Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-03-16

OF tile Election Commission of the city
of Boston, told me that, at the last
stat2 election in Massachusetts. in the
city Of Boston 10000 ballots were cast
and that among that 10000 ballots
thrown not one was entirely defective:
and nc said lie did not know of any
tina: were partially defective"
Gentlemen. among the most pleas
ant things in the life of one who has
attended legislative session are the
friendships that he makes, the men
with Whom he comes III contact re-
gardless of politics, After a service of
TWO sessions in this Legislature | shall
return to my home carrying with me-
Mr.. Speaker some of the most pleas
ant recollections and friendships of
ny life. / shall always remember the
men with whom l have worked and la
bored in these two sessions of the Leg
islatufe. Among those friendships and
among those men whom | shall cher
ish in my heart is a man that / love
and man that | respect and d man
that | honor. and no one will stand
higher in my affection than the sen-
ator from Lincoln county. Mr.. Boyn-
ton. | looked upon him two years
ago and | look at him now as one of
the great men of the State of Maine.
n man of brains, q man of honor. a
man of ability. d man whom the Dem
ocratic party of Maine ought to hon
or Ts.o years ago Senator Boynton.
speaking upon this ballot law. said:
1t was in 1890 and not in 1902. that
the Australian ballot was adopted by
Massachusetts and at that time it
t,rix
that state and for several years tha-o-
after to vote with this system of ball
lot: and / wish to say that il has Civ
en- to the citizens of Massachusetts a
system which is to them entirely sat
istact"ry. II you should take ballot
tomorrow in that state as to whether
or not that ballot should be repealed.
not one man in 200 would vote to have
it repealed or to have any other sys-
tenn substituted for it. Ii has done
many things-among others, it has
done away with the currupt practice
of the purchase of votes for there the
goods cannot. under that system be
delivered: and there are many other
reasons tor retaining it which will
not stop to bother you with. L will say
that, if the State of Maine. by this
Legislature, should now adopt this sys-
TEN ard repeal the one We have, it will
be long step in the right direction
in my opinion"
And | say that the Republican party
of Maine missed it's greatest oppor-
tunity for years when it turned down
that ballot and the Democratic party
saw 1t. Upon the stump In the last
campaign every Democrat stood for
ballot reform; the Democratic press
OF the State stood for ballot reform.
Your candidate for Governor stood
for ballot reform and the Massachu-
setts ballot. Your Democratic party
told the people If they returned you
into place and into power in the State
of Maine You would give them the
Massachusetts ballot. Your candi-
date tor Governor, the present Gov
ernor of this State. in his letter of
acceptance was in favor of ballot re-
form. He said: THE independent voter
is the safeguard of both State and
nation That is right. Every ia
cility should be given him to ex-
press his intelligent convictions by
his ballot''-that is right-"and everv
means used to increase the weight
of his influence in public affairs. 40
that end improvements in our ballot
laws may well be the subject of Sc
rious consideration And the people
elected him Governor believing that
he would give them if he could ballot
reform and the Massa achusetts ballot.
and when after election he had been
declared to be Governor of Maine
by the people of this State, feeling
and knowing the causes that led to
the success of the Democratic ticket
IN Maine, he went up to the city OF
Boston and gave an interview to the
Boston Globe, and said: '"The ballot
IN Maine is wicked thing. | am 60
ing to do my best to see that it Is
changed into something like the Mass
achusetts ballot And the Governor
of Maine never said a better truth
than that But then. Mr.. Speaker
there came a day when the Governor
of Maine met the politicians in his
own party. politicians who hated the
Massachusetts ballot as much as the
devil hates holy water. and he went
into their council and sat down and
talked with them and talked over the
Continued on Page Four.)