New-York tribune., 1897-12-17

10 lort er purposes will trlumPh until tAese eW
Yort civ VIII he a machire-r!dden town W. =
trenton " j. Dec. "A. 1871
r14r ,1-sTRA1IAN BALLOT SYSTEM.
.n,r,cIsrn py 4 coENEcricUr VOTER WHO
RECOMMENDS THE METHOD PURSUED ~
THE STATE OF coMMoN-sENSE
AND STEADY HAB1Ts."
To the Editor Of The Tribune .,,.o-,o, of
Sir. Rave read with interest your editor'a' u
Do.en,ber 6 In which you show that inc 49,
aw OF New-York State 80 operates as " -
80, ,,,cbines supreme power In elecuont' a'u "
l.E ~. ,.oLe ~ tho bosses ineHtricaby o" 'ie
- ~ ,he pcorie. You truly declare 'ha' -.
ballot ;aw AMI the Court OF Appea's oe0, oe09'0" %
the machine absolute right over 'n' W. -
nominating have really abolished i'ePUo'' ,s,,..,
| c-nuent In this State, and crea'eu al 'I1,,
monarchy. from which the people nave - .h
.ai O." And again you justly conciuu' '"''
",,tu the law gives back 10 the people ''o ''
or,rol Of the parties which are mace '''e "s'"'
| Of government. the repuohcah's'h - Wv
ton vii bc a farce ,r 80 40. that
rho surprising thing Is that you ran 10 sec ',"
49,, N 20, con-plain Of are inherent In ana IN
| ~,dl,afle from the system Of voting "n''" Pe
| yaus in your state the fundamental 'e"''
! rrhicb consists IN confning ;hc voter 10 "'
| An oncIal ballot prepared ana '|'"''
! state. .,,. Australian
| ,,llo, .vstern" has teen In use IN We" ~"
for abou, eight years. under various ,
! A. c.ch election II has pro'cH so ~ " 1''
! ar. conf,s!ons ana controversies 'hH' go p"
| -. o,ts,o lure has been kept busy IN hIe''"s
| " .ho -es,lt beng that every new modlhc@uoh h'S
| caused new complications ana '"n'' '
| amendment imperative. 80, ,.. vo,,
! A, or illustration. take ;he very oV'I '"a' you
~ -" tt ., viz the impedments thrown
| -, ,rdccoudcnt nominations and voting lou
| oo-rec,ly assert that the number oi ssha'u'e
| ouirea for indcpe endenj noin'ha'o"' 10 ' - D.,
! ,,ch nominations are sometimes lmPosS'"o' ~
! ouently i,npract.cahle. and almost n,""S' -,
! T,rs n YOU Will recur TO your hles puo"sh''
- ,ho reu lection Of ls95. YOU VIII ma 'ha' ~
| 1c,ordeot nominations were then so cas-! ''"
ho,us tickets under the guise OF iho"Penu'"' "O,'
! ,,a,lonr were fol7ted mo tie D'ahAe' O"o
! ,,,,. Hall for the purpose OF confusing "'e
! ,otcr, "a i,s party advantage. You VIII "''u' Co.
/ -. -. .o,.seoueucc OF this and other abuses oen"-
! ,~ Sav,on senator Ranes and oiher oal'o' 10
! f,r,,crs with The fun concurrence OF Inc -
o,.ro ,ten Insisting that INDEPENDENT ''o''
! .h,u.d he made more difficult o'het".Se' " 10
! -, -. s.,.e trick would be enployeu ~ o'"''
! -.r,,o. and the ballot would be so eho' ''ou''' -
| 80, , .rl,.rnbered as TO break down tHe "'o'e
-, -, voflng II was largely to preFeh' ms
| fraudulent practice that the ioNo"''s e.Ia,
| a,nor1ed the .aw so to require Ia'se' " M
Of signatures for Independent notnl"n ~ taSrc
| 49, g.. ,.,nches in a worse place thAh o'i''" -
| -. ed, followed few years ago "he" '"'
| .anarete official ballots for each parry "'N'', 80
| found iu;oerab.y incony"nicht. were sup'' ,ro
the L,nkst ballot. having all the uche's =" 49,
| w -, Then came new and in"umeraoe
| .,.i.jes At every election there "as s'''0"' -,
| -, -. ofnclal ballot would not he feauI J"
| -, ,,.,, 10 contests IN court over patucui"i
| -a,ra.ions some OF which contes's "e'' M, -
| orauv decided TIL after eIecuoh was "''' - -
! yyord.FairchId dispute is sisn'hoan' '-," -,
| 49, L,,dl Owing 20 diverse judicial deot'o"' ~
,Ir
| 50 ,..o1 al enormous expense, ana there was
.o,., liability and occasional experience oil o'n.A M
| Or nrinters errors endangeTihs l's Na'u''', -,
Vi ~ pm ANY other difficulties with the biahhe'
| sauo, are not imaginary. your own co'u'i"s ~"
| p"''O -, ,,,.. r-oof during the last -FOUR years
'"' yhcn the voters objected to the tedious
80 of marking every name ON the ueiet @ ,tsi JG
process ~ of;en left large part OF me @ @mtho
Ia cohsequ nt,cc VAS provided TO make the wnoe
unyo,edG a. he voted at once by single cross Ihis M
was found 10 a ,llp easv to tell whether straight
,c,;et was voted or ho oy 'h1 ertn ' also arose the
much dcbG and sti anSStlGa anea1n on Which only
% vote Spx pp,xvcrs were giving opposite directions
an .,,thoIity earnestly cautonIs nv lne ;, apted
folo% the oe aa' Thea came also disputes whether
| ba cross mark on certain NoI'o a5onn and over
TIE circle; oE to the validity OF Tho votes
otncT ui,aroc important because they aHected tne
whch DC o' Of single candidates. but OF every can
1Idatc on the llcnet Ho% dnrous Ihev are
royetSmos m nrove in some close State or Presidentai
| 49, inferred from
Slection 'Tbc Tribune on December -. lel6 that
t.s" nreceding State election I-ZVNo Yotes, W W
| ons-teuth OF the whole. nuhpei' "e'' '"''' 49,
| e,ther blank or doubtful !. ,,o-,, an ,his theme
80 nernitted might enia!s on ths theliIe
II Shre, conclusiVeiy that the Austiiildh ,! @
anu bas uroved not only conspicuous failure
OF sVtmrnRnrg state but signal evil. ana constr
~ ,o-dov one Of us most alarming naHHei
El,es ~ - ter II will be abandoned there as IL
sooner o' oireadv in some of the States that have
| trIed H. and simple, sdiei anu "'' N'
sccret ballot law adopted ,.utor and s,,.r socrc,
eo - ask where such simpler ana shIeI secret
ii ~ a," rxistf point you TO the election la"
oeIl0t ri az. 10 of Connecticut. which has been In
Oh .aie Ibcre aimee 1880. Under this law the po-
t utlCai ,Pp@tdes a supply OF official envelopes or
ate - nv the voter provides himself win the
tY, h oesres 10 and alters II II he wishes
" ,. Scretching and pastlnB and writing IN ao
10 ~ ,r 10 A. the polls he receives an oflciaI en-
inIon" nd with Il enters secret Dooth, whete
M ~, He then emerGes from the booth deposits me
eppvelope in the ballot box. and Departs Ihe proc
CO. re11,,,r,s no complicated directions or list Oh
| ..dor',s| I'm order to be understood by mo most
st"nid or careless and makes no trouble 10 even
,Se c,msiest voter. No special provision Is neces-
saTv 10 assist the illlterate, OF even me inirin
1S HnSS ,e the voter has lost the use OF his hands
secret and successful double voting ls I'm possible
aforeo,.r the system gives the frcest scope for
imdcncndent nominations and for independent vot-
| ~ syen y,f.hout public nominations. AS conse-
| nueuce. caucus dictation ana boss ruIe are az a
,'iUin,nn, m Connecticut. Our elections are quiet
nrdsry and Inexpensive. and there has not been a
dianuted election case before the courts LOT tne
| iasi ave years When New-York concludes TO cast
asjde her present complca ted. cumbersome, costly
. | Jmperfect and dangerous election machlnery; sno