The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-11-25
DEFECTS OF SECRET BALLOT LAWS.

Massachusetts was the first State to
adopt the Australian ballot system,
which it did, pure and simple, in 1888.
Consequently, with annual elections.
the election of this year was the fifth
State election in which the system has
been in force. Adding the annual NUM-
cipal elections in that State. it's voters
have had at least eight elections in
which to become familiar with the sys-
tenn. Nevertheless, in spite of this prac-
tice, more than 10000 voters practically
deprived themselves of expressing their
choice for Governor and the Democratic
candidate has been elected. In Massa-
is in force; that is, all the candidates for
one Office are grouped alphabetically
without any letter or word to show to
which party they belong. There
fore to vote in Massachusetts,, under the
Australian law, the voter must be able
to read his ballot and to know the party
candidates. A dispatch in yester-
days paper tells how it happened
that more than 10000 Republicans
lost their votea Mr.. Halle was the
Republican candidate for Governor, and
Wolcott Hamlin the candidate OF the
Prohibitionists. Roger Wolcott was
the Republican candidate for Lieuten-
ant-governor. Under the law, the voter
is required to make a cross against the
name of every person for whom he votes.
Seeing the name of "Wolcott" next
under that of Halle, more than ten
thousand voters put crosses against the
names of two candidates for Governor
and thus disfranchised themselves.
Their intent was evident, for the rea-
son that they did not place the mark
against Mr.. Wolcott's name in the proper
place. Nevertheless, while 1t is per-
fectly evident that these ten thousand
voters intended to vote for Mr.. Halle
for Governor and Mr.. Wolcott for Lieu
tenant-governor, their mistake will
make candidate Governor who re-
ceived the suffrages of at least eight
thousand less voters than did the man
who will be declared not elected. In
this State, the law has been twisted, in
many instances, to defeat the will of the
people. A Democratic Inspector in
discreetly declared the Democratic
policy in Indiana when he said.
pending the counting: Gall ques-
tions about ballots will be de-
cided in favor of the Democratic
ticket" 1t is not an after election howl,
but the deliberate judgment of Rspub-
licans who have the facts before them,
that ten thousand ballots were thrown
out in Indiana as defective, of which at
least seven thousand were Republican.
In Massachusetts, the strict observance
of the letter of the law makes a man
Governor for whom eight thousand less
citizens voted than voted for the man
defeated.
Seine general remedy must be devised
for this evil. or else popular govern
ment in the North will cease to exist. as
it has in the South. The secret ballot
laws must provide tribunal composed
of men representing oil parties, to
whom the ballots now rejected shall be
referred for counting upon some gen.
eral rule that, unless the distinguishing
marks are greater than those made by
the clumsy ink-dauber. the ballot shall
be counted, and that all ballots shall be
counted according as n majority of the
tribunal determine by the marking was
the intent of the voter. The system
should be perfected upon the idea of in
suring free expression of the popular
will.