The sun., 1892-02-05
To Destroy Universal Suffrage.

The Peoples Municipal League, aS 1t Calls
itself. has got up ballot Reform bill.
and the measure was introduced into tho
Legislature yesterday. The people rep
resented by this league are only the little
Mugwump band In this city who shouted so
loud for their ballot hobby during the can
vass OF last autumn. and were crushed out
20 completely on election day.
Their bill. OF course. is blanket-ballot
bill. Their official ballot is to be huge
sheet OF paper divided into separate col
umns az inches wide. and in number as
many as there are different political par-
ties or other nominating bodies who have
nominated candidates" according to the
restrictions on the freedom Of the citizen
which are imposed by the bill. At the top
OF these columns In "a space enclosed by
black printed lines extended across the full
width Of the ballot. and 2inches in height"
are to be printed the names OF the parties
and the devices chosen to represent them.
The columns are to contain the names Of all
the Offices and all the candidates to be
voted for. Finally. there is to be a project
ing stub Z" 8 inches in horizontal width and
inch In height" nliterate voters are to
have an official stamp in the form OF a
with which to mark their choice.
It Is wonderful contrivance. and as a
method Of annoying the voter and OBJ
structing the suffrage. it is ingenious. For
the coming election it would need to be two
or three feet wide. and along its great
length it would contain hundreds Of names
to puzzle the voters while they were shut
up In the voting booths. in which they would
be confined as II they were engaged in some
disreputable task. or were suspected GRIM
inals. lunatics. or the victims Of a conta-
gious disease which required their seques-
tration. Every man would be treated as II
he were possible scoundrel. and as II the ex-
ercise OF the highest privilege of the citizen
and the performance OF his highest duty
were disgraceful and unfit for the sight Of
his fellow men. An air Of theatrical mystery
would surround the whole proceeding.
That is very much the pass to which the
ballot reform hobby riders have brought the
citizens OF the State already. and now they
want to go further and surround the proc
sss Of voting with restraints which will
make 1t seem even more like a criminal
conspiracy. party is not permitted to
select as its distinguishing device any pa
tr1otic symbol. NOR any emblem common
to the people ut large" 1t must take :" u
star. an animal. an anchor. or any such ap-
propriate symbol" though exactly what Is
appropriate is not stated. Neither to the
party nor to the individual is there left any
freedom. Tho voters are to be confined as
public enemies engaged in n nefarious en-
terprise and dangerous IL let loose.
1t seems hardly possible that men with q
vestige OF sanity left in them could devise
seriously such a measure and expect it to
receive serious consideration in Legisla-
ture representative Of freemen. 1t might
work In penal colony or a lunatic asylum !:
but to expect that the free people Of New
York would tolerate such an outrage on the
franchise and such IN imputation on their
honesty. Is the delusion OF downright
madness.
The bill Is not worth discussion. Its in
PRODUCTION should be the end OF it. 1t is in
famous in its inferences. futile in its pro-
fessed safeguards. and etfectual only as a
device for destroying the universal suffrage
upon which our republican system rests.