St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-01-31
BALLOT LAW AMENDMENTS.

BALLOT LAW AMEND MENTS.
So pronounced is the spirit of par
tiSanShip that it is difficult for men to
regard almost any proposed legislation
from the standpoint of general welfare,
or from any other than Its effect Oh one
or the other of the parties. The ballot
law which became a law at the last
session had the misfortune to originate
in the house, which was controlled by
the Democrats and Alliance, though the
bill was largely the product of Il Repub-
lican member, and this fact was suffi-
cient to win 1t the opposition of the
Republicans in the senate, who sought
to amend it so as to initiate against the
Democrats. Imbued with the old no.
ton, that theirs was the party Of intelli
gence and the Democrats the party of
ignorance, they thought to make DEM
ocratic voting more difficult, to decrease
the vote Of that party by requiring the
voters to mark each name.
The result did not justify the concep-
ton of the relative intelligence in the
parties. An extensive examination of
the returns from sections of the state
dominated by one or the other of the
parties shows that the losses from ignor-
ance were. if anything, greater in the
Republican party than in the Demo
cratic. The only effect of the amend
ment was to diminish the vote of the
state from 10 to 10 per cent, distributed
pretty equally among the parties.
The GLOBE does not advocate the
amendment of the law proposed in the
bills before it in any partisan spirit, out
because it believes that the principle
which should underlie the construction
of any law by which the voters express
their political judgments is that the OPP
Grafton of expression should be made as
easy, simple and expeditions as posi-
bic. The right to this is not limited by
lines of intelligence or ignorance. The
educatediman, the busy man of affairs,
is just as much entitled to be able to
designate his choice by single mark
as is the most ignorant man in the land.
1t is an assumption of fact that does
not exist that the voter makes his selec-
tons when in the booth; he has done
that before he enters it. Literate or illit-
crate, he has decided for what and for
whom he will vote before he goes to the
poll, and the voting is the mere act Of
registering his decision. This act should
be made as simple as possible. IT any
man wishes to vote straight ticket his
right is to be enabled to do it by single
mark. II he wishes TO ''Scratch'' he
should be enabled to mark his dissent in
the simplest way. and his education or
ignorance has nothing to do with it.
The amendment seeks TO give to the
voters the enjoyment of this right. 1t
makes the ballot, what it was Ill the
house bill of '9l, the most flexible, SIM
pie and rapidly voted of any which any
state has adopted. 1t gives to no party
an advantage over another. 1t should
be discussed and voted Oh in no partisan
spirit. If any member thinks that in its
present form the law serves to disfran-
chiSe the ignorant, and that such dis
reimbursement is a good thing, he will,
OF course, vote against the anne ndment.
but at the expense Of his candor. Let
him put his vote squarely and frankly on
that ground, and not hide his purpose
under any pretense.