The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-12-16
ghe g 9aiIg Argus,
ROCK ISLAND. ..........rLxxuorg
The Constitutional Amendment.

Inc new constitutional amendment, it is
said, was not carried at the late election.
that Is. it is so supposed, as a number of
errors 10 counting the vote have already
been discovered, which, if carried to
conclusion IN all parts of the state. will
defeat the amendment. The Chicago
Times has been looking the matter up and
says:
Grave doubts have arisen as to the
accuracy OF the count on the vote on the
adoption of the constitutional amendments
prolonging the terms of Office of county
clerks and treasurers to four wears.
According to official returns the total vote
OF the state at the November election
reached 622 3l2; vote cast for the amend
ments. 500, 439: against, I03, 954; MAORI
ty IN favor of the amendments, 9,2S3. a
very neagre margin 10 so large a vote,
when there is no question as to the correct
ness OF the returns, but dcubly SO when
there is reason for believing that the
counting was carelessly done There is no
necessity for going beyond Cook county
for proof that the judges did not clearly
understand their duties in the premises in
all instances. and that in this very impor.
tant matter they acted with reprehensib!e
carelessness.
1t will be RENE bered that at the bottom
of every ballot deposited at the last cleo
ton were printed the words for" and
against" The average voter paid no
attention to these words, and voted the
ticket without scratching either word. In
making up their sheets the judges merely
followed the rule of counting only scratch
ed tickets. paying no attention to those
that had escaped the pencil of the voter.
In this way, of the IOl 1863 electors of
Cook county who cast their ballot last
November, it is recorded that 66,527
expressed no choice on the question of the
adoption OF the constitutional amendments,
the returns certified up to the secretary of
state showing that 24.055 voted for the
amendments. and 9.687 against it. In the
entire state only 103 054 votes are
recorded against the amendment, which
would leave 1897 unaccounted for.
This silent vote, as matter of course, can
not be counted as having been cast for the
amendment, for the constitution provides
distinctly that majority of the electors
voting" is necessary to the adoption of an
amendment to the constitution, and there
for every vote not for must be against.
A Times reporter has made a cursory
examination of the abstract of the vote OF
Cook county, on file in the county clerk
office. to see what the figures would say
He discovered that many of the precincts
were left blank, there having evidently
been 10 scratched tickets voted, or at least
none counted. In others the vote was all
one way. the preclnct Judges having ap-
pareptly tossed pennies to sec which way
the yrscratched baiiois should be coupted.
In others they counted both ways. SO that
there could not possibly be a.
chance of mistake. Then in the
Ninth preciuct of the Eighth ward.
where less than 425 votes were cast
ID all. 246 have been reported for and 355
against, or Gil all told, discrepancy of
about 200, Iu the sesond pFecinst of the
Thirteenth ward 522 ballots were depo-
cited. yet the judges certify that there
were ,O42 votes cast on the amendment
proposition, 522 for and 500 against.
This Is evidently one of the precincts
where none of the tickets were scratched
The same thing is shown in the Second
precinct of the Fourteenth ward, the
official returns giving 423 for and 442
against The AMENDMENTS. whereas oaly 445
ballots went into the box. In the Ninth
precinct the judges, concluding that mas
n UGH as the sovereiRus had not voted
against the amendment, they must have
been in favor Of their adoption, returned
572 tor and "a against.
Here ale alb ut 500 votes wrongfu!iy
recorded in favor OF the amendment, when
In point OF fact they belong on the other
side If this much appears on the sur
face here is DO telling what. a ecount #
the woes might not develop. This is a
N utter which should be settled in q man
per that will leave no room for dispute
IF the amendments have really be
a loptod, the people should know il, ard
if they have not there is great danger il
allowing public cfices 10 be run by persons
who have 20 right to them, and whose
acts are liable to be iuvahdated, This
business slipped along without attracting
particular attention. and. 10 point CT fact.
the public would not be greatly coneerT ed
whichever way the question might be dis
posed Of but it must be settled Tor good
one way or the other This is question
the legislature might fnd it profitable TO
inquire into. and. if it can be done, cause
the creation of competent board OF can
vassers to go over The whole count. a
test case might easily be made, and the
matter put into such a shape that either
the courts or the legislature can get ct it.
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