The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1901-03-15
The Right to Vote and the
Power ofthe Legislature.
A CONSTITUTIONAL POINT
Difference Between the Right
to Vote and the Exercise
ofthe Right-The Form
Of the Ballot.

SIuuA vi TIC DdlIOU SCueUlc HAS
been made by the most compe-
tent jurists in the State, and the
Senate Committee, in making
their report, will. it is under
stood, include in it the following
presentation of the subject:
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE.
When the Australian ballot
system was adopted in Maryland
under the Act of 1890, Chapter
53S, and repealed and enacted
in 1896, with a number of radical
notifications changing very ma
terially the original features of
that system important and bene-
fetal results were expected.
Some Of these expectations
were realized. Our elections
have been quiet and orderly.
There has seldom been any dis.
turbance or tumult at the polls,
for the reason that crowds ceased
to congregate there, as has been
the case under our former cleo
ton methods.
The difficulties which had been
feared in making and casting
the ballots as the probable result
of an entire change of system did
not prove very serious, and for a
while the claim Of its friends that
under its operation the ballot
would become secret and our
elections fair and honest seemed
to some degree to be made good.
In view of its advantages in
some particulars and of the i'm
prOVementS which it effected the
practical consequence of the i'm
p0rtant notifications put upon
the original system by our legis.
latiOn were for a considerable
time lost sight of, and the serious
evils which it developed and fos-
tered were ignored or belittled.
For some years past, however,
it has become too plain for fur
Their concealment or denial that
amendments are now absolutely
necessary to preserve the purity
of our elections.
THE SECRECY OF TIE BALLOT.
The primary objects of the law
were the secrecy of the ballot and
the consequent eXtinguishment
OF bribery, intimidation, coercion
. and fraud. The earnest advo-
Gates of the new legislation in
sisted that an official ballot fur.
nlShed to the voter in the polling
room, which, in the secrecy Of a
voting booth, he could mark ac-
cording to his own real convic-
tions and desires, uninfluence ed
by improper and sordid consid.
erations, would inevitably secure
a free, voluntary, intelligent and
honest expression of the popular
will.
Bribery, they argued, would
become a thing of the past, for
the secrecy of the ballot would
make it impossible for the willing
bribe giver to know or the willing
hribe.taker to prove that the cor
rupt bargain had been really
kept, and hence with the removal
of the inducement for the crime
would necessarily come an end to
the crime itself.
In the light of actual exper-
ience, under the facilities which
our law as it now stands has
been proved to furnish for cor.
ruption, this attractive and al.
Turing theory has been effectually
exploded, and no candid man
who knows anything about the
practical working of our present
system among the voting popu.
lation of Maryland maintains
that the expectations in this re-
spect, which led to its passage,
have been forfeited.
On the contrary, under the sys-
tenn of permitting the voter to
have the aid of the ballot clerks
in marking his ticket when he de.
clares his inability to do so him.
self the use of money has become
the most powerful factor in con.
trolling our elections. A cor.
rupt or weak voter, having made
his bargain on the outside, is per
fectly well aware that the repre-.
sentative of the party to whom
he has sold his vote witnesses
that he has fulfilled his corrupt
bargain; and as the law prohibits
any of his neighbOrs or fellow
citizens to be near him when he
votes, other than the ballot clerks.
the only agent that is potent
with him is money. The result is
that in Maryland the expendi.
lures of both the great political
parties have increased tenfold at
every election since the adoption
of this system.
The need for this reform is mr..
gent, and knowing that the de.
mand for it is earnest and deem.