The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1892-10-14
BALLOT MIDDLE SETTLED.
TIE Secretary Of State Solves the rr,s.em
ans viii Net Prepare Another Form.
THE MATTER MUCH SIMPLIPIED.
Official Forms to be made up By County
Commissioners.

The secretary Of state has solved
the ballot problem. He has finally
concluded that he has nothing to do
with preparing an official form of bal
lot to be used under the Baker law
and has decided to transfer the mat
ter to the county commissioners Of
the state to make up form according
to their construction Of the act. He
has already sent ou, several thousand
copies from the state department of
each Of two special forms and now
has in the hanIs Of the state printer
tor printing third. This blanket
form will be printed with few unim.
portant changes and sent to those ask
ing for it. /, will merely be intended
as guide to commissioners who have
been confused by the number Of forms
they have received from this source.
The third form is twenty-five inches
wide and fifty.two inches in length.
The secretary Of state thinks the
length can be reduced an inch or two
by pulling out the leads in certain
places thus making the blank spaces
smaller. This the state printer will
be ordered to do at once. A few
copies will then be printed and filed
away as a relic of the secretary's third
and unsuccessful attempt to prepare
ballot satisfactory to all the political
parties of the state. Those who have
seen the last form say it can not pos
sibly be made less than twenty-five
inches in width and ffiy.one inches
long.
Chief Clerk Snyder, of the state de-
partment, went to New York on Sat
urday and had long conference with
his chief about the ballot muddle
Mr.. Snyder took with him the protests
10 the governor OF Chairman Reeder
Of the state Republican committee
H. ID. Patton, the manager of the
Prohibitionists' campaign in Pennsyl-
vania, and other political leaders
against the form which was about to
be issued. The secretary of state
then and there concluded to get away
from the responsibility of preparing
another, or third, form and agreed to
leave the work with the county com.
missioners.
THE QUESTION SIMPLIFIED.
When asked about the size of the
ballot Clerk Snyder said: 1--WE have
nothing to do with the size of the bal.
lot. 1t is regulated by the number of
candidates in the various counties. l
heard to day o. county in which
there are only two candidates while in
another, of which know personally,
there are six or seven. tits possible
that we will not send out another spe-
cimen form OF ballot other than that
issued several days ago until we shall
have certified the nominations, which
will be as soon after the soth of the
month as possible.
The secretary's decision in this mat
ter very much simp'ii,s the ballot
question and makes i. possible for
every county to get all the ballots nee
essary, to say nothing of the money
that will be saved in the printing Of
them. There is nothing now to pre-
vent the commissioners from diminish
ing the size Of the ballot. This can
be done by arranging the ninety-six
presidential electors and the state can
didates Of the minor parties s-Prohibi-
tlonists, Peoples and Labor-in three
separate columns instead of one
column as in the third form, each with
its proper designation OF Office. This
would not increase the width of the
present form, but would decrease the
length more than one-half. Besides,
1t would give the Prohibitionists and
independent voter an equal chance
with the Democratic and Republican
voter. BY this change they would
not be required to look over the lis,
and select thirty-two electors out OF
the ninetv.ciy - Poyr;nt