Mackey A G - Encylopedia of Freemasonry - The Grand Masonic ...

BALLOT-BOX
BALTIMORE 95
be made and "the unanimous consent of all
the members then present " must be obtained.
Nor can this unanimity be dispensed with in
one case any more than it can in the other . It
is the inherent privilege of every Lodge to
judge of the qualifications of its own members,
"nor is this inherent privilege subject to a dispensation
."
Ballot-Box . The box in which the ballots
or little balls used in voting for a candidate
are deposited . It should be divided into two
compartments, one of which is to contain both
black and white balls, from which each member
selects one, and the other, which is closed
with an aperture, to receive the ball that is to
be deposited. Various methods have been
devised by which secrecy may be secured so
that a voter may select and deposit the ball he
desires without the possibility of its being seen
whether it is black or white . That now most
in use in this country is to have the aperture
so covered by a part of the box as to prevent
the hand from being seen when the ball is deposited
.
Ballot, Reconsideration of the . See
Reconsideration of the Ballot .
Ballot, Secrecy of the . The secrecy of
the ballot is as essential to its perfection as its
unanimity or its independence . If the vote
were to be given viva voce, it is impossible that
the improper influences of fear or interest
should not sometimes be exerted, and timid
members be thus induced to vote contrary to
the dictates of their reason and conscience .
Hence, to secure this secrecy and protect the
purity of choice, it has been wisely' established
as a usage, not only that the vote shall in these
cases be taken by a ballot, but that there shall
be no subsequent discussion of the subject .
Not only has no member a right to inquire
how his fellows have voted, but it is wholly
out of order for him to explain his own vote .
And the reason of this is evident. If one
member has a right to rise in his place and announce
that he deposited a white ball, then
every other member has the same right ; and
in a Lodge of twenty members, where an application
has been rejected by one black ball,
if nineteen members state that they did not
deposit it, the inference is clear that the
twentieth Brother has done so, and thus the
secrecy of the ballot is at once destroyed . The
rejection having been announced from the
Chair the Lodge should at once proceed to
other business, and it is the sacred duty of the
presiding officer peremptorily and at once to
check any rising discussion on the subject .
Nothing must be done to impair the inviolable
secrecy of the ballot .
Ballot, Unanimity of the . Unanimity
in the choice of candidates is considered so
essential to the welfare of the Fraternity, that
the Old Regulations have expressly provided
for its preservation in the following words :
"But no man can be entered a Brother in
any particular Lodge, or admitted to be a
member thereof, without the unanimous consent
of all the members of that Lodge then
present when the candidate is proposed, and
their consent is formally asked by the Master ;
and they are to signify their consent or dissent
in their own prudent way, either virtually
or in form, but with unanimity ; nor is this
inherent privilege subject to a dispensation ;
because the members of a particular Lodge are
the best judges of it ; and if a fractious member
should be imposed on them, it might spoil
their harmony, or hinder their freedom ; or
even break and disperse the Lodge, which
ought to be avoided by all good and true
brethren ." (Constitutions, 1723, p . 59 .)
The rule of unanimity here referred to is,
however, applicable only to the United States
of America, in all of whose Grand Lodges it is
strictly enforced . Anderson tells us, in the second
edition of the Constitutions, under the
head of New Regulations (p . 155), that " it
was found inconvenient to insist upon unanimity
in several cases ; and, therefore, the
Grand Masters have allowed the Lodges to
admit a member if not above three ballots are
against him ; though some Lodges desire no
such allowance ." And accordingly, the present
Constitution of the Grand Lodge of England,
says : "No person can be made a Mason
in or admitted a member of a Lodge, if, on the
ballot, three black balls appear against him ;
but the by-laws of a Lodge may enact that one
or two back balls shall exclude a candidateand
by-laws may also enact that a prescribed
period shall elapse before any rejected candidate
can be again proposed in that Lodge ."
(Rule 190 .) The Grand Lodge of Ireland prescribes
unanimity, unless there is a by-law of
the subordinate Lodge to the contrary . (Law
127.) The Constitution of Scotland provides
that "Three black balls shall exclude a candidate
. Lodges in the Colonies and in Foreign
parts may enact that two black balls shall
exclude ." (Rule 181 .) In the continental
Lodges, the modern English regulation prevails
. It is only in the Lodges of the United
States that the ancient rule of unanimity is
strictly enforced .
Unanimity in the ballot is necessary to
secure the harmony of the Lodge, which may
be as seriously impaired by the admission of a
candidate contrary to the wishes of one member
as of three or more ; for every man has his
friends and his influence . Besides, it is unjust
to any member, however humble he may
be, to introduce among his associates one
whose presence might be unpleasant to him,
and whose admission would probably compel
him to withdraw from the meetings, or even
altogether from the Lodge . Neither would
any advantage really accrue to a Lodge by
such a force admission ; for while receiving
a new and untried member into its fold, it
would be losing an old one . For these reasons,
in this country, in every one of its jurisdictions,
the unanimity of the ballot is expressly
insisted on ; and it is evident, from what has
been here said, that any less stringent regulation
is a violation of the ancient law and usage .
Balsamo, Joseph . See Cagliostro .
Baltimore Convention. A Masonic
Congress which met in the city of Baltimore on