Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-21
AN IMPORTANT DUTY

n NE of the most important duties
of the next California legislature
" perhaps the most important, for
the matter goes to the very bedrock on
which the success of the direct pri-
mary must find its foundation-will
be to reform the ballot and election
laws of the state in such a way that
the voter will never again be con-
fronted with a ballot approaching
newspaper in size.
Absurdity carried to the last degree
is to be found in the list of candi-
dates put before the puzzled voter for
his selection last Tuesday. The Her
aid has it on the testimony OF an
election officer in one of the precincts
that is properly spoken of as unusu-
ally intelligent, that the largest num-
ber of ballots that could be marked
was twelve per hour! Probably in no
other state does this ridiculous condi-
ton exist.
Moreover, the wide divergence be-
tween the totals for various aspirants
shows that thousands of voters marked
the names of candidates they knew
and gave up in disgust the task of
trying to make an intelligent choice
among the scores of others they did
not know. 1t is probably within the
bounds of careful assertion to say that
the average voter was totally in the
dark as to the majority of candidates
on the ballot.
Thousands, therefore, did not try to
pass opinion in the so-called minor"
offices, whereas some of these more
intimately touch the everyday inter-
ests of the people than the governor
or secretary of state or clerk of the
supreme court. 1t is no accident that
this plethora of candidates is before
the citizen. It well suits the machine
politician to have a confusion of issues
and personalities on election day, for
it discourages the uncomfortable vote
from getting too much interested in
the program" as the "boys" lay it
out.
There are enough offices to fill at
a state election to give the voter all
he wants to do to look into the merits
of things. There are enough and too
many in county contest. They never
should be combined, as on Tuesday
last, even if it is necessary to ask the
citizens to come out twice instead of
once to vote. They won't do it, some
say. Well, the theory of a democracy
is that the people can be trusted to
come out. If they don't, it doesn't
much matter whether any election is
held or not.
1t will cost more money, say other
obiectors It can be made to cost
less, if the wastes of election day, ia
miliar to all who have seen election
boards hold back the count in order
to draw overtime pay-a species of
graft costing the state a fortune at
every election as now conducted, are
stopped.
The number of names that now cum
ber the ballot may and ought still fur
ther to be reduced by reducing the
number of elective offices. What more
absurd than that electors should be
aSKGu TO pass OIi LllC pei SpllAilelSo pA'
let us say, state printer or supreme
court clerk. Would it not be better
to make sure of electng a trusty gov
ernor and hold him to account for the
appointment of a. lot of these lesser
but highly important public servants?
We shall have the most intelligent
selection of candidates at our direct
primaries when we boil down our cleo
ton day business to such dimensions
as are within the grasp of the aver
age man, and not until then will the
fruits Of the democratic form of gov
ernment be gathered in their fullness.
How this boiling should be done is
matter for the most careful study, the
beginning Cf which by a legislative
committee should not be delayed a day
unnecessarily.
ora cold n ha oiUino I'M