Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1893-11-17


The recent election held in this coun-
ty shows more plainly th,n ever th't the
On. called Australian ballot system is but
farce. Instead Of being secret as it l.
intended it should be the alleged secrecy
is but a sham. the PLY Of voling. count
ing the votes aud aseer;sining the result
Of an election only additional means ad-
ded to the old plan Of doing such things,
Of confusing the voter, aud the election
officers.
The main object Of the law as gather
ed from its language. is to secure ahso-
lute fairness ia MI election. 10y securing
TO the voter the means by which he can
esst his b.llol ac,"rline To his best julg-
ncnt free from undue Influences, aid
further to throw around the ballots after
being east such safeguards as will per
NIT the arriving at the result with per-
feet accuracy Our election law-so-
called Australian ballot Law, Possesses
no such admirable features How the
voter marks his ticket is as open to sb
servatiO0 as before, aud the manner Of
the count instead Of being better protect
ed from fraud and error is more sus-
eeptible to both than before.
The voting booth is required to be in
sight and while the voter is expected to
turn his ba,k to the election officials and
the ehallengers. at the same time his
every movement is in full sight, and the
manner Of marking his ticket can and is
easily detected by the watchers present
the accredited representative Of the
political parties most interested.
And the count: The challengers are
allowed tie be presen 10 witness it, but
what is their position in the room out
side the guard rail They can hear
from their distant position in the room
the reading Of the names upon the ticket,
but they cannot scrutinize the correction
Of the tally kept by the tally clerks
Dishonorable or incompetent tally clerk,
can keep the tally ms they please or il
their Ignorance or stupidity commit gross
errors, which would take vast amount
Of labor an trouble to correct Undel
the old syste... their tally could be care
fully seTutinized by any one who felt at
interest in the election and wrong de-
sected at once or an error corrected firth
with, but now a contest or some Othe
troublesomesnd ve1atOn proceeding mus
be res,rted 10 or the elec ion becume al
abortion.
An Illustration of this f,ct is provrr
BY the returns from the Fifth Election
nisf = II thu ssrfpksA~ TO admiAly E.as
IN =. errors having been commute
and the voters are left to no redress but
q contest Of some sort The tally of the
clerks. who are the proper officials to
know the vote cast and their record is
the only proof under the law TO be rec
ognised. shows the candidates on the
Republican and Democratic tickets re-
ceived cer'ain majnri'ies. when the GER
ti6cate made by the judges and returned
by them as part of the ele ,tion tefurns
from the district show different result
Which is correct, no one can tell But
the rerord of the tally clerks must BE- &C
ceptej as the true returns, and if wrong
a contest or a Judicial investigation mus
determine In the meanwhile persons
not elected may &C as public ofiirials
he election machinery as now made
up is wrong in principle, and pugnacious
in results aud the quicker repealed
the better. aud until i, is done public
con6deRcc will not be restored as to the
fairness of elections in this
State. To remedy the
wrong complained Of will be good task
for those whoever they may b., who
represent this county in the next legisla-
Eure.