The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-02-12
TO SIMPLIFY. BALLOT.
New Hampshire Legislature Considers
Changes In Voting Law.
Mechanical Ballot Boxes to
Be Abolished.
The BM Also modlhss the Statute Governing
Nominations.

Concord. N. H.. Feb. 12.-The most i'm
portant business before the Legislature
yesterday was the introduction from the
committee on revision Of statutes Of q
new ballot law. which the COMMITTEES
was instructed by the house to pre-
pare.
IL the bill becomes a law. the present
grouping OF candidates will be done
away with, and the names of candidates
OF one party for all offices will be ar
ranged I'm one column, with some dis
tinctive device or emblem at its head
80 the voter can vote straight ticket
Below the name of each candidate a
space will be left, I'm which the voter
may write or paste the name OF any
candidate for whom he wishes to vote
in preference to the one printed above.
The name printed above may be erased
or not; In either case the name written
or pasted in will be counted. In this
way the voter may split his ticket. and
the voter who does pSt wish to vote
for any candidate for a certain Office
may erase the name of the candidate
for that ONCE from the ticket at whose
head he has placed the cross.
Nomination papers for candidates to
be voted for by the whole state must be
fled 30 days before election, and. In case
or other offices, % days before election.
The mechanical ballot boxes are abol-
ished. and the style In vogue for many
years II substituted. But one set OF bal
lots Will be used. and, I'm case of a tie.
st will be voted of by the old system of
voting I'm use prior to 1892.
Towns and cities may rescind the vote
whereby they adopt this system for use
IN local elections. In any town or ward
where $50 or more votes were cast at
the last previous election the moderator
may. at any time. after the commence
ment OF voting, remove the ballots and
allow them to be sorted, but not count
ed. while the voting is in progress.
The number of names signed to nomi-
nation papers must be 1000, I'm case the
candidates are to be voted for by the
whole state, 500 for members Of congress.
ESQ for councillors, state senator's, city
and county offices. and so for any town
or ward officer. The above are the prin-
cipal changes mace in the existing law.
Mr. Shirley of Andover. as a minority
of the committee. recommends two
changes in the bill as above outlined.
He would make the minimum number Of
names necessary to nomination papers
I'm town or ward offices 25, and, In order
TO split the ticket, he would require the
marking of crosses against the names
written or pasted in.
The bill, with reports, was tabled, to
he printed.
The house passed the senate bill pro-
tecting beaver, and concurred in the
senate resolution commencing the An
slo-American arbitration treaty.
Charges Against License Commissioners
New Bedford, Mass, Feb. 1.-THE IL
.ceDse commissioners. J. j. Howland, f.
N. Sparrow and b. Il. Barney, returned
from Boston last night. after attending
a hearing at the state house on the bill
proposed by the board. which takes the
power OF petitioning the superior court
for the removal of the members of the
license board from yhe mayor and places
IL with any 10 citizens. Upon the arriv-
al OF the members of the board in this
city, notices were served upon them
from Mayor Ashley, that steps would be
taken toward removing them from Of
nee, and preferring charges of miscon-
duct. The mayor charges that the mem
bers OF the board have suppressed the
records, and secreted them: that they
have neglected to obtain proof against
Illegal liquor Dealers and have violated
the law I'm many respects. The mayor
also claims that Commissioner Barney
has violated the law I'm serving on the
board as Democrat. when he took part
in the Mckinley procession last fall and
voted for the Republican candida tcs.
The law provides that one OF the MEM
bers of the board shall be a Democrat.
There is much excitement over the ac-
ton of the mayor.
Massachusetts, Legislature
Boston. Feb. 12.--Yesterday's session
os the legislature was almost wholly
devoted to the consideration OF matters
concerning the city of Boston. The
senate engaged in a spirited debate on
the resolve providing for the sending
of a delegation to the Nashville ex-
position next September. The resolve
provided that four members Of the gov
ernor's council should be included i'm the
delegation. Senator Lomasney offered
an amendment that the entire eight
members OF the council should be in
Guided. He contended that the original
resolve was made to exclude Mr.. Allen,
The colored member OF the council Az
ter considerable talk, the amendment
was defeated and the resolve passed.
The governor and council have ap-
proved the bill for $500 to investigate
the affairs OF the Massachusetts, Bene-
nj association. The state highway COM
rnissioners made their annual report