The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-08-27
Impractical.

Charleston. S. c., August %, 1913.
Editor Manning Times:-Your edi-
torial comment 10 the issue OF The
Times of August Goth, evidently referr:
ing to a communication of mine in the
News & Courier of a previous date,
concludes thus: 'The proposition re-
Gently published to require the voter
not only to be registered, but he must
also sign his name in the presence OF
the managers on mis- registration certif-
icate would be impractical and burden
some, and therefore, out Of reason. So
far as we are concerned rather than
have this red tape. the Australian sys-
tenn is far preferable, and we are rather
inclined to the belief that some such
system as the Australian system will be
a good compromise" Not having the
full text of the bill which I propose to
introduce at the next session you are, OF
course, rot supposed to know that my
proposed bill provides for q full and
complete "Australian SYSTEM" but that
system alone does not prevent repeat
ing; it does not prevent ballot box STUFF
fipg and it does not prevent one man
voting in another mans name. II you
will refer to the history of the so-caled
Australian system you will find that it
is not Australian ct all. 1t IS system
of voting which they adopted in Eng
land in the late seventies or the early
eighties. Henry George, then in the
prime OF his active life, was anxious to
transplant this election system In the
United States, and as the prejudice
against english institutions were pro-
nounced in those days he thought that
the name english would retard its
adoption and therefore he named it the
'.Australian system" Now, this system
was adopted by the people of England
in those days because the landlords
therefore We're in position to coerce
and control the voters by reason OF the
fact that they had then what was prac-
tically an open ballot-somewha on the
style of our primary system in South
Carolioa now-and all they then requir-
ed for their protection was secret bal
lot so that their landlords could not
know how each individual voted. That
was a long step and really the first step
towards honest elections. BY itself the
Australian system reduces the oppor-
tunities TO. dishonesty by reason of the
fact that the buyer of the vote is never
sure whether the seller thereof deliver
ed the goods according to contract: but.
Mr. Editor, in the language OF once
great man "You and l are practical
people," We know that political chic
anery and political trickery have been
brought down to an exact mathematical
science, and thatunder our present sys.
TEN, or under the Australian system,
all one has to do is to get the mauag-
ers," and it is therefore necessary to
provide additional safeguards so as TO
take away from any and every one con-
uected with an election the power to
do harm.
I cannot see why you designate the
idea of making voter sign his name IN
presence of the managers impractical
and burdensome." Under my proposed
system it will take much less time to
find a registered name on the books
by the number-than it does now to
+, find a Smith, for instance, il two or
three pages of SIS. Whether YOU look
upon the franchise as right. privl-
lege or duty you must admit that it is
not asking 100 1uuCu Ot u CItlLeu W SIS u
his name twice in every two years for
the purpose of exercising his right.
privilege or duty.
Under my proposed bill possibility OF
fraud will not be entirely eliminated,
that is hardly to be looked for as yet,
but if enacted into law it will reduce
it to such ininitesitnal proportion that
it will not be worth the corruptlonlst's
while to bother with it. When they
cannot bring floaters, cannot stuff the
boxes and cannot otherwise vote their
henchmen in other peoples names the
only thing left for them to do is TO buy
a vote on confidence in the man that
sells his vote that he will vote as he is
asked to do, and the man that buys the
vote must be at least u hundred and
fifty feet away from him when he votes
| Mr.. Editor, your influence through
YOUR paper and on the floor OF the Sen
ate will add materially to the strength
of the forces desiring TO see real I'M
provement Of present conditions. Come
iu, the water is fine just now
SAM RITTENBERG,
D..o..u.a+;-o f,o,,, Cbo rIoctor, 70