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

vote for Governor and for nobody else.
1t is true there are many people who
are extremely interested in the mat
ter of the candidate for the office OF
Governor, for the candidate for con-
gresham or for the sheriff in THEN
county, who do not care SO much about
the matter OF the register of probate
and some other officers, If that is true.
why should a man he obliged against
his will to vote with your party or my
party on those minor offices? TIE
whole argument is in favor of tho
change. and there is no argument
against it on account of the great Ia
boriousness or mental eXertions or
skin required; it requires only the
average ordinary degree of intelligence
which every man is supposed TO pos
sess. Let me close by cautioning this
House once more against refusal, as
we have already done once at this ses-
sion. to answer the popular wish.
What is the popular wish, what is the
wish of the people? Let us not put
ourselves on record again as saying
that we as a Legislature know more
about the matter than do the people Of
the State. of Maine That seems to
me to be the meat of the matter in n
nut shell. (Applause)
Mr.. AUSTIN Of Phillips: Mr..
Speaker, it seems to me we arc dis
cussing here, this morning, a ques-
ton which had its settlement at the
convention of the two major parties
in this State last spring. l am sure
that every man who sits in this
House. who is a Republican. comes
here instructed by the Republican
platform, as promulgated at our State
Convention in Bangor the tenth day of
last April-we come instructed by the
Republican voters of Maine, through
our convention. to support the Mass
achusetts ballot. Now While | do not
claim to be an expert in Democratic
platforms, it is my impression that the
Democratic members of this House
are pledged to the same action. II |
am wrong | know | will be corrected;
but that is the impression | have of
it, so it seems to me that at least
the Republican members. or all those
holding their seats by the sufferance
of the Republican voters of this State
last fall, are necessarily committed TO
the Massachusetts ballot (Applause)
Mr. SMITH of Presque Isle; As
stated by the gentleman from Milo
the primary ballot law differs materi-
ally from the proposed ballot or from
the ballot that we used in the last
election, or used in any election. AS
stated by the gentleman from Milo,
under the primary ballot law each
party has its own ballot. and when a
voter comes up to the polls TO vote
his party ballot-Republican, Demo-
cratic, or whatever is given TO him
there are but comparatively few names
on it. and / want to say that the
Secretary of State SO arranged the
primary ballot of last year that ii
was very plain, very clear, and very
easily understood; it is materially
different from the ballot, as we find
1t. in an election under this Massa
chusetts law. Now, my friend Kehoe
talked a good deal about secret ball
lot. Well, l do not suppose, Mr..
Speaker. there is such a thing as
secret ballot-a strictly secret ballot.
| do not suppose that this bill, drafted
with the skill and ingenuity of my
brother Hersey, will be strictly Sc
cret ballot, because it authorizes the
insertion of names in the blank
spaces; and suppose even my friend
Sanborn will not deny that when
man is authorized to write in the
name of candidate on his ballot his
handwriting is just as much of dis
tinguishing mark as. any mark, there
by the secrecy of the ballot is de-
stroyed. | am speaking of the Sc
crecy in it's legal sense. l do not be-
lieVe a strictly secret legal ballot can
be had Now l inferred from my
friend from South Portland (Mr. San
born) that they had system over
there whereby when voter went into
the booth they knew whether he was
splitting his vote or not. They may
have a different system over in South
Portland than we have in the woods
of the North. Now. Mr. Speaker, we
all want to get on record in this mat
ter-eyen the gentleman from Phil
lips-and when the vote is taken let
US go on record under the yeas and
nays; and ! ask for the yeas and
nays.
port was considered by the judiciary
committee in all its stages. and a
unanimous report was made in favor
of its passage, with the reservation on
the part of the two who have spoken
to contest the passage in the House
One of the reasons spoken of here. and
also denied, is that the Massachusetts
ballot Is similar to the primary ballot
we now have; and contend that, not
withstanding the remarks of the gen.
tleman from Presque Isle, they are
similar, because it may be that tina
party candidates are arranged in the
same line: nevertheless the marking is
the same, and whoever votes at the
primary election comes down to that
column Now, he does just the same
thing in the Massachusetts, ballot; he
goes down through the column and Sc
lects the name of the candidate he
wishes to vote for; he can make his
mark so there is no need of making
any mistake; so that it is in line with
the ballots that we are now following,
ana less liable to cause spoiled bal
lots But I do not rise to speak of that.
/ wanted to say this, that there are
81 ~ T