The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-09

Only 1858 voters in New York last year
did otherwise han put a cross mark
within one or other Of the circles on the
ballot to indicate their preferences. In
other words about 971a per cent. of the
electors voted straight tickets and Dig per
cent. voted split, irregular, or independent
tickets, or voted in violation or ignorance of
the law and did not have their votes counted.
Under the present ballot system the So
called Irregular party organizations enjoy
a decided advantage. The candidates
nominated by them have the benefits Of
all the official machinery of candidature.
The election of independent nominees upon
an independent ticket is, practically, i'm
possible. The law requires that the ballot
shall be so arranged that at the right of the
last column for regular party nominations.
the several tickets of the names Of the
candidates independently nominated shall
be printed in one or more columns having
above each the political or other name Sc
lccted to designate each, and the circle, and
also the device or emblem to represent the
several independent bodies making nomina-
tions. TIL voter is instructed to designate by
n cross mark in the large blank circle his de-
sire to vote for each and every candidate of
4 party ticket or by a cross mark in a blank
before the name of each candidate his choice
of particular candidates. To vote a split
ticket, or for candidates of different par
ties, the voter would have to make q cross
mark before the name of each candidate
for whom he votes. Ii the ticket marked
in the circle does not contain the names of
candidates for all the Offices for which the
elector wants to vote, he may vote for can
didates for the offices so omitted by making
a cross mark before the names of candi-
dates for such Offices on another ticket, or
by writing the names, IL they are not
printed upon the ballot.
1t is, therefore, about forty.nine times
easier to vote for a regular party than it is
to vote for an independent candidate, and,
rs the results of the last election showed
conclusively, there are forty.nine times as
many voters DESTROYS of voting and willing
to vote a s~traight-out party ticket as there
are independents, "scratchers," and mis-
cellaneous and promiscuous voters.
Candidates for the following offices are
to he voted for by the electors of this town
on the second day of November next:
"a Judge of the Court OF Appeals. a Mayor. Sheriff.
County Clerk. District Attorney, four Coroners, Reg
lister, TWO supreme court JUSTICES, comptroller, freSi-
dent OF the Municipal Council, President OF tho
borough, two City Court Judges. members of the
Council. Aldermen. a Justice OF tho Municipal Court
OF the Eleventh Judicial district. Justices OF tho Mu-
nicipal Courts of tho First and Second Judicial dis.
tricts Of tho Borough OF the Bronx, and thirty-nvo
Assemblymen.'
The Citizens Union is not a political or
ganiZation. 1t has no status as such. 1t
annot nominate candidates for any office
except by a petition. 1t has never run n
candidate for any office. 1t is destitute of
any of the political machinery Of elections,
and it's Symbol" a rattle, a goose's bill, or
q donkey's head, has yet to be decided upon
by the committee of thirteen which has as
sumed charge of the Low canvass.
Without warrant of authority, lawful or
implied, these amateurs In impudence and
foolishness propose to set up a ticket for
the voters when, in fact. they have only the
power under the law to set up n ticket in
part, unless, indeed, they intend to embark
in the field Of State and national politics,
their chief adherence and the objective
point of their petulant hostility.
In the municipal election of 1890 their
pioneers in political idiocy, the p. NJ. L., of
sad memory took q similar course, and by
utterly confusing, complicating, and disar-
ranging the plen Of voting succeeded in de-
feating the candidates they favored! The
=. NJ. l.. ticket being. in part, blank and
not n complete ticket, those who voted it
DISTINGUISHED themselves unconsciously as
to such offices as no nominations had been
made for, and upon the allies of these anna
tours, the Republicans, not upon their oppo-
nents, the Tammany Hall Democrats of
that period, the burden OF loss through
"blank votes" fell most unjustly.
The Citizens Union Is q politically IRE.
sponsible affair. 1t has acquired no right
to nominate candidates for any office and
it is incapable for mechanical reasons,
which the "Cits" probably do not under,
stand, of nominating a full ticket. The Re.
publican party of New York. which polled
2s4, 900 votes within the enlarged New
York at last years election, will not turn
over its opportunities and its supporters to
this coterie of incapables and political
hobbledeboys.