Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-15
SCRATCHING WILL BE EASY
Most of the Visitors Do Not Like the
Ballot Law as a Whole,
BUT THINK IT WILL WORK WELL.
The Act to Pe Discussed by the Convention
This Morning.
SAMPLE VOTING AT THE COURT HOUSE

| interested
| ballot law, and they spend much time talk
| ing over it among themselves. In room
| adjoining the Orphans Court, where the
convention is sitting sample election booths
| have been set up, and some time to-day an
election will be held. The names of all the
| Commissioners have been entered in the
registry book, and they will vote just as
| they will on election day. Sample ballots,
printed Oh pink paper, have been printed
by the Allegheny County Commissioners,
and will be used Some of them were dis
tributed yesterday, and were critically ex-
amined and discussed. These ballots are
such as will be used IN the Third Legislative
district in this county.
The convention will this forenoon discuss
the Baker law, and the new method of
printing under the ruling of Attorney
General HenseL This ruling meets With
the approval of q maj ority of the Commits
sioners. Many of them do not like the law
as whole, but they think the arrangement
of the names in groups is an Improvement.
If vote were taken in the convention on
the approval or disapproval of the law, it
is probable that most of the Commissioners
would vote the law nuisance. The law
must be used this fall, and the Commits
sioners are prepared to give it full and
fair trial Most of them believe that there
will be little difficulty in the operation of
the law.
Views of General j. B. Niles.
One of the leaders of the convention is
Hon. Jerome B. Niles, of Wellsboro, Tioga
county, formerly Auditor General of Penn
sylvania General Niles was not prepared
yesterday to discuss the Attorney Generals
decision thoroughly. He had only glanced
over it, but he had cut the decision out of
THE DISPATCH, and meant to read it care
fully. He said that, off hand, he believed
Mr.. Hensers ruling was good law. Under
that ruling the voter would have to exer-
else greater care in marking his ballot, and
would therefore have better incentive
and opportunity to express his individual
preferences 1t would not disfranchise the
man who could not read because he was en-
titled to have some person read the names
to him. ''The law may be a good thing for
the large cities" said General Niles,
"where there is likely to be fraudulent
voting and compulsion by corporations or
large employers 1t is scarcely needed
in rural districts In our county
we know all the voters in our district
and pretty nearly how they will cast their
ballots. We now and then have illegal
votes, but not fraudulent ones. In rural
counties the law is rather cumbersome and
perplexing. 1 think, though, it is a good
thing in the counties of Philadelphia and
Allegheny. 1t is, at least, q move in the
right direction and after a general trial, such
as it will receive this fall, some improve
ments may be made in it.
What tn. Conventions President Thinks.
Samuel w. Shaw, of Westmoreland
county, the president of the convention,
also said that he considered the ruling q
good one. He believed it would improve
the operation of the law and tend to secure
more accurately the choice of the voters.
Mr.. Shaw does not apprehend any special
difficulty with the law and does not think
that it will disfranchise any legal voters.
John Humphrey, of Butler county, said:
81 think the decision of the Attorney-Gen-
eral is a good one. 1t will make it much
easier for man who wishes to scratch the
straight ticket. AS the ballot has been
used, in few preliminary elections, one
mark at the top of column indicated a
vote for every nominee of that party. But
if the voter wished to scratch one name, he
had to make mark opposite the name of
every candidate for whom he wished to
vote. Now the nominees of each conven-
tion are placed in one group, and a mark at
the head of that group votes for all of them,
but not for the persons in any other group.
Few people wish to scratch candidate for
Presidential elector, and mark at the head
of that group will indicate vote for each
of the 80 candidates for electors. Then the
voter comes to the State ticket, and one
mark Will fix all that. If he wishes to
scratch a candidate for Legislature or some
county Office he need mark only the nomi-
nees in that group. 1 think this improves
the law.
Election Officers Get Two Day. Pny.
s'The law is an intricate one, and greatly
increases the work of the. election officers
1t will take long time to count such a
ticket as we have this fall. We have con-
cluded, in Butler county, to pay the cleo
tion officers for two days They will earn
| it. AS a whole, do not like the law"
John j. Flannaghan, Commissioner from
Lackawanna county, said: "Attorney Gen
l.
think the position taken by Harrity was
right-that one cross mark would do for the
whole party ticket. The new rule will
| tend to. confuse the voters. In our county,
in the mining districts, we have many
voters who will be puzzled expect to see
good many votes thrown out because they
are not marked right The result will be
more scratching and trading A political
striker, who is at the polls working for Just
one candidate, will be able to get more
votes for that one man than he could under
Harrity's Interpretation of the law"
Have Been Educating the People.
E. G. Gearhart, of Clearfeld county,
said: 81 think Hensels idea is an i'm
provement. OF course, it does not make
much difference where a man intends to
vote the straight ticket. 1t helps out the
man who wishes to scratch a name or two
and vote for the candidates on the other
ticket I do not think we will have much
trouble with the law. In our county we
have had booths set up in the Court House,
and have been holding sample elections
there. The people have taken an interest
In the law, and I think the election will
pass off smoothly. We have been very
successful in renting houses for polling
places, and will not be compelled to put
up any temporary structures. What is nv
opinion OF the law itself? think it is q
bad one''
John f. Brosius, of Clinton county, said:
l tninK Henseis Idea is an Improvement.
It VIII be more convenient to scratch
tlcket, II man desires. l think the law
VIII operate all right. Any man can mark
his ballot correctly, if he only takes an in
terest In the matter. The trouble with
some people who complain of the law is