The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1893-09-06


candidates upon the official tickets. Some
claim they will be printed In party columns
" certified by nominating convention and
some go 80 far the other way ~ to claim
the names will not be printed at NIL but
must be written In blank space LEFT for them.
Between the two are shades OF opinion born
of varying imagination.
The Pittsburg Commercial Gazette" in
order to set the question at rest had n num-
Der OF lawyers and politicians who nre
thoroughly familiar with the original Baker
act OF 1901 ahd the amendments OF 1898,
interviewed
There Is no disagreement am mong these. They
say i Is selfevdcnt from readingof the
law that the iusionists, not having pollcd
any vote Mt the last county election must go
upon the official ballot by mean. of nomi.
nation papers. The Alliance candidates
must 20 on the ticket in the same manner.
AT the last Pitts burg City election the Citi.
sens Industrial Alliance polled a sufficient
number OF votes to entitlc II to patty
column by certificate Vt the next city elcc.
tion, but that does not entitle u iou party
column on the ballot for the coming state
and county election In November The
Republican, Democratic aud Prohibition
parties may have party columns and cross
mark (N) In the large circle mt the top OF
these columns will vote every name In the
column. On the other hand the Fusionisis
and Alliance men must put n cross mark
(X) In the square to the right of each can.
ddnte to be voted for.
The changes made in the ballot law, which
affect the appearance Of the ticket, are first,
that all groups are abolished and n single
mark In the large circle mt the top of n party
ticket will vote the straight ticket; second,
that the addresses Of candidates are omitted
These are the only specific changes that
affect the appearance of the official ballot.
In all other respects II should be printed
the same rs last pear.
The change affecting parties IL that which
reduces the vote necessary to entitle such
party TO nominate 10y certificate and have n
party column, from per cent to per cent
of the highest number of votes cast ut the
next preceding election. For nominations
by nomination papers the number of sigma
lures for state office must equal onc-half OF
I per centum of the highest vote cast for
any can dn,e at the last preceding election
and for the offices In any electoral division
of the state, such ms county, city, borough
township legislative senatorial congress.
ional or judicial district the signatures must
number as much ns per cent of the high
est entire vote cast In the last preceding
election in .snch division or district. All
nomination papers must specify the party
or policy which the candidate represents.
expressed In not more than three words.
These words must not be the same nor simi.
lar to those used by any party entitled to
nominations by certificate Any objection
to nomination on account Of the party or
political appellaiion shall be decided by the
court Of common pleas on hearing.
Section II of the amended law governs
the printing of the ballots. The first para
graph says: THE face OF every ballot which
shall be printed In accordance with the pro-
visions of this net shall contain the names
of all candidates whose nomination for any
office specified in the ballot shall have been
duly made except such as may have died
Or withdrawn"
This should set at rest the contention that
names OF candidates by nomination papers
may not be printed. The act says on the
face OF the ballot must he printed the names
of all candidates whose nominations have
been duly made. The second section pro-
vides that "the names of the candidates OF
each political party, or body of electors,
shall be arranged under the title of the
offices for which they are nominated in par.
allel columns with the party or political ap-
pellation at the head of each column. ~
and shall be printed in the order,
rs nearly as possible of the votes obtained
in the state at the last state election by the
parties or bodies which obtained the highest
vote for the candidate ut the head of its
column at such election"
The law OF 1891 provided that candidates
by nomination papers should be arranged
alphabetically to the right of the party
columns. This provision is now omitted.
The law OF 1891 however, used nearly the
same language in arranging the candidates
by certificates of nomination as il now used
for arranging "all candidates" This amend
ment was proposed by the Ballot Reform
association for the purpose of grouping
candidates by nomination papers under
their political appellations, in separate col
umns, the more easily to determine their
status when making nominations for sub
oil h..
large circle for straight ticket at the head
of their column.
The form OF ballot recently sent out BY the
secretary OF the commonwealth had three
party columns for the Republican, Demo-
cratic and Prohibition parties and fourth
column for writing names Of persons not
printed on the ballot, This was taken by
some to indicate the construction of the
new law by the secretary to be that only OF
the names OF political parties entitled to
certificates OF nomination should be printed
This wonld be contrary to the language OF
the first paragraph ofsection IA. which ex.
presslv commands the printing of the names
Of 'all candidates" whose nomination has
been duly made" either by certificate or by
nomination papers.
The language Of the second paragraph dis
tinguishing between political party" and
q body Of electors and in directing ar.
rsngemeut OF names las nearly as possible
ceding election and "beginning with the
party or body which obtained the highest
vote for the candidate at the head of its col
umn at such election" Is all construed to
mean that candidates by nomination papers
shall be given separate columns. In regard
to the three parties entitled to nominate by
certificates, they can as easily be arranged
by their vote MS the party for the first col
umn may he designated. So the "as nearly
as possible provision evidently refers to
bodies having an indefinite political
standing.
1t is the opinion Of nearly all those con-
versant with the laws of 1891 and 1893 that
the fusionists and Alliance will be entitled
to body" columns on the official ballot or
such other arrangement as shall in the
language Of the sixth paragraph Of the four
teenth section. give To each voter a clear
onrortunity to designate his choice of can.
didates by cross mare (X) in a square OF
sufficient size at the right OF the name OF
each candidate and inside the line inclosins
the column" The same paragraph con.
tains two provisos. First, that The voter
may designate his choice OF an entire group