The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-08-09

ing made great promises OF reform. II
claimed TO be a Veritable Jehu, ready
TO destroy Baal out OF Israel, but
proved 10 be an Amaziah and turned TO
the faith Of the conquered Edomites
and TO the worship OF the gods captured
from the Inhabitants OF Mt. SER.
The secret ballot. which was then
newly introduced. proved a protection
TO the voters at the polls, but the legis-
lator even more needed the protection
OF secrecy as few men who desired a
reelection dared to vote against the
interest Of monopoly. So at last the
secret ballot was extended 10 the legis-
lative halls. which proved an important
step toward the proper function OF gov
eminent, the protection OF the weak and
needy against the strong and aggres-
sive. But partisanship still stood I'm
the way OF reform. A few men die
tated the nomination and the congress
man really represented a minority Of
his district. while the majority often
were without representation. Then the
dominant party In a state gerrymand-
cred IL In it's own interest, and many
schemes for the remedy Of these evils
were canvassed until the present sys-
tenn was adopted. Each state is now
district and every one can run for con-
gress on his own platform, and IL in
the state he gets 10000 ballots he is a
member. with one vote and an addi-
tional vote in congress for each $4,000
additional votes he may have received
at the election. BY this plan all inter-
ests are represented. and congress is
non-partisan, as no party now ever Sc
cures a majority in congress. General
ly the independents have had a major
ity.
The method Of holding elections has
also changed. Then we had what was
called the blanket ballot. containing the
names of all candidates to be voted for.
and the voters stamped the names OF
those he desired TO support, but there
was some fraud, and no choice in case
an Illegal vote had been cast TO deter
mine for whom 1t was counted.
Now. as you know. the voting is done
by machine, which not only tallies,
but counts the votes with infallible &C
curacy
The voters enter the office at the polls.
speaks his name in the monograph,
and it is written also against a number
in the poll-book. His photograph is
taken. and then he passes through
door into the first room. The door is
locked behind him and cannot be opened
until he goes into the next room and
closes the door. To his right is a shelf
resembling the keyboard of a piano,
except the black keys are few and con-
tain the name of the officers. while each
white key has the name of a candidate
If he wishes to vote a party ticket he
presses the key having the party name,
when a tally is made on a sheet OF pa
per. and by electricity vote is record
ed in a machine in the office for all the
candidates of the party; or he may vote
for each candidate, but only one vote
can be cast for each office until he goes
into the next room. when the paper
moves one number forward and is ready
for the next voter. There are four
rooms the first for national offices. then
state, county and township.
As the voting progresses the paper is
rolled up, and when the polls are closed
the roll is sealed and stored away. If
there should be a contest, and it be
shown that Illegal votes were cast, the
numbers of those voters are found in
the poll-book, they are identified by the
photograph and photograph and the roll
is unwOund until his number is reached,
when the case is opened and how they
voted is exposed, but in no other case
Is ballot made public.
But ere these reforms in the govern
ment were complete the financial con-
spiracies had grown 10 such power that
they had almost monopoly in the
trades and business of the country. a
man did not dare to hire board sawed,
or fence whitewashed without the con-
sent of some trade union. A merchant
dared handle no goods but those Of
some trust But while these organiza-
tions increased wages and prices they
also increased expenses of living, while
and paupersi ate up more than was
gained by the monopoly. And the whole
system of trade unions and trusts was
ready to fall to pieces by its own weight
when congress gave il death blow by a
law that put an end to the discrimina-
ton against would-be buyers.
The finances of the country also caused
much agitation. The endeavor to make
/ the commodities a joint standard of
value for everything else was necessarily
a failure. No commodity whose supply
is liable to increase suddenly can be a
fit standard of value. Gold became the
standard for a time. While from the
dawn of civilization the fiat of govern
ment has been the criterion of money,
when governments were unstable, intrin-
| sic value was demanded i'm the material
| bearing the stamp. But with stable
! government legal tender notes is the
! ideal money when hedged about by prop
dozen kinds Of dollars full. partial, and
non-legal tenders. These have all given
| way to a full legal tender treasury note
| of which $25 per capita is issued every
| ten years and redeemable at the end lof
| twenty years.
This result was FASTENED by the dill
/ covery Of the Death Valley gold mines.
/ which in two years nearly doubled the
worlds supply of gold.
LONE TRAMP.
Utopia, Aug. 3.
MYSTERIES OF LIFE.