The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1896-04-16
Helping the Kangaroo.

A dispatch from Columbus, to the
Portsmouth Blade, gives the following
information:
The Hard bill, making many impor.
tant amendments to the Australian bal.
lot system, passed the Senate, Wednes.
day, after prolonged debate and is
now law. It has been the most bitter
ly contested bill of the session-the
Democrats fighting it with an energy
worthy of better cause. The reason Of
their opposition lies in the belief that
the changes will work against their in.
terests. The fight for the bill was led
in the House BY the author of the bill,
and in tie Senate by Senator Garfield.
The bill is designed to make such
amendments in the law % time and ex.
perience have shown to be necessary.
The principal changes in the existing law
are as follows:
First-It now requires three members
of the board of county supervisors to
elect its clerk. The former law, requir.
Second-It is now required that the
clerk of the board, Immediately upon
the organization of the county board, be
compelled to report the details of such
organization to the Secretary of State.
Delays heretofore have caused serious
inconvenience.
Third-The clerk of the board is now
empowered to administer oathswhenever
necessary. This will do away with much
inconvenience heretofore experienced.
Fourth-The presiding judge in each
precinct is empowered to administer all
necessary oaths at any election. A
change that will do away with an end.
less amount of delay and inconvience at
the polls.
Fifth-The board of county supervis.
ors is now compelled to send for the pre-.
siding judge in each precinct to receive
the ballots, blanks, etc, for each elec.
ton. The presiding Judge to be selected
As a large msjority of the election pre-.
cincts in the State are Republican, tie
boys in the trenches win get the per
diem and mileage that goes with this
| service.
Sixth-After the election, the returns
are to be taken to the board OF deputy
State supervisors either by the presiding
| judge, or such judge as he may designate.
The pecuniary emoluments in this case
will also 60 to Republican judges in
three cases out of four. The reason for
these two last changes lies in the fact
that the presiding judges position is
more important than that of the other
Judges, and the best equipped man is
supposed to be selected for this most re.
sponsible judgeship.
Seventh-The most important change
in the law prescribes that no elector
shall receive aid in marking his ballot,
unles he is unable to mark his ballot by
reaeon of blindness, paralysis, extreme
old age or other physical infrmity, and
such physical infirmity must be appar.
ent to the judges to be sufficient to in.
capacitate the voter from marking his
ballot properly.
This amendment is made to shut off
bribery and corruption at the polls. 1t
is the custom in many parts of the State,
when voter has been purchased, to
have him claim that he is unable to
mark his ticket. This enables the judges
to mark his ticket for him. If he votes
according to the corrupt compact, the
Judge signals that fact to the purchaser
on the outside, and the boodler get his
money. It makes an absolute certainty
of the corruption. The only way that It
can be stopped is to keep the judges out
OF the booths and compel the voter to
mark his own ticket in secret The
Australian system without the amend.
ment had become a perfect machine for
successful boodlinR. All students of the
subject agree that the change had be.
come imperative, il the door to boodling
with certainty was to be closed.
Voters and election officers will do
we'll to note the changes here set out
and adapt themselves tQthem.