Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-10-30

Police Commissioner voorhis, of New York
city, disposes of the difficulty raised by the
excessive registration very readily. The fact
that the average capacity of a single precinct
poll has been proved to be 400 voters in one
day, he regards as the result of poor work on
the part Of the clerks there, and he proposes to
get around that trouble by distributing the
clerks oyer the city according to their respect
i've rapidity Of action. The quick men he
would place at the polls where the largest reg
istration has taken place, and the poorer ones
at those where the smaller lists are. As he es-
Inmates the capacity Of wide-awake clerk at
about LOO votes day, and the heaviest regis
tration in any precinct falls below 700, he does
not regard the emergency as serious.
In all this, however, the commissioner takes
into account only the possibility Of voters
casting all their ballots at once. He does not
consider the chance Of . good many svailing
themselves Of Attorney-General Tabor's opin-
ion and voting single ticket at q time. Per-
haps the best way to avoid that nuisance would
be to publish widely an order to the police to
arrest every man who comes back second
time to . poll, in order to have the question
tested in the courts. There is no ordinary rea-
son why anyone should insist on breaking up
his vote in this manner, and it raises pre-
sumption Of malicious intent which 1t is but
right he should be compelled to explain away.
Governor Hills plan is yet simpler than that
of Commissioner Voorhis. He proposes to
have the clocks in the polling-places turned
back, II necessary, as is done without compunc-
ton in legislative chambers at the close Of q
session. But there il always the danger Of this
hctions being attacked in the courts and votes
thrown out in consequence. better means Of
attaining the same end would be to have .
gong strike at the instant Of closing the polls,
and . Gordon be formed by the police to pre-
vent additions to the queue Of votes which then
happens to be formed. Each Of those voters is
c0Astructively, sy,n If not actually, depositing
his ballo: at that moment, and there is no logi-
cal reason why it should not be counted The
purpose Of public election is to ascertain the
will Of the majority Of the citizens in any COM
munity and, if registered citizen does his
whole duty and makes his best endesvor to
comply with the terms Of the law, presenting
himself, ballots in hand at the polling-place
within the hours prescribed, the chances are
that the courts would uphold his demand for
permission to vote.
There is no doubt that by one subterfuge or
another, the vote Of New York city will be
gathered in, even il the poll-clerks are robbed
of their usual leisure, and restricted in the
time they have set apart for chatting each
other and replenishing their guilds Of tobacco.
We have Governor Hills word for it, in an in
terview given yesterday to q newspaper re-
porter, that ''the citizens, and especially the
democrats, need give themselves no uneasiness
over the possibility that their votes will not be
counted" This assurance ought to quiet the
fears of the governors fellow partizans, GER
tainly. As for the people on the other side,
why, they can get up early in the morning and
make sure of their votes by casting them be-
fore breakfast -