| Show BALLOT REFORM ELIHU B HAYES secretary of the republican club of massachusetts has a signed editorial in the new york recorder drawing a contrast between what he terms constructive republicanism and obstructive democracy he says that there to is more need of constructive tive work at present than in any period of the history of the united states it is a fallacy to assume that everything has been done for the roper proper management of public afra affairs irs K in the political world new appliances must be adopted to meet changed and changing condition conditioners sas in the mechanical world no country in the universe affords greater opportunities for constructive work in politics lipics than ours unfortunately t there C ere has been a tendency I 1 in later years among the better and more educated classes of our citizens to keep aloof from frodi practical politics this may have been caused by the disposition on the part of the press generally to delittle Ue little public life and to indulge in coarse criticisms of public men however at present there is serious need of intelligent and unselfish public service and it is the duty of the press and of public opinion irrespective of party to learn to discriminate between selfish and unselfish work in public life in america BB as in every country the honest reformer and disinterested politician must expect to meet fierce opposition but bud in our country at least he has the satisfaction of knowing that if his bis reforms are wholesome he will ultimately he heard for a long time the cry has been raised that reform in our electoral method is needed it has been admitted on all hands bands that something must be done to maintain the purity of the ballot but nothing was done until a few determined men in massachusetts took the matter up and among them was mr hayes the writer of the recorder article the result was a ballot reform law embodying the australian system and the first of the kind adopted in this country it was signed by governor ames of massachusetts may 29 1888 this law involves radical changes in our old system yet when it its efficacy in the way of honest reform was established it no longer met with op position opposition only tb three ree years since it it was first adopted adopt eJ and now it prevails in the majority of the states while its useful usefulness ness is scarcely debated mr hayes asks was it not better to adopt this plan of reforming abuses thas to stand around and find fault with the disease mr hayes thinks that every existing public abuse can be remedied by intelligent and determined action and that wholesome reforms will be accepted by the people at large when properly presented but he thinks that young men should ally themselves to a party to be effective in his 0 opinion p in the republican party affords tb the best opportunity for constructive work because it is a party of progress and of wholesome reform while the democratic party he alleges is one of pessimism and of obstruction in our opinion though mr hayes claims for the australian ballot system the republicans are no more in favor of this law than are the democrats and wherever opposition 1 has been made to it it came as much from one party as from the other s |
