Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-12-29
NEW LAWS DISCUSSED.

NEW LAWS DISCUSSED.
The Newark Sunday Call publishes an
interview with Senator VIM. M. johnson
10 regard to some questions likely to arise
before the Legislature. The Senator said !:
81 really know of no leading question to
be disposed Of We have had no formal
conference-in fact, don't know of any
necessity existing for a conference. These
matters usually give me little trouble until
the time of the session and then am able
to devote my whole attention to them.
THE Passaic pollution question is an
important one. Probably some action will
be taken in regard to it. but in just what
shape it will be presented can not say.
Outside of three or four counties affected
there is little interest in the matter and
until recently there has been little general
interest in the communities most directly
concerned"
will there be any legislation on the
Q 1estion of state control of the watersheds
asked reporter.
II know of nothing in that direction in
contemplation" was the reply. "The pre-
sumption is that if Jersey City needs Leg
islative assistance she will ask it. am not
at all familiar with the situation there
have had so many other things on my mind
that have no time to study it. There is
one thing that has been brought to my
attention. The State Board of Health has
given me a bill to introduce providing for
control of the watersheds by the board for
the purpose of preventing pollution. l
think this is very important matter and
one that should receive Legislative sane
ton
"How about the election laws ?" asked
the reporter.
II don't know of any imp RANT revision
that should be made" was the reply. ut
seems that there was tnf ng omission in
the law re-enacted at the last session-the
clause relative TO the swearing-in of voters
by the district election boards. think the
original law only provided for this in cities
of 10000 population or over. The omission
was the fault of the men engaged in per-
forming the clerical work of copying the
various sections OF the law. 1t may be
necessary to make an amendment embody-
ing the feature spoken of,
II see in Newark there is talk of provid-
ing for the blanket ballot. This question
was thoroughlycauvassed blythe commission
having in hand the revision of the law last
year. For one. am yet to be convinced
of the adyisabilitY of Incorporating in
onellawla provision for the blanket ballot
have not, it is true, great familiarity with
election methods in the large cities and l
may be at fault, but from my present
understanding of the matter am not dis
posed to favor change.
THE election laws as they are now
framed and executed, have a tendency to
curtail the action of the Independent voter
A man should be free to vote as he desires.
The machinery of the election should not
be so complicated as to prevent entire free
dom of action. 1t seems to me that the
substitution of the blanket ballot for the
present form of ballot now in use in this
state will tend more than ever to curtail
the action of the independent voter
"The matter was clearly illustrated to
me during the past fall. was in company
in New York City with three or four gen.
tlemen. one or two of them lawyers, and
the others business men. They were all
men of more than the average intelligence,
bright and quick to understand. We were
discussing this question of the blank ballot
and one of them, New York business
man and voter in New York City, said
that he was greatly confused by the form
of ballot in use in New York. This, as you
know, lie the blanket ballot. He said that
at the last election he desired to vote for
all the candidates of one party, except as
to a single candidate, to whom he objected.
and whom he wished to scratch and in his
place substitute candidate for the Office
named by one of the other parties. He
studied the thing for some minutes while
in the election booth but he did not know
how to 90 at it, without running the risk
OF vitiating the whole ticket by mistaken
method and so he did not make the substi.
tuition. IF this is the case with man well
versed in ordinary matters, how must it be
with others-the great majority are
less fortunate than the man / refer to in
education and business training?
at is not clear to my mind but that the
ballots as now printed in this state are pre-
terabIe to the blanket ballot. The voter
has free use of his ballot and can prepare
it before he enters the election booth.
There may be abuses against the form of
ballot now in use, but the one l mention
against the blanket ballot seems to me to
strike at the very foundation of freedom in
elections and for that reason / deem it a
vital objection"