
were, as Republican organ asserts, SO
''densely ignorant that they did not know
how to mark ballot and TOO proud to
ask for information
It appears that there were in the tabula-
tion OF returns 10, lS6 blanks for governor.
From mistakes made in two or three
towns where voters marked two names for
governor, it is assumed that the same err
ror occurred in all these cases. But this
is denied by the governor and several indie
pendent papers, and the general belief is
that while there was e'wholesale blunder-
ling'' on the part of many Republican vot-
ers, showing ''dense stupidity" that 9TH
ers intended not to vote against Russell
but would not vote directly against theil
own party candidate.
1t appears that Governor Russell rar
ahead OF his ticket about as much as he die
last year. That his popularity is nam
tanned in the Republican state which has
twice elected him. Aud that there has
been as much numbering in the case Of
Republican candidates as is alleged to have
occurred over hin. The secretary of state
himself an ardent Republican, comedies
that Russell is elected on the face of the
returns and not on technlcslity, as claimed
and adds that it is found from the election
returns:
That Republicans are the most careless PEG
pie in the world; that they are too careless OF
too lazy to attend their primary meetings; tina
it is too much of an exertion for some of then
to look over and mark their ticket and to vot,
for every candidate. and therefore that it il
necessary to make some change in our metho,
OF voting.
This means objection TO the Australiar
ballot because Republicans in many places
have not sense enough to mark it properly
But Democrats who give them more credi
for intelligence than their own party lead
ers do, claim that the Australian ballot i.
disliked by those leaders because it gives
greater freedom to the voter, prevent:
espionage, and has enabled many thousand.
to support candidates of their choice, anc
this has largely aided in the great Demo
cratic victory.