Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-11-07
GORMAN'S BALLOT LAW
DEMOCRATS DEMAND ITS RADICAL
MODIFICATION OR REPEAL.
Election Methods Employed to Assist
Tricksters I'm Their POliti-
cal Schemes.

From the Baltimore Sun, Today.
Tuesdays trial Of the new election law
demonstrates conclusively that it will have
to "go way back and sit down." in COM
pany with a good many distinguished
statesmen. when the legislature meets, no
matter which party controls the general
assembly. Although in principle it is all
that ought to be desired to promote an in
telligent choice of candidates it is inherent
ly defective in the practical operation of its
electoral machinery, which, in a c0mmu-
nifty where there are so many illiterates,
must work slowly. In this fast age people
cannot afford to wait for the slow people
to tumble over list of names and make
puzzles for judges of election to quarrel
over for twenty-four. hours at a stretch.
Public interests and convenience could not
suffer such a law, even if it was framed
wholly for the purpose of promoting po-
litical purity and fairness.
Peace and Safety Jeopordized.
In a presidential election Ringing upon the
electoral vote of a single state 1t is easy to
see how the peace and safety Of the whole
country might be jeopardized by such de-
lays and uncertainties have character
lied the count of the vote cast on Tuesday
in Maryland. Nothing could more strik-
ingly illustrate the effectiveness of the
present law IN tnlS respect, LOT tHlS idll-
tude at least, than the fact that the result
in New York city, with 1900 900 inhabitants
and over 100000 voters, should have been
known here before We had gotten the re-
turns from a single precinct in Baltimore.
They manage such things better, it seems,
in Massachusetts, but here it is too slow
and cumbersome in its operations, and the
public will demand its radical modification,
if not it's absolute repeal, whether the ma
jority in the legislature be democratic or
republican.
Another LAW Needed.
Continual tinkering with the election laws
is to be deprecated, but after Tuesdays ex-
perience it is evident that simplicity in
style will have to be the form of our ballot
until some $4,000 ignorant voters or so have
learned how to read. When an election is
held the people want to know the result
promptly. A law which keeps them in the
dark for more than day, when the count
might be completed in two or three hours
under better conditions. will not be toler-
ated by the voters of any party. Therefore
there can be no doubt that the coming leg
islature will be called on to undo partially
at least, the work of the extra session and
to give us a law that will not be open to
this criticism.
Ballot for the People.
While very few genuine tears have been
shed, even by white republicans, over the
disfranchisement of colored illiterates I'M
der the new ballot law, it seems pretty clear
from Tuesdays election that the white vot-
ers of the state do not care to have their
election laws framed in the interest of one
or two men, and that while they may not
object to proper restrictions suffrage
they are not in favor of election laws
which may be used to assist trickSters in
their political schemes. There are, doubt
less, elements in the state which might,
with advantage, be excluded from partici
patton in politics and election, but ii is
evident that the new ballot law, as it
stands, can be perverted to evil purposes,
against which it provides no protection.
What is demanded is a law devised in the
interest of the public. not merely in the
interest of a few politicians.