The New York Election

How a person of any party, looking the facts calmly In the face, can feel }leasure at the result of the New York city election, is a mystery. All who do feel such pleasure are not necessarily nDpatriotic and bad citizens, but they simply let their pariy feeling obscure their judgment. To say nothing of the office-holders, the nuniberof paid workers at the pjlls in New York citj was ïbout $0,000. Fully twenty per cent. of the voters of the city were actuallv receiviug $5 to $7 on the average for the day's work. In some voting districts, it was almosl a physical impossibility for timid and weak men to get to the polls (unless permitteJ) through the crowd of bullying and coaxing " heelers''whowere under pay. Whtn, in connection witk these facte, we con6ider that the Democratie nominations were literally bought for cash down, just as Didius Julianus bought the empire of Rome from the Prietorian guards, we are confronted with a condition of affaire that is alarming to those who know anything of the teachings of history. What reason have we to suppose that if things are let alone, our system will not grow worsejustas Kome'sdid? The vast immediate importance of pure elections in New York city can be seen by reflecting that the vote in that city probably will decide the next presidential election, as it did the past. If things are to remain as they are, it is folly for the United States to go through the agony of a presidential (ampaign. We had aiuch better let New York city fight it out in corruption. and abide by her decisión ; for practically she will decide it anyway. We will frankly admit that the Republican machine in New York city has not been much better than the Democratie machine ; and if it were to have a chance it probably would be just as bad. That is not the point. The point is that under the present system of voting, a "machine" ie necessary: the great expense of printing and distributing the ballots must be met by private means, and henee candidates must be had who will pay cash on delivery. In this way the Democratie candidates for city offices in New York city were bied over $230,000, some of them paying more than their salaries will amount to. This can only be remedied by having the State provide the ballots, and byhavinga secret ballot like the Australian system of voting. The "machine" will then largely be without " work " to do.