The Adair County news. [volume] (Columbia, Ky.) 1897-1987, 1905-05-24
How Shall We Vote7

submitted to them an Amendment
to the Constitution to return to
the old viva voce plan of voting
and the consequent adjustment
of the secret ballot. The pro-
posed amendment is submit
ted to the people by an over
>whelming majority of the Demo-
cratic members of the Legisla-
ture and signed by a Democratic
Governor. There is no question
concerning the fact that there
has been much more corruption
in our elections since the secret
ballot was adopted than there was
under the old system and also a
great deal more fraud. But it is
a matter of doubt whether this
increase in corruption and cor
ruption and fraud is due to the
system of voting or to the gener-
al tendencies to these which has
grown and multiplied throughout
the whole country in recent years.
It is urged that Kentucky
would never 60 Republican the
viva voce system is very helpful
to Democracy. The ballot of
election law, however, should be
put upon higher plane than the
success of a party, as much as a
man may love his party. That
system should be adopted which
gives the freest and most uncor-
rupted expression of the voters
of the State regardless Of who it
helps or who it hurts.
There were two things that ac-
tuated the makers of the New
Constitution to engraft the secret
ballot into our organic law; one
was that it would stop to a great
extent the buying of votes and
the other was that it would allow
the voter to express his real SEN
timents at the polls without fear
of intimidations. 1t has failed
to accomplish these ends then it
has failed of it's purpose. Under
the old system a worker could
march the man he had purchased
up to the polls and see the goods
delivered before he paid. There
is no question that this was much
more satisfactory way to corrupt
the voter and to control the cleo
ton than to buy under the secret
ballot plan with the uncertainty
as to whether the goods are de-
livered. There are a number
of cases in this county where
hundreds of floaters have taken
money from one candidate and
voted for another. Such cases
are calculated to discourage vote
buying. There is more or less of
it done under the secret ballot,
but it stands to reason that it
can not be done as successfully
under the secret ballot law as un-
der the old system and the can
didate who does not use money
has a better chance against the
one who does under the secret
ballot than under the viva voce
way. There are thousands of
men who are intimidated by their
employers or by public sentiment
from voting their real opinions,
under the open ballot who vote as
they please under the secret bal
lot. This is particularly true in
large cities where there are large
shops that employ thousands and
manufacturing es ia b lishments
who number their employees by
the hundred.
There are two things, free
expression and an interrupted
expression that the voter must
carefully consider. /,
On the other hand there is s
very serious objection urged
against the secret ballot which
does not apply to the viva voce
way of voting, it is the falsify-
ing of the returns after the vote
is cast. This is a great evil and
men should be sent to the peni-
Tertiary who do it. It is a great
crime against the general welfare
n