The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-06-26

however. is q minor matter compared witt
such institutions MS universal suffrage ths
township system. and written ballot IT I:
| true TINT from tho provinces OF Holland. Wes
Friosland, and Utrecht, the old. democratic
spirit had largely disappearoda OF thetiipe ftht
founding Of tho American colonies. THESE
states wero then republics but not d6inocra-
clos In the northern and eastern provinces OF
tho Netherlands. however.w where tho population
was largely agricultural different system Of
government prevailed. There tho ideas Of Q
township and of u broad suffrage had boon re-
| timed. In these provinces magistrates and
| executive officers were elected annually and
by u vote OF oil the citizens WHO owned q
| house, however small. Hcfc. then. tho Eng
lish Pnritans. who swarmed over these Prov
inces In thousands. had before them the model
! OF n New England township. with its annual
election; while everywhere through the Dutch
republic, whatever might DO the restriction
| on tho suffrage. tho idea OF q local self
government was tho distinguishing feature
OF the State. Tho first trace OF the
written secret ballot In tho election
OF civil magistrates is found at Emdon. in an
ordinance issued in 1895 describing the
| method OF choosing burGomastcrs and
| councillors. Emden Is not and never has
been. IN the Netherlands proper. lying lust
across tho northeastern border in East Fries!
land. now q part OF Hanover; but it mas al
ways been much more Dutch than German.
In 1902. and for more than n century after
ward. 1t was garrisoned by troops from the
Netherland republic. and 1t became tho fa-
vorite asylum for prosecuted Professionals
from every other country So many English
Professionals took refuge there during the reign
Of Bloody Mary that in 1854 they organized
u Presbyterian Church. and shortly afterward
the English Episcopalans set up n separate
chapel 1t was In Emden that William Penn
resided just before his removal TO Pennsylva-
mia. In tho Netherlands the first use OF tho
secret written ballot seems to have boon In tho
Reformed churches, whore the people, elected
their own ministers and officers. Tho first
record Of Its employment which Mr.. Campbell
has been able to discover is in the provincial
synod OF North Holland. hold in 1873. Shortly
afterward the same system is found prevail
ing in South Holland. Fricsland. Cfeldoriand.
and in fact over the whole republic. not only
in ecclesiastical synods. but for the election of
ministers. elders and deacons in the Calvin
istic churches.
In America the written ballot first appears in
tho election Of a minister for tho Sulem church
IN 1922. The great body Of the, settlers Of
Salem came over under the leadership Of
Endicot. from the town of dorchester.
which is in tho south Of England. very near
the Channel. in n section which always had
the most intimate relations with tho Neither.
lands. Before the arrival OF Endicot the lead
ing man in the infant settlement was Roger
Conant who came from the Plymouth colony.
where every one was acquainted with Dutch
institutions. In view OF these facts. it is
easy to understand wiz. when the Salem
congregation chose minister. they should
have adopted the baloting system which
prevailed in the Nethcrland churches. We
next hear OF tho written ballot in the clio ,tion
Of q Governor for the colony Of Massachusetts
Bay in 1894. John Winthrop. who had be-
come unpopular. had \ rival for the Office in
the person Of Thomas Dudley. who had been
an officer in the Dutch army. The Sethorlund
system OF ballotinC having been adopted.
Dudley was chosen over his competitor. In
the next year the colony provided by statute
that voting papers" should thereafter be |
used in the election OF chief magistrates To
Connecticut Thomas Hooker. who had lived
for three years in Holland. took the written |
ballot with him. by tho Constitution OF 1899 it |
was made an integral feature OF the political !
system Of this colony. ard once introduced was
never lost. In Rhode Island. too. It found Il |
with thu formal organization Of tho |
Government In lti47. Its next appearance !
was in West Jersey in 167J-TT. and as might |
BIO expected from renn's Dutch associations.
we encounter IT in the frame Of Government"
prepared for Pennsylvania. in lGs2.. Here.
then. as Mr.. Campbell has deInon strafcd tho
written ballot was introduced in Just those
early colonies whero the ,Netherland influence
can be directly traced. and into them alone
South OF Pennsylvania 1t was as unknown as it
was up to the passage OF the Forster Ballot act
in England.