The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-11-02

The Secrecy Of the Ballot.

Several letters have been received by
The Sun" within the last , ( hours from
workingmen which indicate that the trust
employers are up to their old tricks again
Here is sample statement:
Nv boss says how you going to vote. |
saws Mckinley (Which | ain'U. He eyed
me minute and says: "Well, I'll know
it if YOU don't. We keep tab on you all
by that coupon the judge tears oil. L
have told the boys in my shop that it amt
so-that the ballot is secret, as the law
says viii you please tell us II l am
right. 1t will interest every mechanic IN
Baltimore. Put the whole business plain
and straight forward and wen act as The
Sun says TO.
THE BALLOT rs SECRET.
Mr.. William F. Porter, a member OF the
Board of Supervisors Of Elections. was
questioned upon this point yesterday at
ternoon He said:
There is no possible way to ascertain
how man votes unless he states it him.
self. The law providing for secret bal
lot is very plain and carefully drawn.
when a voter walks into a polling
place on election day he is asked his name
and address. The judges then look into
the registration books to see that lie is
properly registered. If he is registered
the ballot clerk takes ballot from
the pile before him, writes the mans
name on little slip or coupon attached
to it and hands him the ballot. The vo-
ter then goes into secret compartment
or booth, where no one can see him, and
marks his ballot He folds it with the
mark inside, comes out and hands the bal
lot to the Judge representing the party IN
the State. This year, of course, 1T WILL
BE THE DEMOCRATIC 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 cou-
pon upon which the name of the voter is
written" 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 cor
responding number on the ballot
when the coupon is torn from the
ballot there is nothing on the ballot to in
dictate who cast it.
The 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, apparently, have not voted. But
when they look over the coupons
they find that have voted. But they
may search coupons, ballots and every
thing else and cannot learn how voted,
for there is absolutely nothing to distin-
guished my ballot from that of any other
man. No one can tell from what ballot
any coupon came.
COUPONS ARE DESTROYED.
W utu IuC JollS SIoSS' eiN - ~
thing the judges must do is to destroy the
coupons 1t is the duty of the Attorney
General of the State to construe the cleo
ton law each year in Instructions to cleo
ton officials. In his instructions this
year Attorney General Rayner says, with
reference to the coupons:
"'Before the ballot box is opened all
coupons taken from the ballots cast shall
be destroyed.
"'YOu will perceive here that the cou-
pens are not to be taken from the spoiled,
rejected and not voted ballots. The cou
pons to be destroyed are the coupons
which have been taken off the ballots
which have been actually placed in the
ballot box
mo one need fear" said Mr.. Porter,
:'that the way he votes will become known.
That is secret that is impossible for
any man to learn. l have heard politi
clans bewail that fact time and again.
EXTRA PRECAUTIONS THIS YEAR.
The Supervisors of Election have ia
ken extra precautions this year to guard
the secrecy of The ballot. We will have
them printed on heavier paper than usual,
so that no mark made on the face of the
ballot can be detected by inspecting the
back. The pencils to be used are very
soft, and their marks would not show
through ordinary paper, much less the
heavy paper we will use.
FOUR HOURS IN WHICH TO VOTE.
There is another fact that the work
ingmen should know. The last legisla-
ture passed law requiring every employ
err to allow his workmen at most four
hours in which to vote This does not in
clude the dinner hour"
A heavy penaltp for violation of the law
is imposed.
Local Law Against TrcspaSSc rs.
The law passed by the last Legislature
making treSpaSSng on anOtherS land