The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1901-11-07
THE AUSTRALIAN BALLOT.

n bAll plON lOliiE AOl pA4Aop -
form in this state has been intro
duced III the Legislature. reported
favorahly, and the chances for its
passage are said to he good.
| III the interest of purity Of
methods and in order to ar
rive at the real sentiments Of
the people in their political actions
it is ardently to be hoped that this
measure will find its way into our
statute books. Georgia is called
the Empire Stste Of the South,
which indicates that it takes the
lead in progressive movements in
this section. The ascription is
missioner; for nearly if not all
the northern and western states
and a very large majority Of the
southern ones have placed safe
guards around the ballot box, or
are about to do so, while this state
lags at the tail end of the process
sion of progress in this, one Of the
most important reforms pertain
ing to republican form of gov
eminent.
The American theory of govern
ment is that the people are the
source of all power, and that their
will, properly ascertained, is the
guide by which their representa-
tives should be governed. If from
any defect in our elective machin-
cry and methods the popular will
cannot be discovered we are not
u republic at all but an aristoc-
racy, in which select coterie of
representatives and bosses are the
real masters.
Now it is undeniably a fact that
that there is now and has been for
years past, just such u condition
of affairs in this state. "The men
who control" have more than once
succeeded in getting i'll their work
regardless of what the people have
desired in the premises. The
Austria ian or secret ballet, while |
not absolutely perfect in register
ing the real popular will, never
theless tends to make a close APP
Proclamation of Bit and is SO vastly |
superior to the present system as
to leave 40 reason for its non-ad- |
option.
Gentlemen of the legislature, |
give us this reform. Let us have |
elections i'll the future where men
will vote their real convictions
without fear of offending some one, |
and where one man will be con-
fined to his one vote, instead of,
by means of money and other per-
suasioAs, having many.
Probably the best system of the
reformed ballot is that where no
record is kept of theSoters at cleo
tions, all questions as to the eligi- !
bility Of the voter being determin-
ed in advance by the registrars |
This feature insures absolute Sc |
crecy as to the manner IN which a !
person votes, as there being no list |
OF numbered names with preserved
ballots with corresponding num- |
bers, no ballot can be identified as
having been cast by q particular |
person. This is the method pur-
sued in Australia and in those
American states where the plan is
most successful.
We shall have, in the near flu
ture, a gubernaUorial campaign in
which the two leading candidates
have adopted as their platforms,
principles that are opposed to each
other. Both Of these views have
been for years agitated IN this
state threatening discord and con-
fusion. For the good of the state
we should have a fair expression
of the will of the people upon these
issues so that they can be settled
according to the popular will.
The Australian ballot should
apply to primary elections the
same as to the other kind, includ-
ing all the penalties as to the vio-
latlon of the law relating to cleo
tions. RADIUS VEcToR.