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

distinct improvement on the present
methods and will take definite step
toward the prevention of fraud. look
at it in this way: We should not make
any change in our laws, and especially
in this law affecting the ballot, unless
we are absolutely dead certain that it
is necessary, or, if it is not absolutely
necessary, that there is great and
urgent demand for it. Down in my
section there is not only a total alb
sence of a demand for it but there
would be a great objection to our COM
ing here without practically any re-
quest and tinkering with the law ir
this important respect And l know
very well, and / believe you will agree
with me that it is true in regard to
your constituents that when your
friends who have not taken advantage
of the opportunity to learn about this
new BALLOT know when the ballot
clerk gives them this long ballot with
this list of names as long as your arm
they are going to be disguised and mad
and will not vote, and / know further
if they do vote at all they will vote
for nerhaps name or two at the top
Of the ticket and let it go at that. 1t
is just as bad, gentlemen. to have
votes spoiled or not cast in that way
as it is to spoil ballots by other err
Tors. You will be told that there are
no spoiled ballots in Massachusetts and
that there are large numbers of spoiled
ballots in Maine. In a sense that is
true. But refect-in Massachusetts d
voter would commence and he would
vote for the name on the top of the
ticket, perhaps not more than one
name. and that is all he does. There
are no spoiled ballots because they
cannot be spoiled If a man crosses
one name out of SO on the list he
does not spoil his ballot, but he fails
to vote for a lot of men who should
have fair chance to be voted for.
! take the position that we are just
learning to get acquainted with our
present system and that it is unwise
for us to overturn it at the present
time, unless the proponents of this
measure can overwhelmingly convince
us that it would be wise to do So
Mr. COOLIDGE of Lisbon: Mr.
Speaker. believe this ballot should be
labelled ballot to compel the people
to vote a straight ticket. l believe
that politics can only be made better
by giving a man all the chance he can
have to vote for the men on the ticket
rather than for the party. l do not
believe that under the Massachusetts
system there will be any more names
on the ballot than there are at present
in just perhaps changing the form OF
the ballot.
Under the Massachusetts system if
a man wants to vote for just one per-
son he can vote it and his ticket is not
spoiled. We all know that there are
times in elections in the State of Maine
when man wants to vote very par
ticularly for one man who is not in his
party and who does not belong to his
party. Now, very few men unless they
have learned carefully to cut their
ticket, to split it. can vote such tick
ct without spelling it, and oftentimes
he is compelled in order to vote for
that particular man to vote for the
whole party ticket which he does not
wish to do II we were all college
graduates and had spent year or two
in studying the peculiarities of t!e
Maine ballot we might be able to cut
lieve that the Massachusetts ballot IS
the simplest. 1t leads, to Independent
voting 1t has been years since l have
voted a straight Republican ticket, al
though I pretend to be pretty god
Republican. l believe il there is man
on the ticket who is better fitted to
my mind for the position that it is
my privilege to vote for him without
danger of spelling the ticket. 1t is for
that reason that l am very much in
favor of this Massachusetts ballot. !
think it should be adopted. 1t is not
many years since we went on to the
Australian system at all 1t was new
then to be sure. This will in a meas
ure be new, but believe that we had
better take new thing if it is better.
| think the Massachusetts ballot is de-
| cidedly better
Mr. HERSEY Of Houlton: MI.
Speaker. if the members of the House
will turn to Senate Document No. PSI
you will find the ballot which is under
discussion. ! fear that the members
have not acquainted themselves fully
| with this legislation which is asked for
as set forth in this bill. Even the gem
tleman from Ellsworth (Mr. Peters,
who was upon the committee that was
divided in making its report does not
seem to have read the bill, or else he
has forgotten it's terms, as the names
are arranged in alphabetical order up
on the ballot, and on one ballot they
are arranged under the several officers,
and at the right of every name is the
political party, Democratic or Repuh-
lican or Prohibtonist or Socialist, or
whatever it is. That the gentleman
from Ellsworth seems to have over
looked in reading this proposed law.
Now, I wish to say that while this
matter came before the judiciary COM
mittee there came from that COMMITTEES
divided report. five in favor and five
against so that the report of that COM
mittee is of no value it seems to me
except for discussion in this House
The report of the committee cannot
possibly be Of aid to you or L. 1t comes
here to be examined in a common sense
way by US. While this matter came
up in the Senate q few days ago and
was very ably discussed there by the
senator from Cumberland (Mr. Looney)
| the only objection made there against