Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1910-02-24
WHAT THE nsHORT nALIOT"
MEANS in POIITIcs,
.Evening Post" Explains Details Of
the New Idea.


Speaking at the meeting OF the
National Municipal League at Gin
CInnatl last fall. on the question Of
the short ballot" ex-President Eliot
Of Harvard University pointed to u
as absolutely the ''gist Of all constitute
tive reform" and continued; 1.-THE
short ballot--few candidates to be
voted for, so few that the voters can
readily inform themselves about the
merits or dement's Of the candidates
Now there is the only way to get rid
Of the bosses and machines"
A year ago the term short ballot
was practically unknown in Its pres
ent accepted sense in the lexicon OF
political science. People talked, OF
course. Of short ballots and long
ballots by way of comparison. But
the phraseology was loose; the term
meant one thing to one person and
another thing to another person.
Professors OF political science
taught their students that one OF the
difficulties with our present elective
system Of government was that the
voter was ordinarily called upon to
vote for so many officers that he
could not exercise his own judg-
ment based on knowledge of the
fitness Of the nominees, but must
accept a party tag as evidence that
they stood for some rather indefinite
ideals or policies in government
Further than that no one attempted
to go.
Last spring at an informal con-
ference which met at the city club
definite propaganda OF education
and publicity was adopted and an
organization known as the Short Bal
lot Organization, with Woodrow VIII
SON, president OF Princeton Univer-
sity, as president, took up the work.
The prime mover in the movement,
which has since reached surprising
proportions and received wide recog-
milton, was, and is, Richard s. Childs
of this city. He it was who coined
the phrase "short ballot" IN Its pres
emit Significance.
The primary idea of the short
ballot is not new one nor an I'M
usual one. This country, indeed
may be said to be almost the only
representative government on the face
of the globe-France being a posi-
BILE exception--which does not today
have q short ballot. To Great Brit
ain and its self-governing represen'
tative colonies, including the Aus
tralian commonwealth and Canada
as well as to the nations Of Contin'
entail europe, where an elective sys
tenn prevails, the idea Of "long bal
7 lot" such as we here in the United
states are regularly compelled to voti
even in our minor political contests
is wholly unknown.
How They Vote in England.
For instance, there Is at the pres
emit time an election in progress II
Great Britain upon the result o.
which may depend the whole eubse
! ouent course of history in the Brit
, ish Isles. The very structure OF the
British Constitution is at stake Thu
whole question Of home rule in Ire
land Is involved. Under the circum
stances, the American voter would
| imagine that contest so momentoui
/ must necessarily involve the castint
of a ballot in size somewhere neal
commensurate with the Importance
of the issues involved. That woult
be the looked-for resultant here IL
this country. But see for momen
how it is in England. Here is a bal
lot of the sort they are voting ovel
there today;
, uATrnn pApEQ