The morning call., 1892-11-07
MORE ELECTION QUERIES.
Every Voter Is Interested In Mastering
Them.

livery voter INTERESTED In
Them.
Subscriber. City, writes under date of
November a. Question-QD Ii is said that
the bosses intend to provide each of their
paid voters, whether illiterate or not. with
a sheet of paper of the exact size of the
legal ballot, on which have been cut out
previously as many squares as there are
names to be voted upon and corresponding
with the blank spaces placed on the right
of the names. The only thing the voter has
TO do is to lay fiat this stencil on the ballot
and mark the cross through it, Would this
be legal?
Answer-lt would be perfectly legal. but
IT would not work worth cent. The yoier
who makes use of such stencil might vote
for his bltterest enemy. Here is q rough
and ready way of trying IL. Rule 200 lines
half an inch apart on one sheet of paper
and 200 lines the same distance apart On
another. Lay No. l over No. l and No. 5
over No ). Now notice whether No. 175
will come over No 175 and whether il is
not actually over No 173 or No. 17S. One
of the greatest inventions in steganography
or secret writing actually failed from this
very reason. You can eXemplify IL still
more easily by looking at the five of
diamonds, the two Of tie same suit,
the three, the four, the six, the eight
and the ten, all OF which look alike top
and bottom. But let an experienced
card player place them in line, and request
you to reverse one of them, or two, If you
wish. and be will tell you on returning TO
the room the cards you reversed. The rea-
son is that there is sure 10 be an impeife
register. minute difference between top
and bottom. 1t will not matter if it is the
hundredth OF an inch; the eye will perceive
it, On long list like the municipal ticket,
the stencil dodge will fail every time. II
you don't believe IT, try Ii.
Question (2)-The bosses speak of in
stIuctiDg voters 10 make on the ballot a
conventional mark so as to know If they
have voted according TO the instructions of
the bosses. Would not this annui the bal
lot?
Answer-Assuredly The slightest mark
made with a pencil or other instrument or
even with the finger-nail. would inyaldate
the ballot paper and cause it 10 be thrown
cut. The judges of election would have no
difficulty in distinguishing these marks
when number OF doubtful cases are CON-
pared. A flyspeck is one thing, but any
thing outside the regular ballot stamp in
the proper place will certainly cause the
voter TO expend his labor in vain. Ii man
wants to make sure of having his paper
thrown out. all be has TO do is to mark it
with pencil, front or back. name, cross or
other sign-to let friend know how be has
voted. Any OF these things viii throw out
ballot paper, however carefully it may have
been stamped. In nearly every Gaze r
fraud reveals Itself on the Australian sys-
tenn, because all the doubtful cases are
taken together and compared for just such
marks of Identification.
Z. P. 3. and N. J. c., City. write: Please
settle dispute between two subscribers
by saying if there is a socialist candidate
in the field aspiring for the Presidency at
the coming election?
Answer-There is not
w. K, City, writes: There is a dispute
between few friends In regard 10 the edu-
cational qualification that will be voted on
November 8. maintain that if it applies
to all voters it wilt be practical disiran-
chisement OF large number of citizens and
will be an ex-pOst-faeto law; also that If it
is ex-post facto il is unconstitutional
Answer-It is impossible for it to be an
ex-pOst-faeto law for the reason that Ii
could only operate in the future; that is TO
say it could not be retroactive or affect any
thing or anybody before it was passed. 1t
cannot be unconstitutional because the only
discrimination between voters provided
against is such as arises from religion, color,
previous condition of servitude, etc There
Is no mention Of the educational matter In
this clause, and, by the way the State OF
Massachusetts has long refused citizenship
to persons unable TO read and write. Mis-
sissippi also legslates against iiliterate per-
sons. Wyoming refuses citizenship to per-
SONS unable TO read.