Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1888-11-28
The Election of 1883.

cd ike cnarm. IL Is Tdtner curl
Gus thing that now when Mr.. Cruger's
invention has been put into practical
use, a writer, whose letter appears in
another column, claims that the scheme
is not original with Mr.. Cruger but
was shadowed forth by person NAM
ed Edison Bell, who lived about
hundred years ago. This, however,
may be taken with grain Of salt,
and the fact remains that Mr.. Crug-
er's method is great Improvement
over the old system.
Those who voted yesterday are of
course perfectly familiar with the out
side appearance of the method adopt
ed, but for the benefit of those who do
not vote il may be briefly described.
The voter enters the receiving room
where he is recognized and is allowed
to pass into the voting corridor. Here
he finds a series of illuminated discs
on each wall of the passage. Each
disc has the name of q candidate up
on it from that of the President down
to those on the local ticket. The
candidates of the American party
were in row on the left; those Of
the United Foreigners on the right.
The voter simply passes along and
presses each disc with his finger and
then goes out by the exit gate, the
turning of which allows another voter
to come in at the entrance gate. The
voter during the time he is in the
voting lobby is entirely alone.
Great curiosity was felt as to wheth-
er Cruger's ingenious device for pre-
venting a man voting twice or oftener
for any candidate would work. The
fact that John Burgin and four others
are at present slowly recovering at
the hospital to-day shows that the plan
has been perfect success. Our dis
patches to-day state that all over the
country upwards of $4,000 persons
are laid up because they tried the re-
peating dodge, the greatest number of
cases coming from Indiana and New
York, showing how hard it is for some
people to relinquish old habits.
The repeatormeter is automatic and
not, as Mr.. Burgin seemed to think,
under the control of the party ma
chine. After voter has pressed a
disc the current is turned on by the
pressure, and if he again touches it
he finds himself knocked out with a
suddenness that make election returns
of no more interest to him for that
day at least. The turning of the en-
trance turnstile takes the current off
the discs and and leaves them ready
for the next voter.
1t has been claimed that man
may touch both American and Unit
ed Foreigner discs, and this has been
urged as an objection to the scheme.
OF course he can do this if he is fool
enough TO want to, but by N6doing he
merely neutralizes his own vote.
But the great benefit Of the scheme
is the simultaneous registering of the
result all over the country. Cruger's
Magnifying Register, as exhibited
yesterday in front Of the Free Press
office, was watched all day with tho
greatest interest by large crowd.
At first the figures came on slowly, as
only the eastern States were voting.
Schlfenheimer and O'Brien ran far
ahead. Then as the time went on
and the votes from Ohio and the south
began to tell, the figures appeared
with bewildering rapidity that it was
hard to keep track of the numbers.
By 8 o'clock the vote from California
and the west began to show, and by
II o'clock the widest enthusiasm en-
sued when Stephenson and Cliff over
hauled their competitors for President
and Vice-President. Cheer after
cheer rent the air as one forged ahead
then the other. The numbers jumped
up sometimes at the rate Of thou.
sand second. When the vote in
New York stopped, the candidates for
the United Foreigners were far in ad.
vance, and the situation was intense,
as it was seen that the vote from the
west was largely in favor of Stephen.
son, while that of his opponent was
practically at standstill.
For two hours after dark the vote
of California kept coming in on the
illuminated register, but it soon be-
came evident that it would not be
sufficient to overcome the immense
lead secured by Sohlifenheimer.
Of course, with the cumbersome
system of the Electoral College, once
in vogue in this country, it would not
have been possible to tell the result
of presidential election the moment
the last voter has recorded his choice.
The Cruger system makes it posi-
bic for the citizen to know the result
in county, state and country in time
TO 20 home to his supper. Formerly
L. .oI 49, Ill ..-lx .~A H.. III