The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-10-26
Secrecy of The Ballot
WORKINGMEN NEED NOT
FEAR TO VOTE THEIR
OWN WAY.
Trust Employers Said to be
Again Trying the Old Plan
of Intimidating Their Men
by the Coupon Scare.

Several letters have been re-
ceived by the Baltimore San with
in the last few days from work
ingmen which indicate that the
trust employers are up to their
old tricks again. Here is sam
pie statement:
"My boss says how are you 60
ing to vote. [ says Mckinley
(Which | amt. He eyed me for
a minute and says: We'll, I'll
know if you don't. We keep tab
on you by that coupon the judge
tears off, | have told the boys
in my shop that it amt so-that
the ballot is secret, as the law
says. Will you please tell me if
| amt right. 1t will interest
every mechanic in Baltimore.
Put the whole business plain and
straightforward and we will act
as the San says.
THE BALLOT IS SECRET.
Mr.. William +. Porter, mem.
Der of the Board of Supervisors
Of Elections was questioned upon
this point on the afternoon of
October 10th. He said:
"There is no possible way to
ascertain how man votes unless
he states it himself. The law
providing for a secret ballot is
very plain and carefully drawn.
When a voter walks into poll j..
ing place on election day he Is
asked his name and address.
The judges then look in the reg.
istration books to see that he is
properly registered. If he is reg
istered the ballot clerk takes a
ballot from the pile before him,
writes the mans name on little
slip or coupon attached to it and
hands him the ballot. The voter
then goes into a secret cOmpart.
ment or booth Where no one can
see him, and he marks his ballot.
He folds it with the mark inside,
comes out and hands the ballot
to the judge representing the
party in power in the State. This
year, of course, 1t aoiH be the Dem.
OcrGtic judge. The judge tears
off the coupon or slip bearing the
voters name and strings it on a
file. The ballot is then placed
in the ballot box.
THE COUPON AND ITS USE.
"Many persons are puzzled by
the coupon upon which the name
of the voter is written,n continued
Mr.. Porter. ''They imagine their
ballots may be traced in that
way, but such is not the case. Each
coupon is numbered, but there IS
no corresponding number on the
ballot.
" When the coupon Is torn from
the ballot, there is nothing on
the ballot to Indicate uho cast it.
"Ihe coupons were devised
simply to prevent repeating. If
| should vote, for instance, and
the judges neglect to record me
as having voted, the coupon will
show the fact. If another man
comes in later and wishes to vote
on my name the judges may look
over their books and see that APP
parently, | have not voted. But
when they look over the coupons
they find that | have voted. But
they may search coupons, ballots
and everything else and cannot
tell how | voted, there is GbSo-
lately nothing to distinguish mig
ballot from that Of Gny other man.
No one can tell from what ballot
any coupon came.
COUPONS ARE DESTROYED.
"When the polls are closed the
first thing the judges must do is
to destroy the coupons. 1t is the
duty of the Attorney General of
the State to construe the election
ton law each year in instructions
to election officials. In his in.
structions this year Attorney.
General Rayner says, with ref.
erence to the coupons.
"Before the ballot boo is opened
all coupons taken from the ballots
cast shall be destrOyed.n
"YOu will perceive here that
the coupons are not to be taken
from the spoiled, rejected and
not voted ballots. The coupons
to be destroyed are the coupons
which have been taken off the
ballots which have been actually
placed in the ballot box"
Ono one need feGr," said Mr..
Porter, "th0t the acGy he UOteS aciU
become knOWN. That is q secret
that is impossible for any man to
learn. l haze heard politicians
\ u