AMERICAN-POLITICAL IDEAS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XII, Issue 4372, 17 November 1875, Page 1 (Supplement)

AMERICAN-POLITICAL IDEAS.

w~ -. . ■ . op THE BALLOT." —"--'r--""~ [BY OUR SiX KUKCDBCO BIBOCAL.] . Letter VIII. - - : To the "Right of Suffrage," the ballot or secret system .of voting is.a natural collorary ani4S-'a4 v ° < '?* e ?> <^ n " for ' ;: J^ < P® l^%!| ? < ?^\ lf ArxketicaßTpoliticianswould."only admit' that Jiereare defects in their system, would only acknowledge the possibility of jprogicees'.pr improvement ; if they .would not hold ; .up their-ideas-to the world and in a'- loud-voice exclaim " Here, oh nations of the earth is rest! .'Here is the ultimate of all efforts after gooxl" 'government j ■■■.Here is. perfection! We,-the American people, are a'::thousad..' years, in advance of the old world. We have patented * the perfect Government system, and in all time there can be no advance upon, our ideas'. _ Ye miserable ones still in the chains of the Oneman Government, behold the beauty and the glory _of our free institutions. Behold the xntegrity of our judges, the purity of our courts, the honesty of our legislators, the uncorruptibility of our, citizens, the immunity from crime. We say, behold all this, and kneel at the feet of the ' perfection of beauty, , the daughter of onr creation— * Republicanism. , " I say, if the Americans ■ would only admit the'possibility of improve- . jnent,if there was one shade of modesty in. the American political character, one might be less inclined to " go for" the flaws iri their. system.. Now, what can be more .perfect, than the ballot system? And yet'in the*! hands of unscrupulous men it has become ai: moit potent agent of corruption. That which was invented to prevent illegal voting, has ' been used as a means to defeat its'author's intent. "Voting-early and'often" is a very common practice at most elections_ia this: country. "Stuffing," "colonising," "rerjeating" are all practised, and. will be explained; presently.. But let me first describe ithe i process of: elections, • and'how they are; manipulated. will,take the St»te, of; ■Calitornia, and stew'how-elections'are con- i ducted* therein. The officers to be elected are. governor, lieutenant-governor, . sheriffs, ,ma-; 'gistrates, judges, police superintendents,' assessors, sax collectors, —intact," every State' ot3cer. There aro two parties always, and; frequently three—Republicans, Democrats, ! and Indepndenta, or as the latter..are now called " Dolly Vardens." In anticipation of • the electioi, the ■" jobbing" politicians of each: party, meet at their organisation rooms, form; committees, ind Viake tickets. The Democrats and Republicans are first in the field; from, their ticket (which .is,.of .coursepublished) "lie Independents or' Dolly v ardens " people's ticket,!' which is; rarely carried jand is generally a ruse on the: part of either! Democrat or Republican to. draw strengthfrom the other-side." Indeed; it often happeia that there are two indepen- j dent parties enanating from the standing ; parties, and dmetimea a third party, a: genuine people! nomination, but with rare: exceptions oneor other of the old platform 1 return-its men| A committee having been formed, a tax immediately levied upon every nominee. 2NO matter what the man's poaitiqn may >$, whether a clerk, in a ! county- -court iA-ihe judge- presiding, he" must pay to ths| committee his proportion of the : sum priposed to be expended byj the committee jj securing hie election, i With money in had the committee appoint! agents and canvasers to the several districts and precincts. Ehey in tura-form smallerj committees, whemndertake to carry the : election in thsir piatrict or ward. : The! committee of bothiarties prepare the tickets' to be used at thl election, and here the' 1 weakness of the KUot system, as used in f.hig country, is for these tickets are very often " doctosa" in a manner hereafter to io explained. Vie Bub-committee in the wards, are generallrfcomposed of the roughedged, honey-hanted, elouching, saloon warming j hunters in politics who live thereby. These mi secure the vote of their friends, and -ihey are legion—for every vote they Jiajia sum. commensurate with tie case. Of (bourse the more respectable element of society is not thus approached. Offices ta.|friends are the baits thrown out to cafeh their vote. The very'best men in tla| State are compelled to nee the vilest inaiinery to secure an election. -Respectability is always. in. the minority, and without the "hoodlum" element ho candidate amid be returned, for the simple reason thii the poorer classes in this; country—chiefly Irish_ and low German —are ignorant and vicious, and are at present|in the majority. The general committesVthen trots out its nominees, who stump the State and howl and rant about the Sfarß and Stripes, and hoist the Eagle on every frpole—appealing to every passion and every Sope of the people who hear them. Talk isfcheap, but it takes money to buy ; nevertheless an accomplished talkist has an immense powe* in the States. Oratory u at a premium, and th.e candidate for office who can't make a good speech will seldom make the. running or be greeted winner on the home stretch. Snb-committees are formel-in every country district; it is their business; to previde a hall and an audience for the eators. This election besiness generally luteins about two months before the day fixed for ballot. During that period the papers in the interest of either party " go for" thajnominees of the ether with a vengeance. record is "Unted up, and every transactkm in the man's life is published. It may be a family quarrel, it may be a duel, the man may have been a parson and gone back on I;he Church, fie may have been in monetary _ difficulties, he may have had the misfortune to have been a colonial editor; it matters little what —so there is the colour of dirt about it—out it comes. {The man. may occupy the most exalted postion, may be esteemed and deservedly respected, yet, if on a life of, mayhap, fifty years, the smallest spec of snepicionhas ever fallen —that spec is magnified until the man's \ character i* blasted—his reputation destroyed. It ie death to a sensitive mind to etand for «ffice ■ 'in thia country, for if the man has no history the papers will make one for iiro. As it stands now, however, this newspsper Billingsgate is rather courted than ofaerwise, and is regarded as a cheap adverise- - ment. Sometimes, bpwever, great mieciirfarisee out of this freedom, or. because of the Press. The failure of the Bank of . (California, and the death of its president, W_C. Ralston, are directly traceable jto the in-: famous nse which the Bulletin, and CaU of this city have made of their political }ri-: vileges. They nominated a party at iherecent elections, and assumed that Raletm ■would oppose their nominations. They weit for the man and his Bank with a' deviliih rjereistency that broke the heart of the me' and the strength of the other. It is not (let is ( hope for the credit of humanity) proDable thst ; the owners of these papers contemplated th? tragic result that followed fast upen thefc malicious lies. They wished to bullj Ralston into at least neutrality—and they succeeded, for the grave hath no voice; and yet, as Riohmond spoke to Richard,; so the shade of Ralston speaks to Pickering, , Fitch, and Simonson, and the heart.pf California is awakened to the danger which besets a'company where three men could produce results so terrible. IXECTION DAT. .... Iα the several districts .which consist of the political divisions given J in an early letter, polling places are locatejL In the country districts the school-houses are generally utilised as polling-places. In the towns, rooms are hired for the purpose, On either side the polling-place a divisional fence, of a temporary, character,. is erected, enclosing a clear space of 100 feet. "Vvfrtmn that space no man save the voter going forward to poll is allowed to enter. Bnt on either side the boundary-line agents of the* candidates are busy with the electors, ! soliciting their votes and offering them their tickets. Upon these tickets are printed the names of the candidates, and the voter siinply write*, before entering the polling-place,

" yes," or "no," for or against the individual nanus on th* Uafc. H* ia anpplied by either .party with ink and pea for thie purpose; and r it-iif thit-tr?ol? "way" the *bftll6*' becomea practicftUj hurtful—because political eharpn prepiue the list* Lor tickete and nee ink .that f«<lea out within an hour of use. By gaining a negative victory they lessen the nueber of votea.ria .favor.of.theiriivale. This' ''"docioririg" has teen practised to a considerable extent in. thia eity and State. Again, the ballot-box is,," stuffed" by cleverly introducing double 'or duplicate tickets j this has become a very common trick. ' : Sometimes it is arranged so that the inspector shall see double-eagles only during the election, and in this way any number of "repeals" may be placed in the ballot-box. 'Tis true the names of the voters are registered in the "Great Register," but unless a voting paper is challenged no notice is taken of the roll. Where there is a close contest, the managers "colonise," that is —suppose the contest' is in Oakland—they cross the bay and bring over from 'Frisco as many men -ae they can bring, domicile them there for a few days, get their names transferred and use their. ■ votes; so with other counties and towns. .'.'."':. The election or polling ia presided'over by; an Inspector, two Judges'of .Election, and the clerks necessary to conht'tnei vote. The polls'open'at-snnnsej and are kept'open till sunset. • -The■ballot-box .is an -ordinary wooden box, with .one side.glazed- Through. a slit in the. top the voting .papers are dropped into the box. At the close.of the day a staff of. clerks count up the tickets, and. on the , following day the county clerk issues to the 'successful candidates a "certificate of election." There is no formal declaration of the poll, no : Bpeech by the elected or defeated candidate, and no vote of I thanks to the returning officer.' The ntmost quiet and good order prevails.. Xc no part of the world are there such orderly end well-conducted elections as in'.this country. Whatever there may be of bribery'and corruption, it is all done under a.system, and not a particle of excitement enters into the actual conilict. .Of course the .-"parties" ascertain what number of votes (have been; polled, and the newspaprs are hourly advised ■. of the returns from' the country districts, and publish them. In every district the public-houses are closed : from sunrise till: sunset—that is, during the time. of. polling. : AIT ; :the : servants.' of-, the Government, ] whether state or general, exercise the fran-■ chiae, and vote at every "election. The. officers and soldiers of the army vote at all, Presidential eleotions, but do not take any; part in other elections. "' "' ~ ;