The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-01-04

The Globe remarks that this large num-
Der Of blank ballots may be attributed to
intention. to carelessness and Indifference.
to laziness. or to illiteracy and ignorance.
including q failure to comprehend where
and how to mark the ballot" There can be
no doubt that inability to understand the
complicated and vexatious provisions Of the
ballot law was the cause Of the great num-
Der Of blank ballots. The people Of Massa-
chusetts are not, to our knowledge or their
own, more careless. Indifferent. lazy. igno-
rant. and illiterate in 1891 than they were in
1887. The Globe prints table showing the
vote for State officers In that year. and this
table shows that the various officers re-
eelved substantially the same vote:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
Secretary 2B8O4A
o4o
..oooo'
Attornoy-Genera.... 2ooO30
It was to be expected that in an exciting
election like that Of 1891. when the interest
centred in the reelection or defeat OF Gov
srnor RUSSELL. he should receive many
more votes than his associates. 1t was in
evitable that Mr.. ALLEN. the Republican can
didate for Governor. should receive fewer
votes than the other candidates on the Re-
publican ticket. Mr.. RUSSELL was elected
and Mr.. ALLEN defeated by Republican and
Prohbitionist votes: and most Of the Re-
publicans who voted for Mr.. RUSSELL un-
doubtedly intended to pay him personal
compliment. and at the same timo to mark
by tho contrast between the vote received
by Mr.. ALLEN and that OF his associates on
the Republican ticket the fact that Massa-
chusetts was still q Republican State. But
leaving that intention aside. 1t Is impossi-
bio to believe that In holly contested
election for Governor nearly 5000 voters
should wilfully have neglected to vote for
Governor. However Indifferent or lazy
votar may be. 1t Ii safe to assume
that II he comes to the polls he
Will vote for the officer whose election or
dofeat has been the main question OF the
campaign. With all due allowance for
cranks and CRAPo men. the number OF blank
ballots shows that several thousand voters
Of Massachusetts, tried to vote and meant
20 vote for Governor. but couldn't because
they were perplexed by the Australian bal.
lot system. although tho Massachusetts
modification OF It has been In force for three
years. Governor RUssELL's plurality might
0oV0 Oocu SIOoOcE VI tcSSp VI ITO LlIBut uOL
have been reelected. Nobody knows for
what candidate the majority OF tho votes in
blank would have been cast II the intention
Of the voters who deposited them could
have been ascertained and carried out. A
system which thus deprives thousands OF
voters OF their vote makes an election q
mare lottery or piece Of guess work. You
have the recorded and announced result.
bat you can never be sure how far 1t repre-
esnts the will OF the people. for votes
enough to turn the election the other way
may have been thrown away.
In 1891 there was especial interest In the
electon OF the Auditor in Massachusetts,. A
Democrat was In possession OF the Office.
and the Republicans were eager to turn
him out and the Democrats to keep him In
Yet almost $4,000 voters failed to vote for
Auditor. 80 with the vote for the remaining
State officers. Allowing q great deal for
laxiness and indifference. 1t is still impossi-
BILE not to believe that large number OF
voters who went to the polls were prevented
from voting for Auditor and other State
officers. Either they didn't know how to do
30 or they wore SO perplexed or disguised
by the imported ballot that they voted for
the head of the ticket only. A system OF
voting under which one ballot out OF every
dozen ballots cast Is blank Is failure. to
say no worse.
Wherever In the United States this Aus
tralian ballot system, improved or upim-