Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-04-06

and towns and plantations.
Do you realize. gentlemen, that This
| law provides for the making of new
ballot box, at the expense of the tax
pavers. and shipping the same to
every voting precinct in the state,
over $50, if | am correctly informed
Do YOU realize that large express
charges will have To he made for
shipping the ballots; from all parts
of the State, back to Augusta Shail
we have to build an addition TO the
STATE House in which they can be
stored DO YOU realize that our
state is larger than all the rest ot
New England and has only f42,oo0 iii
population, about as many as BOSTON
and that Augusta is far away Tor a
largo mart of the State DO You
realize that if any question arises
about the number Of votes east about
any candidate for office, be il state
county. district or representative that
those interested in each locality must
he 20 the expense to go to the STATE
House to examine the same-that II
any question arises over the election
of any person in any one OF the II
COMMITTEES that those ballots can only
be examined at the State House or
if n matter Of public record, they
NAV he brought in the custody OF
hubble officer to any court house IN
the State. at an unusual and eX-
traordinary expense, and great lneon-
venience oecasfoned 10 all concerned
over. the advantages Of having pub
lie record in the county where such a
case would ordinarily be heard?
a Ia these pal
lots in the custody of the Secretary
of state where they may be examined
AT any time by any person interested,
in the presence Of the secretary o.
state or any clerk in his office desig-
mated by him. Surprising soon alter
election. a number of cities or towns
should have an election contest, as
might not be unreasonable To expect,
and those interested should go to the
State House to examine these bal
lots. Suppose the secretary OF state
should unavoidably be absent. He
might be in Chicago. delivering an
address TO the Brewers Association,
or away on some other very impor-
tant business Think of the embar-
rassnent and mix up that might
occur with all these people waiting TO
be served by a deputy secretary OF
State. for no one else would have the
authority to watch the inspection OF
these ballots, unless the secretary has
especially designated some clerk 10
do H. before leaving home. Think
of the opportunity of interested per
sons" to inspect these ballots soon
after they have been filed in the Sec
reary of States office. and the oppor-
tunity for accidental marks, which
later might be called distinguishing
marks" and the chance of their be-
ing spoiled and the record which they
show, being actually changed. Let
us suppose for the sake of argument
that the secretary of State is a man
just like the rest of us, also his
deputy or any clerk he might appoint.
for the purpose of watching an in
spection OF these ballots. are just
average ordinary men. Do you think
ego lots of ballots are safer in their
hands than they would ~be in the
hands of nearly 6Gn city, town and
plantation clerks? What would be
the relative chance for fraud in case
of inspection. with the force at the
State House watching examiners from
different parts of the State, or each
town clerk looking out for his own
ballots? Could one to three men
watch an examination of $50 lots of
ballots with better results than 63o
men, each watching one? In a close
contest. the greatest opportunity is
given for an INSCRIPTIONS person to
perpetrate a fraud without the pos
sibility of detection, and deprive hon
est electors of the choice of the ma
jortr.
Gentlemen. this is the act. House
document No. of the special session
of the 18th Legislature. now sitting
at Augusta, whose greatest, but UNI
foreseen mission, has been to try an
alleged dishonest and grating Demo
cratic sheriff Gentlemen: am
thankful of the referendum. ] want
to see il placed upon this act Where
is the referendum league we had at
the time of it's adoption into our
Constitution? Is it alive to the
situation? l hope so. l want the
people to have a chance to vote upon
it, and see whether they too have
lost all fash in the honesty of the
people. and the principles of local
they want to incur the extra expense
which this act imposes upon them
and to say nothing of inconvenience
and opportunity for election frauds.
If this measure is to go unchallenged
how long before the rest of our town
government will be transferred TO
the State House? The "jokers.'
which were found by the newspaper
men, in the good roads resolve, and
| the new resubmission scheme, are
not circumstance in comparison
Gentlemen. all these things are what
lead to distrust in public officials and
demand the greatest vigilance on the
part of the citizen. 1t is time for
action. ] suppose when the Legisla-
ture finally adjourns the newspapers
will publish in fun the acts and re-
solves of this special session. The
act ] am referring to will be the only
act. House Document No, 2, and all
can read it for themselves, and pass
their judgment upon it, and we shall
have 80 days after adjournment to
correct ii by 1900 petitioners for
referendum. 1t ought to be easy to