The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-06-09

that all voters shall be required to mark their own ballots provided that should the voter be prevented from marking his own ballot by reason of any physical dis ability then he shall have the assistance of some one of his own selection, other than an inspector, clerk or returning of ficer, to mark his ballot for him, and such assistant may be allowed to enter the poll ing place with the voter for the purpose only of marking said ballot and any voter making a false statement as to his inabil- ity to mark his own ballot shall be guilty of a misdemeanor; that no ballots shall be taken from the polling place for any pur- pose until after the polls have been closed; that all ballots shall be official ballots and shall be so marked or printed: that any person found with an official ballot in his possession outside the polling place during the election day shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished as provided In this act. f
 "Sec. =. That 1t shall be unlawful for any person. except while casting his bal lot, or in assisting some voter who is physically disabled in the marking of his ballot, and excepting the inspectors, clerks ana returning officers of election, to be or go within 100 feet of any door or other opening of the room or polling place where the election Is being held and it shall be the duty of the returning officer of said election to keep any and all such otEer persons without such limit: that any person violating any of the provisions of the foregoing two sections shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. and for each such violation shall be fined. on conviction, not less than $50 nor more than S1O0, and may also be imprisoned in the county jail or sentenced to hard labor for the county for not less than three months nor more than six months that any person violating any one of the provisions of these two sec lions shall be arrested immediately and unless good and sufficient gond for his appearance be given he shall be immedi- ately commmitted to jail to await trial that if any person be guilty of a similar subsequent violation of any of these pro- visions on the same date the penalty shall be In double the amount of fine and inn prisonment for the first offense That all laws and parts of laws in conflict with the provisions of any part of these two sections, applying to either general. spe- cial, primary or other elections, te, and the same are hereby. repealed.
 Some of the provisions or the above two sections may appear to be somewhat drastic, but if we want fair and honest elections in Alabama, giving to every voter the right and privilege of casting his ballot for the candidate of his own selection without being intimdated or coerced or otherwise unduly influenced, then they are not drastt., and it appears to be necessary to have such stringent laws or guarantee to every voter the right and privilege to vote for the candi- date of his own individual choice for any office.
 What could be the benefits derived by the adoption of these amendments? They are so numerous and so far reaching that it is almost impossible to name them all in a newspaper article. It would pr vent an undue influence being used the voter on the day of election: it would prevent the purchasing of votes. either with money or whisky; it would prevent the unnecessary excitement and crowding around the polling places on the day of the election by the too ardent advocates of some particular candidate, where broiis frequently occur through the heat of pas sionate arguments over the claims or the respective candidates, in some instances resulting In bloodshed and in the taking of human life: 1t would prevent the cam paign liar from getting in his dirty work at a time when there is no opportunity for the candidate against whom any charge is made to refute the same, when in most instances the charge is false and groundess it would give to every candidate an equal chance with his op- ponent: 1t woul6 put them all on an equal footing If any candidate is not the proper man for the place the voters of his county or district should be aware of that fact before the day of election. Thousands of voters are changed right at the time they are going to cast their bal lots. because of some vicious lie sprung right on the instant the voter is prepar- ing to mark his ballot, or on the election grounds on the day of election. Shut of these dirty scoundrels who make 1t their business to do these things on election days, and along with them all others who may be inclined to do likeswise and no man, with the possible exception of some ward heeler who is getting pay for his dirty work, but which canont be proven, will object to this law.
 Give every man fair and equal chance; that is what the great democratic party claims to want-fairness honesty and equal rights to all. I. E.. WATSON.
 Auniston. June [. 1912.