The record-union., 1892-03-11
THEY UNDERSTAND IT.


Over 500 ballots were cast under the
new election system on Tuesday. OF
these less than seventy-fve were improp-
erly marked ballots, or but little over
one per cent. Several of these were cases
out-as where voter marked the names
of two candidates for the same Office,
with the result that as to such the vote
was not counted, but was counted as to
all others properly marked.
This proves that the voters understand
the law, and do not find it to be the
'puzzling, brain-racking and confused
thing" that the enemies of the system
have insisted it is.
Within four months, then, the voters of
chief city of the State have been so
instructed that they have twice success
fully voted under the reform ballot sys-
tenn, with a percentage of illegal votes
not greater than under the old system.
Which result it must be conceded proves
every claim made for the law regarding
it's practical application to American
elections.
But in equally as significant a direction
the law has vindicated itself 1t has
broken the backs Of election boodlers.
All it leaves them is three things, faith in
the purchased voter that he will prove
true to his infamous bargain; the poor
method of paying him given sum with
the promise of an additional amount if
the ticket Of the buyer is successful;
the using of voters under the plea of
inability to read or write. But this latter
involves the risk of conviction for per-
jury, and but the very few will assume
it. Even this poor means viii be cut off
when the people adopt as they certainly
will constitutional amendment exclud-
ing the illiterate from the exercise of the
elective franchise.
Still another virtue of the law has been
made very prominent-that is, its infiu-
ence in preserving order about the poll
ing places. The requirement that the
voters name and register number shall
be announced, that again his name and
ballot number shall be loudly spoken
prior to deposit of the ballot, all in pres
ence of the public, compels election
boards to preserve orderly and methodi-
cal ways of procedure. The voter being
behind the guard-rail, the ballot-box be-
ing no longer to the front, as of old, but
retired to the rear with the ballot clerks
at the entrance to the voting inclosure-
all these break up utterly the old system
of crowding about the box and stopping
up the way to it, to the exclusion of vot-
ers who come late. It prevents also that
manipulation Of the box that heretofore
gave us so much of shameful and out
rageous corruption and defeat of the will
of the people.
Stuffing the ballot is, under the new
law, practically impossible. There are no
outside ballots. The official ballot bears a
water mark scarcely possible to be coun-
terfeited. 1t is torn from stub bearing
the ballot number. When the election is
over the ballots in the box must agree
with the number of stubs in the ballot
book, for which the election board has
receipted, and with the number of names
upon the poll clerks lists, all of which
must be returned and accounted for. If
the suffers should initiate the official bal
lot, and put a score or less into the box.
the cheat would be so easily detected that
the end aimed at could not be accom-
plished. Should the number of ballots in
the box exceed the number of torn stubs
in the ballot-book, the discovery of the
fact would cause a search to be made for
the illegal ballots, and they would be
found and thrown out. In order to ac-
complish a successful stuffing fraud,
therefore, the Secretary of State, the local
clerk, the ballot clerks. tally clerks, in
spector and the judges must collude and
be agreed upon definite plan of cheat
ing-a thing scarcely supposable, since it
involves SO many chances of discovery
and the great liability of somebody bring
ing up in State Prison.