Show callol reform this is one of tha reforms which must come for without it our system of popular government be maintained every election espa bially m our barges cities shows that jintil chiff reform all other reforms J meni the control of the election machinery of the printing and distributing of the ballots must be taken from the politicians and put into the hands of the state that is we must take tho power to control our elections away from the men who have no responsibility and no interest in government save extravagance and corruption and into the hands of officials who are sworn to do their duty of what use is it to try to get honest men nominated for office when wo leave in the hands of the political workers the power to defeat them at the polls by distributing fraudulent or defective ballots or by making deals and dickers which cheat the people of their will we have talked foi years about reforming the primaries and the nominating conventions vent ions but not one particle of progress has been made under the massachusetts law any voters in case of a candidate for state office and aay voterS yin case of a candidate for a lesser ceby uniting a petition in behalf of a candidate of their choice can have his name printed upon the official ballots distributed at the polls at the public expense what certain way of reforming the primaries could be devised than this if there were such a law in new york city there would be an end to the astonishing spectacle which is there so often presented of a boss setting up a candidate of his own for office in spite of all protests and frequently in spite of all opposition under such a law both bosses and primaries would in a very short time lose their present dominance in our politics in fact there is scarcely a form of known to our election methods which a good ballot law would enot eradicate we should be rid at one stroke of the assessments upon candidates of the bribing and bulldozing bull dozing of voters of the nomination of notoriously unfit candidates of deals and dickers and trades at tho polls all these would disappear for the simple reason that the machinery of elections would be taken out of the hands of irresponsible and often dishonest men such an obvious and imperative reform as this cannot bo long delayed the century for december |