The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1881-04-13
THE PATENT BALLor-Box.

Indiana is a progressive State. The peo-
pie are loyal, patriotic and law.abiding
They are proud, pious and prudent, edu-
Gated and energetic. Measured by school
and Church, banks and business, railroads
or rail fence, farm improvements or family
ties, their civilization is equal to the best in
the land. Still. the people of Indiana want
90 be better; they want to grow in knOwl-
edge; they want the best of everything that
is going; the latest improvements in 1nachin-
cry; the best reapers, mowers plOws, drills
and cOrn-planters; the best corn mills,
wheat mills, cider mills and sorghum mills;
the best letter boxes and music boxes and
why not the best ballot-boxes? The ballot
box is the greatest box known to the land of
the free and the home of the brave.
Manifestly a free people need a
good ballot-box-one that numbers the bal
lots and punches them, ballot box with a
dial plate a crank and a bell-and, thanks
to the Cincinnati National Ballot box Com
pany, Indiana can be supplied. Our
liberties are secure-and the star spangled
banner in triumph shall wave, in spite of
repeaters and tissue ballots.
The Cincinnati. National Ballot-box Com
pany has come to the rescue. All hail! A
new era has dawned. Election rogues to
the rear; the patent ballot-box to the front.
The people of Indiana thought that a regis
tration law would meet the exigencies and
give the State a fair vote and an honest
count But the Cincinnati National Ballot
=, ,f u, ha1f Il hau
something still better, which it can sell AT
the small sum of $25. Only $25
for each Precinct in Indiana to
insure an honest election, all done by ma
chInery We have heard of machine poe
try and machine politics vague expires
sions-but now we are to have machine vot
ing and no mistake. It's proposed to divide
Indiana into about 1900 Precincts, each
Precinct TO have patent ballot-box, to cost
S25-tOtal cost, $50 900 to start on. 1t is pos
sible for the patent box TO get out of order
II has a crank, a stamping machine, a bel
and a dial-plat with hands on it. With 5,
much machinery it might get out of order
Why not2 Who can guarantee 10 the con
trary? Watches and chronometers and 9th
er things having the most perfect machin
cry, get out of order; why not the patent bal
lot-box? It may, il might, it could, would
or probably would get out Of order. VIA
then? No election or duplicate patent bal
lot-box. Ifduplcate boxes are to be provided
TO guard against accidents, away goes $50,
600 more; total. 100000 first year to guarc
elections by machinery. But" says al
advocate of the patent ballot-box, manufac
tured and sold by the patriotic National Bal
lotbox Company OF Cincinnati, ''the thinl
can't get out OF order" Such declarations
however, are Of no value. Practical mel
know that machines do get out of order,
much so that they have to be repaired. Ere
quently patent machines are so much out 0
order that they won't go at all. They offer
break down in the most critical time. wher
work is the most pressing. Suppose the bal
lotbox should get out OF order on the day %
election-votes half in, patriotism a
fever heat, hundreds pressing t.
the polls, and the patent ballot
box crank breaks? The prOprietors Of thu
patent ballot-box, say that mo ballot can b.
nut IN the Dor tgithoUt turning the crank
Here is proof positive that the question OF
election or no election would turn upon the
crank-no crank, no election. Does In
diana propose to hang her political fortunes
upon the crank of a patent ballot-box2 L
90, the man at the crank, in command o
the crank, the man who turns the crank, Is
bigger than the man at the helm of State.
Suppose he were to get mad and refuse tc
turn the crank, who would supply his place
Or, suppose he were to yank the crank and
break it short of, wouldn't the election
come to a hslt7 Certainly, for unless the
crank turns no ballot can 60 In
The ersak Is Of supreme i'm