Birmingham age-herald., 1894-07-03
THE SAYRE LAW.
An Address by the State Executive Committee to the People of
 Alabama.


 This law, from the date of it's enactment
 to the present time, has been the subject of
 the most unqualified abuse by the oppo-
 nents of the democratic party. They have
 denounced it as the sum of all evils in their
 conventions and on the stump. Is this de-
 nunciation warranted by anything in the
 law? Is it not inconsistent with the former
 declarations of those who are now the most
 bitter of these men2
 Captain kolb and large majority of
 those who are now supporting him voted
 in 1892 for Weaver for president of the
 United States, and 1ndorsed the platform
 aud resolutions adopted by the convention
 which nominated him. That convention,
 as supplement to it's platform, immedi-
 ateIy before Weaver's nomination adopted
 the following resolution: Resolved, That we demand free ballot and fair count in all elections, and pledge ourselves to secure it, to every voter, with out Federal intervention. through adoption by the states of unperverted Australian secret ballot system.
 The meaning of that resolution is clear. l IL pledges the populite party, and every one | who voted for Weaver, to secure Legislation | by the states adopting the suDperverted l Australian secret ballot systenn. What is that system? It is called the "Australlan system,'' because it was first | adopted in the provinces of Australia. The laws adopted by the various provinces are | substantially the same, and we will con 1 slider that adopted in south Australia, the | province first adopting the system. Its 1 main features are as follows: 1. It requires that all persons shall have | been registered six months before the cleo | tion.
 l 2. It requires that all persons voted for l shall have been nominated certain length of time before the election, and does not
 allow the voter to cast his ballot for any 1 other person.
 8. It requires ali tickets to be printed by l government officer and the names of the l candidates to be printed thereon in alpha I betical order.
 1 4. It requires the voter to retire to a I booth and prepare his ticket in secret by | making an x opposite the name of the can l didate for whom he wishes to vote. He l then delivers the ballot to an inspector, who l deposits it in the box.
 5. It provides no assistance for the voter l in making up his ballot, except in one in- 1 stance-it he is blind he can have assist l ance.
 Here we have the "unperverted Aus 1 tralan secret ballot system. In effect it disfranchises every man who cannot read I and write. The provisions for counting l the vote and making returns in that system l are similar to those contained in our code, l which are left unchanged by the Sayre law. l Now, let see in what the Sayre law, so I much abused, differs from the Jumper verted Australian secret ballot system" 1 demanded by those who abuse it.. In every | instance in which there is difference it. will be found to be interest of the voter. | The Sayre law provides: l. For the registration of voters, but it | requires the voter to register little over l two months before the election, instead of six.
 2. It not only allows the voter to select from those who have been nominated, but it requires the ticket to contain blank lines, 50 that, should he not wish to vote for any of the candidates nominated, he has the right to vote for other, a freedom
 not given by the Australian system. 3. it requires the ticket to bs printed by the juge of probate, and the names of the
 candidate for each particular office to be arranged in alpha betcal order. 4. It requires the voter to retire to a booth and in secret prepare his bellot, and if for any reason he is unable to read and write, whether such inability be caused by blindness, or illiteracy, ,or other cause, he is entitled to assistance in preparing his bal lot, and that assistance may, if he chooses, be the inspector who belongs to his party. The secrecy of that ballot is preserved by
 inflicting heavy penalty upon the assist
 ant, if he, without the voter consent, dis
 closes how he voted. and it's genuineness is
 secured by requiring the name or initial of
 the inspector to be placed thereon.
 The above is fair and plain statement of
 the provisions of the two systems. How
 w
 the democrats for giving them better law
 than they asked for
 It is said that the law provides no penal
 ties for fraud. When this charge is made,
 it is made by those who either have never
 read the law, or are regardless of what they
 are saying. The chairman of Captain
 Kolb's campaign committee called on a
 distinguished lawyer for an opinion on the question as to whether there was penalty tor fraud in registration, and that lawyer gave an opinion that there are several pen alties, and severe ones, for such frauds, and the opinion was scattered broadcast over the land and indorsed by the commit tee calling for it..
 Besides the penalties for fraud in regis-
 tration, the law imposes the following:
 l. It makes it a crime to purchase reg
 istration certificate with the intent to con- trol persons vote.
 2. It makes it pententiary offense to
 falsely write the name or initials of an in- spector on any ballot.
 3. It makes it pententiary offense to fraudulently make, destroy or suppress any nomination.
 4. It makes it a penitenliary offense for an inspector to deceive an elector in the preparation of his ballot.
 5. l. imposes penalty for interfering with any elector or for attempting to un- duly influence him.
 6. It punishes by heavy inc any officer who knowingly and wilfully fails or refuses to perform any duty imposed upon him by law.
 These are some of the penalties provided by the law, and there are others, all of which are imposed to secure those results demanded in the resolution of the Omaha convention and indorsed by Captain KoIb and his friends by supporting Weaver. lot The penalties contained in the Ala bama code for fraudulent voting and for fraud in counting the votes are still the law