The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-11-27

can secure the placing of such names on
the Official ballot ashe and they desire 10
vote for.
NEEDED DUPLICATION
81 like many features of the present
election law; but / think IL should be
greatly modified. 1t prevents the purchase
of avoter 80 nearly rs II is possible. I be-
lieve. TO prevent IL. To this statement,
however, there 10 q pronounced exception.
In 1889 the initials of the clerk were placed
on the back Of the ballot in the lower left
hand corner; bus in 1891 the law was 60
changed that the initials must now be.
placed In the upper right-hand corner. The
consequence - that IL an eiector votes the
straight Democratic ticket, and presses on
the stamp with force In stamping the en-
Diem at the head of that ticket. the election
onlcer, who must see the initials on the
back of the ticket. can with ease SEQ
through the paper and determine whether
or nos the voter 10 voting a straight Demo-
cratic ticket. OF this there 10 no question;
but why the law Of 1889 was so changed 10
. question worthy of examination. A Dem
ocratic corrupt ~elecron inspector, supplied
with u list of purchasable voters. can with
ease, after election. inform the purchaser
whether the vote waa delivered, as per con-
tract. when the contract Is for a straight
Democratic ticket; and n timid Democratic
elector, who desires secretly TO scratch his
ticker. or vote another ticket. will often De
deferred from so doing by rhe fact that he
IL thus placed under surveillance. This
feature of the law should be changed. and
the method of 1883. for putting on the
initials, adopted.
81 do not believe q law is constitutional
which prevents an elector voting for whom
soever he desires. and the bungling and
cumbersome provision authorizing an
elector TO print his own ticket and paste it
on his ballot so hampers spd impsdes the
elector that it isl believe ! Am justified IN
saying. q complete failure IL Is urged OF
what value is n law which allows an
elector to vote a mans name Tor Governor
when notanother elector of more than a half
million of this State will cast q ballot for
him: and 1t is asked. why should the Con-
situation be so careful of a right which
produces 80 Infinitesimal or no resultsi IL
we ccncede the right of the LEGISLATURE 20
practically disfranchise u single ~elector,
where will We endf The argumentthat the
effects can inst as easily and ss foroibly be
urged IN favor OF q law which would de-
prive the thirty or forty thousand Prohi-
bitionists and Populists of the right TO east
their ballots for their respective candidates
for state offices. for the reason that the re-
suit would be just the same II they did not
vote. The man who can waive n constitu-
tional right or privilege Is the one entitled
TO enjoy IL, and no person, not even the
Legislature. can waive il for him. Nor can
a Aiah 10 Vi kht
under the guise of a regulation for. under
this guise. lie might DO regulated into
eternity.
The stamp should be dispensed with. It
only tricks the voter. A pencil should be
substituted; and then all fear of plotting or
putting q distinguishing mark on the ballot
would vanish. The name OF each candi-
date should be inclosed in a parallelogram,
and the elector required to mark some
where In these parailelograms with q
pencil the name of each candidate for
whom be desires TO vote. In this way the
election officers could not tell whether he
was voting Q straight party ticket or a
mixed ticket. He should DO allowed 10
write the name of any person for any oftice
for whom he desired TO vote In place of the
name printed on the ballot.
The obominable chute that leads TO the
door of the e-lection-room should be dis
psnsed with: for it serves no purpose. can
not possibly be put into practical use,
especially IN cities; and, IN fact, prevents
the electors from closely watching illegal
q distance M preventing them from exer-
eising the right of challenge When q
voter has entered the election-room and
passed into the booth he is completely iso-
lated from the vote-purchnser. and can
freely and without fear exercise his rlghs
of choice.
"As the law stands to-day the result.
when the majority in the State 10 even as
great as il was at the election just past. 10
left largely to chance; and even the high
office OF Governor may be SO determined,
and the will of the minority become the
ruling will of the State. Such q POSSIBLE
ity Is this ought 70 be excluded. and a law
that brings 1t about cannot be valid.p
NJ Thornton's estimate of the number
or ballots thrown ont 10 erroneous. such
data as can be gathered show that about
three votes TO the precinct were lost.