The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-09-29
A MATTER OF INTEREST.
Concerning the Voters of the State of Illinois.

There is a heavy vote in Illinois which
it would seem, has never been cast. The
census of 1880 showed that the population
of Illinois embraces 7978 SAT males of citi-
zenship age. In the same year there were
given 622. 259 votes on presidential can
tlidates, the vote being 174,6SS short OF
the census of males of "a years and over.
The bulk of this shortage arose from two
causes: the standardization of foreign
ers and the deliberate neglect Of qualified
electors. There is no way OF discovering
even approximately how many there were
ot each of these classes except by compar
ison with oilcr states. Ohio, perhaps
fairly illustrates full vote without rxces
sive repeating. In that state, in 1880
one vote was east to each 4 population
in Illinois, one to each 4.95. Had the
Ohio ratio. prevailed here. Illinois would
have given nearly 7u0,000 votes, or IS,
600 more than We're cast This figure
might, il IS true he somewhat modified
10y the fact that Illinois has !. larger for
egn population than Ohio, and conse-
qnently II larger percentage OF unnatural
ized foreigners. 1t would he safe, however
to assume that in 1880 The vote Of Illinois
was ~, 600 short OF what it might have
been in u contest similar to that in Ohio.
A question naturally arises AS to the par
tisan character of this large unpolled vote
The vote of 1880 was % per cent, short
of the census. Take the &c countries
where the deficit was above % per cent.
and we find 10 of them republican and
3,demOcratic In the state are 81 strongly
republican countries which are in repub-
lican senatorial and congressional district
The democrats in item are completely
environed with republican majorities
There is no possible success to encourage
democrats to vote. The Republicans have
all the encouragement which the dlstribu-
button of patronage can inspire. In these
3 counties the vote of 1880 fell off IN
1882 $4,000, or nearly one half or the
total deficit of the state outside of Cook
county. There are also 90 democratic
counties in Democratic senatorial aud
congressional districts. In these the
vote of 1880 fell off in 1882; 10000 In
these two classes. embracing So countries
the total falling off was SO, 900, or two
thirds of the deficit of the state (outside
of CoOk) GU less than hAlf the total vote,
The question next arises, how was this
deficit divided between the democrats and
republicans? In the 81 Republican coun,
ties the republican vote fell off l3 per
mt, and the democratic 10, and this, too,
when the general deficit in the state was
but 10 per cent, on The democratic and 20
per cent on the republican vote. In the
IAmnnTatia Dfrin ha o.,
lost but IL per cent. and the republicans
IL per cent, indicating conciusively the
disposition of the minority to neglect vot
ing where local contests do not exist Take
the two classes and aggregate them, and
it will be found that in the 53 counties
having over half the vote of the state
Outside of Cook county,, the democratic
deficit was fifteen per cent, and the re
publican but IA per cent. ratio which
would have given the state to the repub
licans by Al. 900 instead of but ), 500
These figures demonstrate very clearly
that minOrities are less likely to poll n
vote than majoritics, and as there are
twice as many democratic votes in repub
lican environment as there are republicans
in democratic districts, it follows that the
democrats are the greater losers.
In this view it becomes matter. of
=. ...-..-a = uCfiCIJ from Lle
census Of 1880 the vote of that year shows
in the 81 republican counties Examination
reveals it to be AZ 500, nearly one half Of
the deficit in the entire state outside of
Cook, while in the 90 democratic counties
il was but Is, 900. 1t is therefore fairly
suppOsable that the democrats have the
bulk of the ~, 800 unused votes in the
republican counties, and that the repub
licans have the largest portion of the
nncast votes in the democratic counties.
Il Chicoqo Times