Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1902-07-30

The purpose OF the statute was to
prevent the union of the populist and
democratic vote upon the same candi-
dates for Office.
The statute, therefore, first forbade
any candidate for Office to accept the
nomination OF more than one political
party, and thus is was hoped to pre-
vent the nomination of the same can
didates by more than one party.
In order to make sure of this it was
further provided that in case person
should be nominated by more than
one party, he should at least thirty
days before the election designate
which party'S nomination he would
accept; thus compelling the nominee
Of two or more parties to insult one or
more of them by refusing to accept
such party or parties nomination.
This it was supposed would etfectually
prevent the populistS and democrats
Of the state from ever again attempt
ing to unite upon the same candidates,
seeing that the nominees must reject
the one nomination or the other and
thus ALLEVIATE the vote of one or the
other Of the parties.
At first it was supposed by some
that the evil effect Of the law might
be best avoided by one Of the parties
nominating a portion of the ticket
and the other nominating the rest Of
the ticket, and have each party simply
endorse the action Of the other, and
each party commend the candidates
of the other to its voters: and thus
| have the democratic voter vote his
own ticket and the populist ticket.
and the populiSt voter vote his own
and the democratic ticket. This
would have been a difficult program
to carry out uuder any circumstances,
and the republican leaders and con-
spirators took pains to make it as diff
cult as possible by changing the
manner OF marking the ballot under
the Australian ballot law. Formerly
| the voter made his mark in the square
opposite the name of every candidate
for whom he wished to vote. This
republican statute provides that if
the voter desires to vote a straight
! ticket he shall put his cross in the
party circle at the head of the ticket,
and also that if he puts his mark in
the party circle he shall put no mark
upon any other ticket on his ballot;
and if he does so it shall vitiate his
ballot.
This was to prevent the populist
voter after having first put his cross
in his own party circle from passing
over and putting his cross in the DEM
ocratic party circle, or opposite the
names of democratic candidates; and
to prevent the democratic voter after
putting his cross in his own party
circle from putting his cross in the
populist party circle, or opposite the
names of pOpulist candidates; as
might but for this provision have
been done if each Of these parties
the ticket.
Thus having in effect forbidden in
the first instance the nomination by
the two parties of the same men by
forbidding the candidates to accept
more than one nomination; this law
goes further and attempts by pitfalls
to prevent the voter from voting two
parts of tickets which taken together
would make complete ticket; that is
to say, the law forbidS the populist
: and the democrat from voting for each
others candidates in the same manner
! no l0n OCY1 hi
candidate by putting his mark in the
circle at the head of the ticket.
: Those who favored two parts OF
tickets to be supported by the popu-
lists and democrats, therefore saw
that the-only way in which the voters
could vote for the candidates on such
tickets would be for all the populiSts
and all the democrats to put theil
I cross marks opposite every name on
1 each of such tickets and absolutely
| refrain from marking the ballot else
2 where. All saw at a glance that such
: an attempt would inevitably result il
r the loss of a large per cent of the pop
ulist and democratic vote, through
: confusion, misunderstanding and care
e leSSneSS in voting. Thousands O.
populists would in such case undertake
to vote first in the party circle anC
then pass over and attempt to vote
!: for the democratic candidates eithel
S by marking also in the democratic
y party circle, or by marking opposite
S the democratic candidates, in eithe
of which case the ballot would b,
e thrown out and the vote lost.
) Thousands of democratic voter
e would make the same sort Of attempt
Il to vote both tickets while many o
i both parties would mark only in thei
l.