Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1868-09-10
Yeas and NaVs,
[From the New York Post. ]

From the New York Post
There is about to be put up in the AS
sembly Chamber at Albany, under the srl-
pervision OF Mr.. Beardsley, one of the in
ventors, machine called the Vote Record |
er, which is intended to save great waste
of time in calling the ayes and nays. One
third of the whole time occupied by the
session of the Assembly of this state is,
under the present system, taken up in call
ing the ayes and nays. This includes usu-
ally not merely the calling of one hundred
and twenty-eight names by the clerk, but
the repetition of the names Of the absent
ices, and the further repetition, to avoid
mistake, Of the names Of members who i'm
agine their vote was wrongly recorded.
During the session of 1867 the ayes and
nays were called sixteen hundred times,
and wasted five minutes each time. Dur
ing the calling of the various names the
members are idle, or noisily conversing
with other members, and the whole bust
ness of the house is thrown into confusion.
The latter part Of the session is almost en-
tirely taken up with the continued repeti-
ton, over every insignificant bill, Of 1913
names.
1t is required by the Constitution that
the yeas and nays shall be taken ON every
bill which is to become law, and under
that clause they can, Of course, be taken
either by the voice or by some method Of
more rapidly recording them. 1t often
happens when fifty OF hundred bills are
rushed through in one day, and the Clerk
is engaged in monotonously calling the
roll over and over again, that not dozen
members know what bills they are voting
on, and not half the members who are re-
corded in the affirmative are in the room OF
the time, or have ever read the bill which
is passed. The bill usually relates to some
local or formal matter, and goes through
really by consent, though the form is pre-
served of calling every mans name upon its
passage.
By means ofthe machine which is to
be put up in the Assembly Chamber the
members will vote simultaneously. There
is a dial like large face of clock to in
dicate the yeas, and another to indicate the
nays. These dials contain the number Of
all the members, and each pulls knob,
communicating with the dial by wire; his
number flies out as he pulls, and he sees
that his vote is recorded, If he desires Ia
change his vote he doesso by request 70
the clerk.
BY turning little crank the hand on the
dial is made to point out the number oi
votes that have been cast both for and
against the bill; and by another simple
process the names Of those voting both in
the affirmative and negative are printed fol
the use of the clerk on slip Of paper
The whole process Of taking the vote, re
cording it, and printing the names, does
not require more than half minute II
that way over a hundred bills can be passed
in an hodr. F
The last session of the Legislature wat
heightened for several weeks beyond the
hundred days, solely for the purpose o.
passing bills. The haste with which it wal
necessary to pass them prevented the usual
precautions Of referring them 10 commit.
tees and passing them through the Com
mittee Of the Whole, and their proper dis
cussion and consideration was out of the
question. Three long sessions, morning
afternoon and evening, were held To give
time merely to call over the list Of member.
/ The inventors Of the Vote Recorder have
computed that it win save the state more
than its cost in shortening the session, ever
I at the present rate Of pay at three dollart
a day, and that II has still more economi
cal aspect in allowing the careful discussion
Of bills and preventing hasty Legislation.