Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-10-10
THE AUsTRALiAn sALLoT LAW.

lEr3A 0lkASasWl
THE AusTRALiAn sBALLoT LAW.
When first secured, and for many
years after, the ballot was held in the
highest esteem,e Anag WAS regarded as,
the chief weapon and treasure Of "a o.
freeman. :g " .<..s5xteeaz*a
why has IL fallen into such disre-
gard by the voter, and why is 1t held
in such high esteem by the politician?
1t is because the honest, intelligent
voter has learned that the ballot no
longer execute his "will, as lightning
does the willof God," but that. 1t has
become the implement of the politi-
clan. .
He has found that the politicians
have so jockied the, ballot and the
method OF using 1t that they virtually
control it.
How is il done?
By q trick. So.
The ballot is a picturesque mon
strosity, but so contrived that the
1t Is for him to serve the politicians.
A voter who has no more knowledge
of the issues, or even of the cand1-
vote the straight ticket" as easily as
the political rascals who planned the.
ballot. = .cu ~:s
The voter don't need to be1able even
to read-all he has to do is~to find the
particular picture which; has : been
shown him before, then put q cross in
the big circle. below it-and 10! the
thing ia done.
TO "vote 'er straight" the voter
needs no more Intelligence than q rab-
hog. ~.
Decent, intelligent citizens do not
feel much like coming in competition
with such political riffraff, and for
that reason often refrain from voting
at all. .<,
The evil is. in the ballot, and the
remedy lies III q reconstructed ballot.
The right sort of ballot would
automatically disfranchise every hood
lum, every ignoramus, every looter,
hand, and would draw to it every in
worthy citizen on the other. !,
How Is this automattc disfranchiser
of the rooters, the street-corner heel
ers and ward strikers to be built?
Thus:
THE coRRuPr1oN-PRooF BALLOT.
l. Permit no political party name
to appear anywhere on the ballot.
2. Allow no party emblem, design,
symbol, picture or deYice'on the bal
+ g. Arrange"the names of candidates
in alphabetical order under the title
of the office for which. each ia running.
The residence or post-of address
should appear, but in smaller type
below his name.
4. The choice of the voter to be in
dictated In q square alongside the can
didate's name as at present.
5. No second person under any
pretense whatever to enter the booth
while the voter is preparing his ballot
That is all.
This would not be q perfect but it
would be q pure ballot.
bobtail elements. *;
1t would be q heavy slap at, the po-
litical manipulators. -.
With the political bosses endorsed
and the riff-raff fenced, the registra-
ton and elections would be the ormal
and natural expression of the. decent,
the intelligent and responsible citizen
ship of both town and country
1t would put the honest voters In the
saddle and the political tricksters in
the soup.-Pittsburg Kansan.
The Minnesota Australian ballot
law is superior to that of most other
states in one psrtioular-ithas nosym-
boil of party on it, and no one can
vote q straight party ticket by simply
making cross under the party sym
Dol. The other suggestions are, how
ever, applicable to the law here as
elsewhere. The elimination of party
names from ballots would compel
voters to pay more attention to can
didates and would tend to making
men more independent of party ties.
Preventing any person from going
with the voter into the booth would
disfranchise a>few who are physically
incapable of marking the ballot. But
the provision allowing q person to
call for help is the one that enables
the buyer of votes to sec that the goods
are delivered. Remove that oppor-
tunity, and the buying of votes will be
q very difficult matter. With the
ignorant aud the purchased votes
blocked aud partisan ties eliminated,
the chances for pure popular govern
ment would be greatly enhanced.
The attempt to organize co-ope-
rative farmers combine, or rather a