Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-11

dozen or more DaIlotS arr ucAoiS 1880
a Democratic ballot. Republican pal
hot, a Prohibitionist ballot, SOCIALIST
allot, and so on, side by Sue, .he
names OH the different ballots all To-
gether. Above is the place LOT inc
cross for the party name. ana ne oon
want to indorse everybody In MS party.
There are. candidates on that ballot
that he will not indorse If he can heip
IT, a candidate who does not repre-
sent the best interests of the state,
and here is another man In an
other party who does. How Is ne
going to get him over and vote for
him? He begins to think. He says.
Il must write his name and underneath
tho one / want. but shall | scratch out
the name above? Must I go over ana
place the name in the other place! Here
is a sticker Will put it underneath or
over the name? Must l scratch out the
name before I paste 1t over it? Must
put a cross in the Democratic square or
the Republican square?" There he stands
and works and sweats and the more he
works the more bewildered he gets. FL
rallv he hears in his ear the voice of
some politician who has said to him be-
fore he entered the booth. John. If you
vote and don't want to lose your ballot
lust mark a cross in the party square and
leave it there; If you go to monkeying
with it you will lose your vote And
that man, honest, sincere. stands there
losing his manhood, trembling and say
ing: II don't want to lose my ballot but
have got to make my cross at the head
of it and indorse what they put up 10
me-" Now, gentlemen. / want TO say TO
YOU that the moment that you and en-
dorse a ballot that will do this, we say 10
a political party: You may nominate
men unfit for Office and they Will pc
elected under the general ballot, and the
good man, the honorable man Will nave
to vote the ticket, they will have to en-
dcrse your nomination. they cannot help
themselves" and so politicians Will pam
Ger and bow down and scrape to the low
and the depraved in politics. If you give
them ballot whereby they can repuke
them and say to the party wheh you
nominate man unfit for office won't
endorse him." then you have raised the
standard of your party, you have raised
the standard of your nomination., ana po-
litical platform and promises become ana
mean something.
Someone has we'll said that the voting
booth is the temple of American instltu-
tons, that no single party tribe or TAM
lily are appointed to watch the sacred
fires evermore burning on these affairs
or to attend it's services. Each one of MS
is a priest To each is given the care OF
this ark of the covenant, each one of US
ministers at it's affairs. Then
Strike away the hands that lay
Profanely on this sacred ark.
So shall our voice of sovereign choice
Swell the deep peace OF dAty done,
And strike the key of time to be.
When God and man shall speak az one
(Applause).
MIR. MOORE of Saco: Mr.. Speaker,
| represent the average man and most
OF them vote the straight ticket. They
vote independently: they have 10 diff
fculty in doing so under the present
form of ballot The voters have been
| Is years learning how to cut the ticket
and vote as they want to. About ev-
erybody is educated up to that point.
If we adopt this Massachusetts bal
lot I can see the result The governor
on the Massachusetts, ticket has any
where from 10000 to 10000 more votes
ticket. People do not vote. They are
disfranchised as to a part of the tick
1t. 1t is true there have been Il great
many defective ballots thrown under
our law. The people have been Is years
learning how to go in and cut their
ticket and vote for individuals from
one party to the other, and they know
how to do it now Let us not confuse
lrf ~ jyofn a nv
more new schemes in the matter of the
ballot. From a Democratic standpoint
] will say that our preset law has
worked we'll. The State Is years ago
was about 10000 Republican; it Is
down now to a matter of 1000 l think
a continuation of the present ballot
will give us d Democratic Governor. a
result which is greatly to be desired
and i'll behalf of all the average men
in M community I am opposed to the
motion of the gentleman from Houlton
MI MONTGOMERY Of Camden: Mr..
Speaker, I can say here today that the
party ] belong to had no part In max
ing this law that has been so well
pounded today as bad ballot law. 1t
never had been tried in part in this
state but was launched upon the State
at the time of its enactment untried
and unknown. 1t was apparently q
theory. Our party had nothing to do
with It, We have done the best we
could to get along with it. and as the
gentleman from Saco says. we have
done very we'll under it. 1t is now pro-
posed to change this ballot law change
it completely. radically. and being one
member of the judiciary committee
myself was afraid to adopt new theo-
ries in this matter and new conditions.
not because l thought we would lose
as party, not on that account at all.
but because I believed that it would
unsettle the mode of elections. and so
l signed the report that the theory of
the Massachusetts ballot ought not to
pass, and am ready to stand by 1t
not as a party measure, but still as
party measure. not as a partisan but as
a member of the State desiring to vote
right and believing / can vote right.
I do not believe that the description
Of the man given by the gentleman
from Houlton, and his dilemma in the
booth. could be represented anywhere