New-York tribune., 1907-04-24
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
THE MASSACHUSETTS BALLOT AGAIN.
The Rhode Island Experience Not Conclusive
"A Reply to Mr.. Blake.

10 the Editor of The Tribune
SIR have read Ny. Blake's letter from New
raven In yesterdays Tribune about the experience
OF Rhode Island with the Massachusetts form OF
ballot and in the interest Of true ballot reform.
peg leave TO point out why his conclusion does not
at all flow from his premise
pass over the very obvious influence Of the ma
clhe III Rhode Island In efecting the change from
the massachusetts ballot to the party column baI-
Io' although II would not be difficult to show that
the machine used the defects of the previous ballot
as preeXt for seizing for itself the unfair advan-
tage which comes from straight party column vOt-
ing II, instead of saying that "the Of the
Massachusetts ballot had been so unsatisfactory in
Rhode Island that it had been abandoned" you
had said that its use had been unsatisfactory
to the machine that it had been abandoned by the
legislative representatives of that machine you
would have come nearer stating the whole truth
But to pass over that, say:
First-It may be safely stated that any high per-
centage Of defective ballots in Rhode Island was
largely due TO the poor arrangement and printing
OF their alphabetical ballot. venture say that
no one who has compared the neat, simple
straightforward Massachusetts ballot with the
complicated, struggling. confused old style Rhode
fective ballots was high In the the print
ontTuslve but effective ways; in the other 1t was
Second-In Mr. BlaIle's figures as in all Rhode
Island figures. the blank and defective votes are
mind Of ali but the most careful reader is that all
such ballots are defective, e. that the voter has
failed to do what he tried wished do. on the
contrary by far the larger proportion or such bal
lots were Intentionally left blank the Office in
question ana the detective ballots were compara-
lively few In other words. for reason or an
other certain proportion OF voters have not
c6Ied 10 Note Tor any OF the candidates Tor given
Office though they may have voted for many
FOR such action. The candidates may all be un-
satisfactory personally unknown. there may
have been no real contest between them. or the
cusion a failure to Vote under most Of these
circumstances implies intelligence and conscience
rather than the contrary. As has been pointed out
again and again. the Massachusetts experience
Of the inteIliSent interest ~ the eiectorf in tbt
Office quite irrespective Of the position the
cpied bv the candidates for That once T6e
partisan politician. however. always assumes. with
engaging nalvete that there is great virtue in
simply casting votes for candidates especially his
candidates.. whether the voters have any real
basis of preference or not, or. indeed. have any
thinS that may In jusics be termed a preference
Mt all An election is not the exercise OF real
pie heart no II Is merely Il method or getting tho
largest possible number Of votes cast aud counted
and the ideal election is one in which candi
date from Governor down TO the deputy assistant
Votes ots man AZ o''y nun receives an equ' hueF OF
The method Of printing the present Rhode Island
York. II is difficult 10 tell whether given vot-
lng space Is intended 10 go with name on the
Rhode Island sample ballots We're printed on paper
of the same color as the oiticial ballots, and no
ing cast into the ballot boxes together with Official
TO sum up: Ffrst-Bailot conditions In Rhode
Island were and are too primitive 10 be OF value I'm
OF either the alphabetical or the party column
types Secord-A blank vote for any office does
cept from the point OF view of the peanut poll
Air. Blake seems to have overlooked both con-
siderations ALBERT S. BARD.
Chairman Citizens Union Ballot Reform Commit
New York CITY, April %. 1907