New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-14
TO THE GOrERNORS DIscREDI7

TO THE GOTERNOR'S DISCREDIT.
Governor Dix's signing Of the Levy
bill is one of his most discredi'ao'e ac'e'
Tho vicious features Of that measure
were thoroughly exposed at the nearing
OIL Wednesday. and yet the hearing Is
hardly over when the Governor carries
out his bargain with Tammany Hall ana
makes the bill law. Even the COY
errors own friends and counscllors were
against the bill. His legal adviser. ME-
William Church Osborn. clearly indl-
Gated his hostility at the hearing, cSpe'
cialIy when he called attention TO one
bad provision which had hitherto Ps'
capped notice. namely. the opportunity
Il affords to Tammany's floaters. hder
the Drcsent law five days are allowed
after the final day of registration III
which 10 strike off names fraudulently
or improperly placed on the rolls The
Levy law cuts that period down TO one
day. and that one day Sunday The pur-
nose is plain 10 allow Tammany's que
rillas to stuff the registration lists with
Illegal voters.
This provision is of a piece with the
whole measure, which throws every pos
sible obstacle in the way of fusion move
ments in this city. which makes indie
rendent nominations difficult and which
creates enormous and costly election ma
chinery up the state for the benefit OF
Tammany Hall AS business Governor
Mr.. Dix ought TO have vetoed the bill II
for no other reason than because OF the
needless expense TO the public which 1t
involves.
Another reason why the bill should
have been disapprOved is that, as one
of the speakers for the Citizens Union
nj the hearing showed, the official bal
lot will be an even more monstrous
thing than it is at present. The pro-
vision that 10 name may appear on II
more than once was adopted for the
ostensible purpose of keeping the bal
LOT within reasonable dimensions ana DIS
couraging the Endorsement Of regular
rarty nominees by Independent political
associations trumped up for the occa-
sion That vicious system reached It's
highest development in the last mu-
nicipa campaign. when the name of
| Mayor Gaynor appeared OH the ballot
! i'm six or seven places as the candidate
of various fake" political parties called
into being to give an appearance of In
| dependent support to his candidacy.
But the Levy law provides that when
/ q candidate whose name appears else
where Oh the ballot is Endorsed by an
other organization there shall be printed
! il the SPACE in which his name belongs
Oh The ticket of that organization the
| words See Democratic Column or.
q See Republican Column" or whatever
column the name OF the candidate ap-
pears in Thus the space taken up on
/ tie ballot will not be diminished. IN
deed. the size Of the ballot will be in
creased. because the new law requires
| that when candidate is the candidate
of more than one organization the EN-
! blem Of the organization or organizations
| indorsing him shall be printed before
| his name on the ballot. Thus, in the last
municipal election Mayor GaynOr, in ad-
dition TO having See Democratic Col
umn" printed in six or seven places or
/ the ballot referring 10 him, would have
/ had six or seven embems printed before
/ his name in the Democratic column. \
more monStrous ballot than the Levy
! ballot could not we'll be conceived.