The morning call., 1892-11-09

In thirty States of the American onion
the Australian secret ballot was yesterday
in operation for the election of Presidential
electors, State and municipal officials and
Congressional representatives. Also there
were numbers OF local questions to be voted
upon. That some errors of method should
arise under the system was TO be expected.
But whatever those errors, il must have
been onvions 10 most observers that the
Australian ballot has al least the merit OF
secrecy. That is very great gain on the
old methods. Under former methods OF
voting a mans course in framing his ballot
could be detected by the skiiful easily.
The contents OF the baliGt-boX were well
known before the count began, and officials
could practice fraud Withdrawing tickets
and substituting others. But under the new
requirements voters procedure is abso-
lutely his own secret, unless he eOnfeSses
what he has done. The folded ballot goes
into box and nobody can tell how be has
voted.
One distinct advantage of the Australian
system Is the positive quletness secured
around the polling places. A eonfisRration
of opposing feeling is difficult TO kiudle.
The former method of voting by ticket OBJ
tanned outside the polling place subjected
voter to a good deal of annoyance. De was
importuned by touters, and sometimes
mobbed or hustled. Ii was voting under
restraint and espionage, and 1t required
courage to do it. With open booths in the
street and all the work done inside, while
keen-eyed observers keep watch, there Is
hardly ghost OF chance for fraud. A pres
tidigitat0r would have difficulty in chang
ing a ballot about to be thrust into box in
everybody sight with the voter standing
al his elbow As the rowdy element can
know nothing about the voting, there is little
more excitement about the process than In
fishing of the end OF wharf.
One of the troubles the voter had yester-
day to overcome was the folding of his
ballots in orthodox form. In many in
stances it was done clumsily and had 10 be
corrected by the clerks. This bungling
could all be corrected in future by lines of
perforations in the manner of postage
stamps between the columns. 1t would
not be desirable to have too many perfora-
tions, for then the ballot might fall into
pieces; but the piercing could be done in
such a manner as to enable folding to be
executed quickly and perfectly. With
judiciouS discretion the officials yesterday
disregarded the time limit in making out
ballot. Some voters who had schooied
themselves got through in couple of
minutes; others took twenty minutes. At
most of the poIling-plac there was time
and to spare. Although some OF the lines
of voters had TO wait half an hour or more,
voter being in the marking recesses.
BY the time the next Presidential election
comes round some ingenious inventor might
perfect system of counting the ballots on
the plan OF the Wheatstone telegraph trans
mi;ter. This ingenious instrument. by
system Of perf0Tati0ns in the tape-eard
CORES ponding to the Morse code, sends
messages any distance at the rate Of 400
words or more per minute. exactly repro
ducing the message I'm Morse characters al
the receiving end of the wire. IL system
of perf0ratiODs opposite the names on a
ballot could be devised and CORES sponding
mechanism could be inyenle to record the
votes, the whole process of counting in any
precinct might be over In an hour OF two.
without the slightest danger OF fraud and
without calling over names at all The
perforated strips could be numbered. and.
If necessary. they could be passed through
various machines as check tn the satisfac-
ton OF opposing political parties. With
three or four hundred names on ticket
some such device becomes urgently neceS-
sary.
The moribund Board OF Supervisors has
taken another step TO oblge Mr. Hunting
ton and his associates Of the Southern Pa
ciic. II the board can carry out its CON-
plaisant policy the railroad company will
get the streets closed In the tract Of land it
owns in the southern part of the city. to the
manifest injury OF property owners in the
neighborhoOd, who will be shut out from
access TO the bay. Perhaps ths board will
also make q present 10 the company of sew
eral blocks OF land belonging 70 the city IN
the center Of the tract Some day these
blocks might be useful for market purposes,
in the interest of the city and not OF the
Southern Pacific, but that is not a matter
which weighs with the Supervisors The
city is nothing when they and the Southern
Pacific magnates are on terms OF friend
ship. 1t is an outrage that such a company
should forever play the part of a needy
beggar. but IL is as much without shame as
without principle.