The Advocate and news., 1898-09-14

tion Of only its best men by all parties,
for to do otherwise was to invite GER
tain defeat 1t is found that counting
Of ballots and determining the result is
done as quickly and accurately as under
the old system, and the number Of defec-
tive or spoiled ballots Is even smaller;
that the number of effective ballots has
been more than doubled, that parties
are represented in proportion to their
per cent. of total vote; that abler and
cleaner men are selected, and the profess
sional politician, the rabid partisan, the
boodler and the parasite Of wealth are
out of business.
THE PROPOSED IOWA BALLOT
LAW.
A strong organization Of public-spir-
tied men at and near the city Of Du-
buque, aided by others throughout the
State of Iowa, are urging reform of
excellent prospects Of success. Their
measure provides that the same per
cent. Of voters necessary to nominate
candidates by petition, which is practi-
cally the same per cent as required in
Kansas, may by petition nominate
measures to be voted upon at the next
ensuing election. National measures
can be submitted only when Congress-
men are to be chosen, State measures
when State officers are elected, county,
city or township measures when county,
etc., officers are elected, not more than
three Of any one class to be submitted
at any one election.
Measures which have received 30 per
cent of affirmative votes shall be again
submitted-or continued on the ballot
until the number of affirmative votes
shall fall below 80 per cent.
The executive committee of each po-
litical party or group which cast not
less than s per cent. Of total vote Of
last election shall have the right to
nominate one measure to be voted upon,
national committees submitting ma
tional measures, State committees State
measures, eac. Measures to consist Of
not more than twenty words, to be
headed national" State" county" or
municipal measure; to be printed sep
arately or divided by perfOrations, at
bottom of general ballot, to be detached
and placed in separate boxes marked
affirmative" or negative" and to be
counted and result returned in the usual
way by election officers.
AS will be seen, this is really an i'm
proved method Of using the initiative
(petition) and the referendum (vote) at
the general elections, and the result OF
the votes on measures would be instruc-
tions to officers or representatives
elected at the same time.
The real purpose Of both proportional
representation, and the initiative and
referendum is to give the people in fact
that political power which they now
have only in theory, and to accomplish
this purpose by giving them an effective
ballot. An effective ballot is one which
accOmplishes something, one which ex-
presses the will Of the voter in the law
making and law-administering body, as
well as at the polls, the latter being a
worthless and deceptive privilege II It
stops there. Under our present super
animated plurality system it does stop
there for majority OF voters.
Experience elsewhere warns us that
monopolies and their political parasites
will oppose to their utmost these en-
franchising measures. Especially will
they try-when apparently beaten-to
substitute the far less effective free list