, 1872-12-08

Districts. Senator. 9escntatipi. Loss.
First 1929 1876
second. 29'1oo 81
Grd. d....-.....-...'--..-1to95 ~a,du22 80
6o.rnth. th.......--....-......5,988 17,21 723
It will be seen from these figures that in
these four districts there was an aggregate loss
Of 4,623 votes, or an average loas Of 1900 votes
in each district. The other Cook County dis
tricts show loss in the same way, and glance
over the returns from the Senatorial districts
throughout the State exhibits q loss in nearly
every district, though, as q general thing, the
loss is less than in this county Assuming 500
as the general average Of the Representative
vote lost in each district, the aggregate loss in
the ffty-one Senatorial districts of the State
will reach 25,50o votes.
The recent election in St. Louis, and the dis
closures that hare since taken place, may, per-
haps, throw GONE light on this subject. The
vote, IS returned By the Judges Of that county
for Sheriff, elected 11r. Taylor by fourteen ma
jority. Upon proper petition, the Circuit Court
appointed commission Of respectable gentle
men to recount the votes for Sheriff. There
was no fraud charged, nor is there the least
suspicion that any WAS attempted, or intended.
But of election precincts in the city,
the votes in the boxes Of no one Of them corre-
sponded with the returns. OF the ten or more pre-
cncts in the county outside of the city, one-haf OF
them we're also found to be erroneous. These
errors, IN every case, were the result Of CARELESS
ness and failure to read the tickets. Instead Of
examining each ticket in detail, and count
separated into piles, merely glanced at,
and the result declared upon the assumption
that all the tickets in each pile contained pre-
cisely the same names. The recount, after
showing the fact that the official vote was in
correct in every one OF the forty city pre-
cncts, and in many OF the others, showed that
Mr. Taylor had been defrauded Of 321 votes
po1led for him, and that he had been credited
with 129 votes be had not received. That the
other candidate, Mcguire, had been defrauded
Of 243 votes po1led for him, and had cen
credited with 50 votes he had not received.
Though these corrected returns did not change
the final result it disclosed the fact that nearly
1000 ballots had been nniscounted or not
counted. This blundering was not confined to
any one precinct, nor was it in favor Of any
candidate. It happened in every precinct in the
| city, and operated against each Of the candi-
| dates.
What has happened in st. Louis is as likely to
| happen elsewhere, and especially in this State,
where the counting Of ballots is complicated by
the fractional votes tor Representatives and the
| unequal distribution Of votes under the cumula-
tive system. In one district of the city there
were on election day variety Of ballots bearing
the name OF Judge Bradwen; On come Of these
he was marked votes others 2, others IL, and
others l vote. So perhaps with other candi-
dates, and possibly the loss in the Representa-
tive vote here and throughout the State is due
penence Of the Judges, but to the complications
of the cumulative system, and that, in this way,
fractions and cumulations were frequently over
looked and not counted.
The value Of the ballot must be very small If
the ballots when polled are not counted correct
| II. We do not refer now to cases where fraud is
practised. Under our Law the polls remain open
| from a. m. to p. m.. or eleven hours contlR-
! uous1y The ballots have to be counted and the
result recorded before the Inspectors separate.
This is requiring an enormous labor Of the In
| spectors. Many OF the Inspectors, however
honest, have not the qualifications to do this
work expeditiously, or to do it at al. In Massa-
chusetts such thing fraudulent election is
| not known. In that State the receiving Of the
ballots and the counting thereofg go on at the same
time At the end of each hour the ballots arc
counted bypersons appointed for the purpose, and,
in one hour after the polls are closed the result
ismade known. The ballots ere counted and read
not classified and then counted; each name on
each ticket is examined, and there is no such
thing known as fraud, mistake, or miscountins.
Can not the Legislature of Illinois provide that,
in addition to the Inspections OF Election, there
shall be appointed in each precinct two persons
who shall count the votes as fast as they are
polled and do so openly in the presence Of wit
nesses, and with such publicity that fraud shall
be impossible, and such dissraceful mistakes
and miscounting as have been exposed in st.
Louis shall be prevented? +?
/