The herald., 1894-09-23
BOUNCE THE HELLER.
ANOTHER SCHEME PROPOSED FOR
THE HONEST VOTER.
How It Is Expected to Purify the Bal
1ot-An Extsnsion OF the Aus
tralian STstem to Pri-
maries.

One OF the HERALD's numerous read
era furnishes the following rather new
and novel plan for the purity of the
ballot, which is we'll worth psrusing:
A queer deal has been accomplished
during the past few years in the purih-
cation Of the ballot. Nearly every state
has adopted in various forms what is
known ss the Australian ballot plan.
which seems to be nearly perfection. 1t
has certainly doHe away with vast
amount OF corruption formerly prscticed
at the general election. Under this law
the wholesale buying and selling of votes
has been done away with, together with
all the corrupt practices so well known
to the ward heeler and hobo.
While this has been accomplished q
loophole has been left open whore the
disreputable element could get i'll its
work and successfully thwart the honest
voter.
Nothing has been done practically
with the primaries. Here is the root of
the evil, waere the heeler can secure the
! election OF his own people as delegates
| to the convention, and If he should by
chance fail to accomplish his purpose at
the primaries, he etill has an opportun>
| ity of completing the job at the conven-
tion, and il he fails in the first he gen
orally gets there in the second. The
| natural result is, after the placing be-
/; fore the people OF corrupt ticket and,
as all parties adopt the came methods,
| the intelligent voter at the general cleo
tion has number of tickets to select
from that would make q yellow dog
1 n..S II-k Ok nd
what are you going to do about it?
I'll tell you what would do; would
knock out "a effectually the heeler in
the nomination of the tickets as he is
shelved already at the general election
by the action OF the Australian law. and
Iwould do it by the application OF the
same law at the primaries and do away
entirely with the pernicious conven-
tion which seems to me to be very use-
less body.
As an illustration OF the working
OF this scheme | would have
the state central committee OF each
party select and announce the date for
primaries for that party. simultaneously
in every county in the stste. Let this
committee receive with fee the names
Of all those who desire TO become cam
didates for all state Offices to be filled at
the approaching election. including
members OF the legislature and MEM
bers of congress.
Let each party's county committee
act in the same manner for all county
and township offices and forward the
names to the state central committee,
which would then place the combined
lists on one ballot and have it printed
for use in their respective counties.
The seversl county committees can
ye-shsrgss Of the perdiWgaaFiysFs shgg gaiR5
as at general election. At the close of
the ballot the judges shall canvass the
vote and make returns, together with
the number of votes eaoh candidate
shall receive to the county committee,
and after compilation of the votes
nounce the result and forward the same
to the state committee, which shall
ascertain the total vote of the state and
announce the result on all the state and
congregational candidates. Those re-
celving the highest total number Of
votes for any Office shall be the csndi-
dates for that party for the ensuing
election.
All vacancies shall be filed bv the
respective state and county committees
by two-thirds vote of the committee.
This is brief outline of the plan.
The necessary detail for its completion
is but small matter.
Now what is the matter with this ?
With a very little change in the word
ing of the Australian law it could be
made to apply to the primary with all
its secrecy and protection to the voter.
1t does away with the obnoxious con,
vention where go much trading and
dirty politics have been practioed in the
past. and what is best of all it com.
pletely knocks out the heeler and he is
the one we are after.
Under such law is there any reason
why we should not be rid of corrupt
politics and be able to select honest msu
to office? The better element would
certainly have an opportunity.
A friend asks: What would Won do
on presidential year?"
Simply extend this plan to cover
president and vice-president and have
all primaries throughout the United
States occur the same day. 1t would
aloo be good idea to have the party
vote for United States senators at the
same time in states where senators were
to be elected.
Let the national, state and county
committees be chosen at the same time
and by the same ballot. .
The platforms could be drafted and
promulgated by the different state and
national committees.
Another good thing about this scheme