Elements of Civil Government Part 24

ADVANTAGES.--The advantages which have already accrued from the adoption of these laws are manifold:

_First_, A secret ballot offers an effectual preventive against bribery, since no man will place his money corruptly without satisfying himself that the vote is placed according to agreement.

_Second_, It secures the voter against the coercion, solicitation, or intimidation of others, and enables him to vote according to the dictates of his conscience.

_Third_, Bargaining and trading at the polls is prevented, and with these much tumult, riot, and disorder must of necessity disappear.

_Fourth_, Money is made less of a factor in politics, and the poor man is placed on a plane of equality with the rich as a candidate.

In addition to these obvious advantages, the ballot reform movement promises to have much wider effects, and to pave the way and lay the foundation for other political reforms.

FORMS OF BALLOTS.--On pages 185, 186, and 187 are given forms of ballots and other matter ill.u.s.trating various methods employed in carrying out the ballot laws of the States. It will be observed that each of these three ballots is representative of a different method.

In the _first_ ballot shown, no party name appears, and the names of candidates for each office are arranged in alphabetical order. On this form of ballot, which most resembles that used in Australia, the individual candidate is made prominent, and party connection does not appear at all.

_Second_, In the Ma.s.sachusetts ballot, the names of the candidates are arranged alphabetically under each office, but in addition to this, the party name appears opposite the name of each candidate. On this form of ballot, while the party connection of each candidate is indicated, greater prominence is given to the individual, and the voter is required to make choice of a candidate for each office separately. He cannot vote a straight ticket by a single mark.

_Third_, In the _Indiana_ ticket, the names are grouped according to party, not according to office, the party name appearing at the head of the ballot as well as at the side of each name. On this form of ballot, the party connection of the candidate is made most prominent, and while provision is made for voting for individuals representing different parties, still the voting of a straight ticket is made most easy.

Many States use the party-column principle of the Indiana ticket, but modify the form of the ticket in various details. The party emblem is sometimes omitted from the circle used in voting a straight picket, or placed just above that circle. The square opposite each candidate's name is sometimes placed after the name instead of before it; and is usually left blank.

A _fourth_ form, namely, that of the _individual ballot_ as used in the State of _New Jersey_, can not be here shown, as a separate ballot is required for each party or each independent nomination. These separate ballots are all _official_, and are furnished at public expense; but the use of an _unofficial_ ballot is practically allowed, since the voter is permitted to take to the voting booth a paster ballot containing a complete party ticket, printed and furnished at party expense. This he can paste over the official ballot and deposit as his vote.

[Ill.u.s.tration 1: First form of ballot type: City Ballot--no party names, candidate names in alphabetic order.]

[Ill.u.s.tration 2: Second form of ballot type: Ma.s.sachusetts Official Ballot.]

[Ill.u.s.tration 3: Third form of ballot type: Indiana State Ballot.]

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

1. What is meant by the Australian ballot system?

2. Name some places in the United States in which a similar system of reform has been adopted.

3. What are the essential principles of the system?

4. What are the necessary requirements for carrying out the law?

5. What is the object in providing official ballots?

6. Describe two kinds of polling booths used.

7. What are the obvious advantages of the reform?

8. Describe the characteristic forms of ballot used in various States which have adopted the reform.

9. Mention the advantages and the disadvantages of the city ballot shown on page 185.

10. Compare the Ma.s.sachusetts ballot with the Indiana ballot, and note their differences.

QUESTION FOR DEBATE.

Which system of voting is likely to secure the best public officers: that represented in the city ballot of 1890, in the Ma.s.sachusetts ballot, or in the Indiana ballot?

CHAPTER XX.

PARTIES AND PARTY MACHINERY.

Wherever the right to vote exists, the people naturally form themselves into political parties.

A _political party_ is an organization of voters maintained for the purpose of impressing its principles upon the public policy of the country. Men have divers views as to the duties, scope, and proper measures of the government, and these divers views lead to the formation of opposing parties. In a free country the majority must rule, and parties are the means by which majorities are ascertained.

ORIGIN.--Parties usually grow out of questions of legislation, rather than out of questions of executive management or judicial interpretation. In other words, a party is formed to influence the pa.s.sage of laws, rather than their execution or their application by the courts. But, when parties are once formed, they usually extend their influence to the selection of officers of all grades and all departments, even the least important officials of a township or civil district.

The presidential election has come to be the most exciting and bitter of all political contests, because of the large influence which the President exerts upon national legislation, and because of the immense patronage of his office.

NECESSITY.--Parties appear to be a necessity in all free governments.

They serve as check upon one another, as the party in power is responsible for the public policy of the country. If the people are dissatisfied with the party in power, they can displace it and elect another in its stead. Parties are therefore placed upon their good behavior, and made to feel their responsibility to the people.

If there were no party organizations, many of the views of a candidate would not be known, and there could be no a.s.surance that he would be true to the interests of the majority electing him. The fact that a public man is a member of a certain party shows many of the views which he entertains and the principles which he may be expected to support.

Party government is often bad, but as the party is responsible for the conduct of all officers elected by it, party government, especially in legislative affairs, is better than personal government, in which no one but the officer himself is responsible for his official conduct.

PARTY MACHINERY.--The machinery of parties in this country is very complex, and is closely interwoven with our system of government. Each party must select candidates for the various offices in the gift of the people, in order that it may exert its greatest power in elections and in public affairs. The people in each party must have a voice in the selection of candidates for township offices, district offices, county offices, State offices, and President and Vice President of the United States. Therefore each party has a system of committees, conventions, primary elections, and caucuses, for ascertaining the choice of its members for these various offices.

Parties and party machinery are not generally provided for in the law, but they exist by a custom almost as old as the government, and are firmly fixed in our political system.

COMMITTEES.--Each of the great parties has a _national committee_, consisting of one member from each State and Territory, chosen by its national convention. The national committee is the chief executive authority of the party. It calls the national convention, fixes the time and place for holding it, and the representation to which each State and Territory is ent.i.tled. It appoints a sub-committee of its members, called the _campaign_ or _executive committee_, which conducts the political canva.s.s or campaign, for the party.

The campaign committee distributes pamphlets, speeches, newspapers, and other political doc.u.ments among the voters of the country; selects public speakers; makes appointments for them to speak; arranges for party meetings; collects funds to bear the expenses of the campaign, and has a general oversight of the party work in all the States.

Each party also has a State committee in each State, usually consisting of a member from each congressional district, in some States consisting of a member from each county; a district committee in each congressional, judicial, senatorial, and representative district, consisting of a member from each county composing the district; a county committee, consisting of a member from each township or civil district; and in some States, various other committees.

Each of these committees performs for the division for which it is selected duties similar to those which the national committee performs for the whole Union.

CONVENTIONS.--The method of ascertaining the choice of a party in the selection of candidates is either by a primary election or by a convention.

A _political convention_ is an a.s.semblage of the voters of a party, either in person or by representatives called delegates. If the voters a.s.semble in person, the convention is called a primary or ma.s.s meeting.

The purpose of a convention may be to select candidates for office, to send delegates to a higher convention, to adopt a declaration of principles, or to decide upon a party policy. It is common for two or more of these purposes to come before the same convention.

CALLING CONVENTIONS.--In the year of the presidential election, the national committee calls a national convention, naming the time and place, and the representation of each State. The State committee calls a State convention to send delegates to the national convention; and, if a State election is approaching, it may direct that the convention shall also select candidates for State offices. In response to this call, the county committees order county conventions in all the counties of the State to send delegates to the State convention, and perhaps to select candidates for county offices. In some States the township committees order township conventions in all townships for the purpose of sending delegates to the county conventions, and perhaps to name candidates for township offices.