Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1854-03-25
A VOTING MACHINE.

In one Of the Washington journals We find an
account Of "a Voting Machine" invented by Mr..
Samuel Huffman formerly of Virginia. and now
residing in Illinois. The journalist who draws up
the description Of the machine, cnarges at consd
cradle length on the ingenuity of its construction
and its very servceablc qualities.
IL strikes us, that 1t is not necessary at this day
to invent any new voting machines. Congress
abounds with such, and they are of the most SER
vceabc character; they have their stations in the
Senate Chamber and in the Hall of Representatives
where they are placed ready for use.
We hear from time to time of newly-inventedl
churns, which are made the subject of pompous re-
Communications, MS performing their work with
greater dispatch and perfection than any hitherto
known; but every experienced housekceper knows
that there is nothing after all which answers its
purpose so well as the old-fashioned churn, 80 long
familiar article of kitchen furniture. 1t is pre-
cisely so with the voting machines in Congress.
Mr.. Huffman may say what he will he cannot
have contrvcd any combination of mechanical
powers, which will answer the purpose better than
the instruments in common use in Washington
perhaps not so well. lie could not possibly make
them give the expected vote at the due time with
more precision. lie could not, we are sure, create
II system of springs, wheels and pullies which
would move with SO supple facility, and 80
little apparent friction. We are very confident
also, that the old machines kept in order at a
much less expense than Mr. Huffman can possibly
be- There is COST for oil; little air answers
the purpose; few empty promises or intimations
of promises.
Like that invented by Mr.. Huffman, these voting
machines are brought from the northern States to
Washington, and are.t there worked by Virginians
nd persons fr6 IN other States of the South. The
Virginians and their southern brethren have q nat
ural facility in keeping these instruments in rcgu-
lar operation: under.thcir expert hands they move
with all the exactness Of clock-work and when
they worn out and good for nothing the gentle
manly operator directs them to be rolled into the
back yard. as q housewife sends a broken churn to
the woodpile
The voting machines used at Washington, we
need not tell reader, are labelled with names by
which they are familiarly known as the different
locomotive engines on railways. There is for ex.
ample, the Iouccy-a very serviceable machine
the IetW equally manageable; the Stuart one OF
the best on the grounds the BrOdhead an old ma
chine, which has always performed well in the hands
of its proprietors The Shieids is little irregular
at times in its movements, but if well looked to-
may be made to move with the rest. The Norris
has its admirers, and so has the Williams; some
give the preference to one and some to the other
but, for our part we do not think there is q far
thing to choose between them. All these machines
as our readers are aware, came, like Mr. Hufman's g.
from the free States, and, like his are worked by
Virginians.
Now and then one of those machines gets out Of
order. The wires become rusty or the springs fee
Bile, and it cannot be made to vote. Some remark.
able examples of this kind have lately been wit
messed in Congress 1t is observed, that when this
happens in the case of any important question,
people begin to talk of rolling the machine into the
back yard. But all human inventions have their
defects, and we doubt whether Mr.. lIuffmans vot
ing machine when it comes to be daily employed
will not sometimes fail. We advise him, therefore
to carry it back to Illinois. Washington is already
well supplied with tools of the same kind, more
cheaply obtained, and quite as obedient to the one
rator 1t is said by those who have investigated