The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1895-05-25
Ballot Reform.
N. 0. Times-Democrat,

N. O. Tilnes-Democrat
The meeting of the Ballot Reform
League in this city last night, a full
account of which will be found in ou1
local columns this morning, told wha,
the League has been doing during the
twelvemonths of its existence, and
what it is its purpose to do before il
passes out of existence.
There Will be no opportunity for the
enactment of O proper election law
until the legislative session of 1896 and
| the interval between now and that time
will be utilized by the League in Great
only in favor of having a secret ballot
system instead of the open voting now
in existence, and of having such a
| qualifcati"ine, the suffrage as will
eliminate the unfit, the ignorant and
the vicious, but in favor also of elect
ing to the Legislature only such Repre-
sentatives of the people as are heart
and soul with the League in the re-
forms which it has undertaken.
The full purpose of the League can
not be better expressed than in the
language of the address which it placed
before the meeting last night and
which was adopted with the heartiest
acclaim. =" We propose" says the COM
mittee which framed the address, "to
so qualify the suffrage as to eliminate
as far as practicable those unfit to
govern by reason of ignorance, in
capacity or vice. We propose to have
enacted an Australian ballot law as
the best method yet discovered to Sc
cure secret, unbought, Independent
ballot. We propose by the cultivation
OF an active, aggressive public senti
ment, to- procure public and correct
count aud return Of the votes as actual
ly cast by legally qualified voters. We
propose to Impress indelibly on the
minds ard hearts of this aud the next
generation that the greatest of all
crimes against the peace and welfare of
society is to tamper with the votes of
free citizens Of the Commonwe ealth.
We will endeavOr to pass and enforce a
corrupt practices act to limit the
amount and define the purposes and to
regulate the use of money in elections,
and TO prevent and punish its use in
such ways, methods and amounts as
endeavor to discourage the use of
money in securing the nomination or
election Of all public officers. We will
oppose any man whose nomination ia
Influenced by the amount of money he
will pay to carry the election.
We propose to support no one for the
Legislature, or other office, not pledged
to and in full sympathy with the pur-
poses OF the Ballot Reform League.
All other issues during the coming cam
paign of 1896 must be made subordinate
to this"
That is surely u programme that calls
for the very highest commendation of
all right-minded people, and that is
worthy Of the able and earnest men
who have formed themselves into
league for the purification of the voting
in this State. To accomplish what the
League here undertakes to accomplish
is a llerculean task which will require
energy that knows no intermittence
and devotion that knows no tagging.
But the leaguers will have the fullest
sympathies and backing Of the best
portions of the community in their
splendid eDdeavor; nor can they fail to
be largely sustained in their work by
the consciousness that they are en-
gagged in crusade that il of vital in-
terest to the morality and to the gen.
eral welfare of Louisiana and her
people.
The enthusiasm of the meeting last
night was a fine augury of the success
that is bound to attend the efforts of
the Ballot Reform League.