The aegis & intelligencer., 1902-01-24
PROPOSED BALLOT REFORM.

PROPOSED BALLOT REFORM.
One of the most important matters
of legislation 10 come before the
present session of the Legislature,
which is now in session at Annapolis,
will be the reforms i'll the ballot law.
The substantial encouragement, with
which the efforts to raise the
standard of the voters to Il higher
intellectual plane, has met with such
encouragement that it will probably
be deemed advisable to endeavor to
make the test Of intelligence still
higher than what the present act
contemplates. When the ques-
tion of ballot reform was first
brought up, the trainers of the law
feared to go beyond the present
measure on the grounds that their
actions might be unconstitutional.
Time has demonstrated that their
apprehension was groundless for the
opposition would not have hesitated
to have brought a test case before
Appellate Court, had they thought
there was the slightest chance to
wipe the present law from our
statute books. The only decision so
far as we know on the law was that
rendered by Judge Pearcc, a member
of the Court of Appeals, sitting in a
Court of inferior jurisdiction. The
constitutionality was not questioned
but the learned Court in the opinion
in that cause stated that if the point
was raised he would not have the
slightest doubt as to the constitu-
tionality of the act. He praised the
effort of our Legislature in attempt
ing to compel the voter to exhibit a
degree of intelligence in making his
choice.
With the foothold that has already
been obtained, the present Lcgisla-
ture need have no hesitation in going
step further than their predecessors
by enacting a law that would take
the party designation from the ticket,
thus compelling the voter to make
his selection from the men themselves
and not be guided by any political
designation whatsoever. five come
down to the primary theory Of all
Republican governments, where the
rulers are chosen directly by the citi-
zens themselves, we will find that
this is right in principle. Our fore
fathers never intended that party
alone should govern the voters
choice. Principle should be far above
any other requisite, and, while nomi-
nations by political organizations
are supposed to name the fttest men
in the respective parties as suitable
candidates, yet the voter should not
hesitate to exercise his individual
choice. 1t is only in this manner that
we can get the best men for the Offices
to be filled. If intelligent voting is
encouraged, leaders will be compelled
to use their best efforts i'll bringing
about proper nominations, and one
result alone can follow-the choice of
the most capable officials.
Viewing the matter from another
standpoint, the election law of 1901
when it is carefully sifted down, i'm
poses the exercise of very little more
intelligence than that ofhaving party
emblems on the ticket. All that the
ignorant voter, at whom this legisla-
tion is aimed, is compelled to do is to
famaliarize himself with the difference
between the letter d and the letter X.
Or we might go even further and say
that all he had to remember was to
make his mark opposite the word
beginning with one certain character
Certainly this is very little more than
becoming familiar with jackson and
Liberty" or 'Lincoln's nose" Ifthe
party designation is removed the
voter must possess sufficient intelli-
gence to be able to read the names
to be voted for. He will have no
other guide and will be less likely to
vote blindly, without considering the
individual responsibility that rests
upon him.
Maryland has been praised tor the
advanced step that has been taken
in the way ofencouraging intelligence
among those who possess the right
of franchise. She cannot afford to
remain stationary and rest upon
laurels already earned but should
keep step with the progress of the
times and lead in creating the senti-
ment, that in these days offrec public
schools it is incumbent upon every
person that he inform himself sufi-
GENTLY in order to able to vote in
telligently if he desires his ballot to
count. This is about as an advanced