Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-12

name OF every candidate. Here Is
specimen Massachusetts ballot rugged
UP for Ward 5. precinct ., in the city
! of Salem, Massachusetts. Look at the
large list of names on that ballot, aud
imagine a voter in Maine going into
one of these dark booths and hunting
around on that ballot to find those lit
lie sections in which to make a square
, opposite the name of each and every
candidate for whom he viii vote Now
You are going to have q good time. Ny
friend Hersey, who is skillful as well
as artful, has rugged up a specimen
ballot as It would have applied at the
last election in the city of Augusta. It
has as candidates names on it. and a
voter would have had to vote each and
every name if he had had that ballot
two years ago. II begins, for Governor.
James Fl. Ames Of Bowdoinliam Prohi-
bitionist; Bert n. Fernald of Poland.
Republicans Robert d. Hunter. Free
port. Socialist; Frederick w. Plaisted,
Democratic: and 50 en- down through
the whole list; names alphabetically
arranged. Well, now, voters where
they make one mistake under our pres
emit system are going to make ten under
this system The great bulk of our Vot-
ers are not skilled in the Use of Il pen
ell \ man may be wen versed in poll
tics, well grounded in the theories of
his party and understand the prime.
rles Of his partr-understand we'll all
questions involNed-and yet when it
comes to the use of the lead pencil it
troubles MIN. Now we lawyers who
have to do with blanks. and use great
many blanks, | find that every once in
a while we get all balled M, Now what
do you think of men who work in i
mill, in a factory or on Il farm. and
once in two years come into 4 booth to
vote? Can you wonder they get both
cred. why it troubles some Of us when
we get into that booth. ard get kind Of
confused, to know just what to ito. Nov
we have today simple system of vot-
ing. IF you want to vote straight yon
can vote straight. If you do not want
to vote straight then there is a provis-
ion whereby you can insert other
names or use stickers. Now | nave
discovered that gentleman who wants
to split a ticket can do it fairly well,
and the most of them do not make very
many mistakes; most of them get their
ballots so it counts Now our present
ballot law under the recent decisions
of the court has been hrondened out so
that the old technical rules of counting
or prescribing what constitutes de-
fective ballot no longer applies. Gentle
men. have not any great interest in
this matter, because by taking time for
il I will probably be able TO get snffi-
-, IF prasnnp iSlp.
but | am just old fashioned enough to
believe that this is not gong TO
be any advantage to us at all.
believe it is going to he pro-
ductive of more errors, more mistakes,
than we now have. l do not propose
/ that I am very much of Progressive,
although I am aware of the fact that
last November l voted for Theodore
Roosevelt. Now, gentlemen. do as you
please. Every man has Il right to his
own views; but | am one of the last OF
the Mohawks, the oldfashioEed tribe,
and protest against this proposed
change in the present ballot law. Cap
plause)
I Mr.. MAYBURY of Saco: Mr..
Speaker, | wish to second the motion
of my friend from Missouri mean,
from Presque Isle, in regard to the in
definite postponement eff this bill pro-
posing change in our ballot law /
do it from the fact that it has been
my. privilege at three elections to be
mixed up more or less with the Mas
sachusetts ballot law. 1t is fact
that we have a ballot now where We
do not lose more than eight or ten per
cent. through mistakes; but with the
Massachusetts law, so-called, where
they have to go through list or
names and where sometimes the ball
lot is four feet and a half long, there
would be large number who will vote
for the candidate of Governor; there
will be about $4,000 less who will vote
for Lieutenant Governor, about 10000
or 10000 less will vote for congress
men, and so on down. 1t simply goes
to show that the majority of the vot-
ers only vote for the first two or three
names on the list, and when ii gets
down to the minor officers the votes
are scattered. 1t seems to me that
our ballot law now is sufficiently plain
so that II a man wants to vote split
ticket he can do so, and as | say, it is
about eight or ten per cent. of the
ballots spoiled. For that reason, l
wish to second the motion of the gen
tleman from Presque (Mr. Smith.)
Mr. MATHIES0N of Rangeley: Mt.
Speaker, | move that the motion to
Indefinitely postpone be tabled.
Mr.. SMITH of Pressure Isle: Mr..
Speaker, l would like to ask through
the Chair Of the gentleman from
Rangeley, Mr.. Mathieson, what par
ticular reason he urges for his mo-
ton.
The SPEAKER: The gentleman
from Presque Isle, Mr.. Smith, asks
the gentleman from Rangeley, Mr..
Mathieson, through the Chair his rea-
son for suggesting that the motion to
indefinitely postpone be laid upon the
table.
Mr.. MATHIESON: Mr.. Speaker, this
is the first time this matter has come
before the House. and think there
are quite number of us who would
like to have an opportunity to look
into it a little. The gentleman on
my left (Mr Maybury of Saco) has
made some remarks in regard to the