Middletown transcript., 1903-02-28
MrDDIErowH, DEL, FEB. Is. 1908.
THE VOTERS, ASSISTANT

49,
Monday, there being IL votes j
favor Of the repeal and 10 vote
in opposition with three men
bers absent. As it requires |
votes, a majority of the 35 mem
bers elected, to pass any meas
ure, the repeater lacked one vot
of the necessary number. Be
cause Representatives Aspril o
this District and Derrickson 0
the Fifteenth, voted in opposi
tion TO the measure, the vials O
wrath of the "holier than thou
journals has been emptied upol
their heads. The EUeni1ag Jour
nal as was to be expected, wen
to greater lengths than any o
these decryers. In an editoria
headed "False to their oaths.
it is particularly abusive.
All this trouble could have beer
averted and many hard words
and thoughts saved, had the ad
vocate of the repeater been hon
est in their demands for the sup
preston of bribery. AS THE
TRANSCRIPT pointed out several
months ago and has consistently
advocated, what is really needed
is a simplifcation Of the ballot,
and not the so-caHed Rose bill.
The same effort that has been
thrown away upon the bonn bostic
repeater would have probably
passed unanimously a simple bal
lot law, providing that a. voter
could get his ticket either in or
out of the election room, and that
no person should accompany
the voter nearer than thirty feet
of the ballot box. But on such a
measure there would have been
no chance for certain men and
papers to blow themselves. 1t
would have been so plain and self
evident that all could have sup
ported it. In place of this how
ever the repeater is fixed up and
introduced with a great fan fare
as what was to be done to the
Union Republicans, and as con-
sequence, the blowers are dis
gusted and are trying to hide
their chagrin behind a volley of
abuse.
The trouble with The Evening
Journal as an organ is that it as
sumes to live on the higher moral
plans and does not care to asso-
ciate with those who do the work
of qualifying, getting out, and in
structing the voters. If it should
get down into the ranks and put
in only one campaign as an active
party worker with the care and
responsibility of only one election
district, it.could readily see that
with the Australian Ballot it is
absolutely essential that the vot-
er, be he white or black, learned
or unlearned, who does not feel
able to so mark his ticket that it
viii express his sentiments about
the men who are aspiring for Of
fee, shall have such assistance
as he may require. Elections are
held for the purpose of gather.
ing the consensus of opinion of
all the individual voters, and each
individual has the right to have
his opinions expressed and
counted as expressed. Even
with the Voters Assistant, more
than five per cent of the voters OF
the Thirteenth Representative
District were disqualified by hav.
ing their ballots rejected for var.
ious reasons. What would have
been the percentage without the
assistants?
Since the above was written,
the vote by which the repeater
wasdefeated has beenreconsider.
ed, the House of Representatives
has passed the repeater, and the
Voters Assistant will be a thing
of the past, unless the Governor
intervenes as it is altogether
probable that the Senate will also
pass the repeater. This change
on the part of the House was due
to Mr.. Aspril changing his vote
This does not affect our opinion
and we hope the Governor viii
veto the repeater. 1t is not aim
ed at the root of the matter
When Mr.. Aspril cast his vot,
on Monday against the repeater
we believe that he represented
the sentiment OF large majorit,
of his constituents. In fakins
his new pes;tien we cannot hell
but think he has made mistake
4 LITTLE MORE AsourcAusEwAYs
Several citizens Of East ST
Georges Hundre have assured
A-f-