The Hawaiian gazette., 1913-02-04

Most Serious objection.
The most serious objection 10 II Ia
that ia a close election voter might
by his second or other choices contrib.
ute 10 the election OF his second or
other choice man over his first choice
man. But as an Offset 20 this risk he
has by the same means a greatly in.
creased chance of getting someone &C.
ceptable to him instead Of no one, sup.
posing his first choice to have proved
hopeless. In any case, a man of the
type acceptable TO the great body of
voters is sure to be selected so far as
this is humanity possible. Moreover.
the counting can be done in the pre.
cincts or districts and completed under
the conditions most conducive TO fair
ness and calmness. The fnal return is
compiled from tally sheets, and that
the final and most exciting part of the
work-can readily be checked up by
anybody.
The Grand Junction plan is admir-
ably adapted to the support of all the
clearly acceptable candidates as dis.
tinct from the Objectionable or doubt
full. 1t is assumed that first choice
may be clear in the voters mind, and
possibly a second, but that beyond this
niceties in the graduation of choices are
illusory. The voter is thus enabled
quickly to make his crosses after all
the names he cares TO support without
need of facing the vexatious task of
making up his mind whether this man
is sixth and that man is seventh
choice or vice versa. Rather than 90
through this process many would
doubtless refrain from voting for these
men at all-thus robbing them of sup
port which they ought to have and
which the Grand Junction system
makes it easy to give them.
If voter wishes to express only one
choice, he is, of course, free to do so.
1t is his duty to do so if there is only
one acceptable candidate. But such
voters are likely to be organization
men bound to some boss or else sup
porters of a good nominee up for re-
election. In the former case they are
almost sure to be a minority, and like
ly to lose anyway--if not a minority,
they will win and ought of course to
win. In the other case the probably
preeminent claims of the candidate
should make him an easy winner in the
first column. If he has no such claims
the result ought to include the other
columns, and the voter who expresses
no second choice for fear of hurting
his first one puts his candidates inter
est ahead of the public interest pro-
vided there are other good nominees
and provided any of the rest are thor
oughly bad.
The Grand Junction system, with the
minimum of turmoil and expense. Sc
lects from large number of nominees
a safe choice in a manner far more
likely to reflect the calm, candid judg-
ment of the voters than either the
second election system or such alleged
majority selection as is arrived at in
the pulling and hauling of repeated
balloting at a nominating convention.
The voter has only to make few
crosses on ballot, put the ballot in the
box and await results. The result is
known before the excitement can be-
come very bitter. Contrast this with
second elections or repeated ballot
ingsl
An extraordinary nonsensical objec-
ton to the Grand Junction result
should be mentioned. 1t seems incred-
IDLE that it should influence anybody,
but the politicians make it service
able talking point among their follow
ers. They say: "There were 1905
votes cast against Todd at Grand
Junction and only 1851 for him and he
ought not to have Won" OF course,
the absurdity of this contention can be
seen from the fact that there were only
1S47 voters in the entire city of whom
1851 had expressed their preference for
Todd. Moreover, even granting as
concession to this type of mind for ar
gument IS sake that there were 1905
votes against Todd, there were even
more against each of the other candi-
dates-'3617 against Bannister, the
favorite Of those who argue this way,
to 739 for him.
The fact is there were only 794
voters (the difference between Todd IS
total vote and the total number of
voters) who did not want Todd for
mayor, and of the 1855 who put in a
ffrst-choice vote for a pro.charter can
didate 1851 voters automatically came
to agreement on Todd.
Less of Mud Singing.
Another advantage of the preferen-
tial system is drawn from this election
in Grand Junction. Campaigns will be
carried on with less mud-slinging than
in former days. Every decent caudi-
date will bid for the second and third
choices of the friends of the other
candidates by abstaining from unjust
criticisms. But if there is sharp line
between enforcement and non-enforce-
ment of law, or any other definite issue
of good and bad government, all the
candidates of each class will freely
criticize those of the other class. Such
lines will be sharply drawn. Probably
each side will be able to find two or
three or more candidates in the list
who will adequately represent its point
of view The majority win be able
automatically to get behind some man
who commands their confidence.
Ballots cannot readily be spoiled If
a man marks more than one choice for
any one man, only the highest of them
is counted, and he does not lose his
vote for that man. If voter marks
first choices for two men that means
that he does not show which of Che