The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1893-01-11

OF investment. The paid IN capital of the
corporations OF the Common wealth now IL
tl 200 000,0 With such system adopted
all other forms of property would be left TO
the several counties for the purposes OF
equalizing their taxation. Such . system
would also do away with the present
method oi having the counties collect the
State tax, pay the same over to the State
Treasurer. and the State Treasurer pay most
Of II back to the county ireasurers.
The Governor then recommends the
sboishment of the Office Of Mercantile
Appraiser holding that the mercantile tax
can be levied and collected as other taxes
are.
Passing on, the Governor renews his
recommendation relating to the enforce
ment of articles XVI. and XVII. OF the
Constitution touching the watering OF
stocks and of discrimination by common
carriers, denounces the anthracite coal
combine reviews the Bardslcy case and the
work OF the Board Of Pardons.
ruE BAKER BALLOT Law.
The first practical test of the act Of June
~, 1901, properly known as the Ballot Re-
TORN law" was made at the state and local
elections on November 3, 1892 The law has
met with very general popular approval. Its
iwo essential features, an official ballot and
the private booth provision for the voter to
mark his ticket, are great advances in onr
Electoral system, ami are undoubtedly well
lixed in popular confidence. No modification
nor amendment OF the law that would in.
ierfere with these features should be count.
ananced. Befor any more serious difficulties
occur over the construction of the disputed
and doubtful provisions of the law, rec.
ommend that careful inquiry be made by
The General Assembly rs to the respects in
VIII ich its more palpahle defects may be
remedied, The meaning and effect Of the
wor disability" as used in section q, as
the condition which shall permit voter 10
have assistance in the preparation of his
ballot ought to be clearly and distinctly de-
fined. Experience in all tine counties of the
Commonw wealth has shown that the provis-
ion of law for extra tickets IL greatly in ex-
cess af any popular need, and the number
Of such surplus tickets might be materially
reduced in the interest of economy, rs well
a. the number of booths. Serious difficulties
embarrassing the Secretary of the Common
wealth and difficult of satisfactory deter.
mination IN the courts. are liable to arise
under the provisions Of section 2, whereby
ANY convention OF delegates or primary
meeting of electors or caucus, held under
the rules Of pollt cal party, or of any
board authorized to certify nominations
representing the political party" etc, Is
permitted TO nominate candidates; but what
| jurisdiction or authority Is to determine
whether or not such convention, meeting or
! board is the authorized organ of a regular
political party is not set forth with precision
or certainty in the law. Under section it is
| provided that the number of signers to a
| nomination paper shall be three per centum
of the largest entire vote for any cores
bonding officer at the last preceding election,
but by what jurisdiction or all thority this
shall be inquired into and determined is not
stated with sufficient distinctness in the
| law.
The period of 30 days, provided in the
| first clause of section tor objections to
| certificates and papers, designed for nomi.
nations for the State at large has been found
| in practical experience to be unnecessarily
| long and recommsnd an abbreviation of
that period to 10 days. Uncertainty and
variance of opinion prevails rs TO the dis.
tinction between objections las ~ form or
apparent conformity or conformity, p"
which are to be considered
| by the Secretary Of the Common.
wealth the Auditor General and Attorney
General. and OBJECTIONS as to validity OF
certificates or papers" which are to be filed
in and considered by the Court of Common
| Pleas of Dauphin county. and recommend
for the consideration of the General Assem-.
bly, better definition of these terms than
at present prescribed by the act.
the present Ballot Reform law seems to give
more general satisfaction than the alpha.
bethical arrangement Of the names OF the
| candidates as prescribed in the election law
Of some of the other Commonwealths which
have adopted what is known as the Austria.
lian system. by Il liberal construction of
the act, the tickets at the last election were
printed according to an arrangement of the
candidates of each of the several political
narftn tf,t tts nupN Ar nTlt, ,ntf al
less of whether or not all of these parties
had at the last election polled such per CEN
| tum of the total vote as TO give them the dis
| tinction of seperate political organization
| as contemplated by the act. The l4ih Section
relating to this subject is susceptible of re-
| vision to secure clearer statement of its
| real intent and meaning. A simpler form
| than that presented by our law, of marking
| the exception TO a group" of candidates in
| which the party voter desires to cut one or
| more of the candidates on his straigh ticket,
prevails in some other States and may
protitably be considered with view to
| amending the law OF 1891 in this respect.
| In many minor details the act undou btedly
might he properly made the subject of re-
molding and revision.
| In view of the gradual increase in the
number of polling places in the State, and
the reduction OF the number of voters at
| each poll, 1t will be well for the Legislature
to inquire into the expediency Of changing
the hours between which the polls remain
| open. In IA States at present, polls are clos
ed at sunset or earlier and with two excep.
tions, the hours for keeping the polls open
are longer in Pennsylvania than IN
any other state.
| The Governor next declares In favor of
the Michigan system of choosing Presiden-
tisl electors by Congressional districts. Con-
tinuing, be says: