The sun., 1890-01-03
Inventors Coming Forward.

One marked and amusing feature OF the
ballot reformers' demand is the incentive 1t
has given to o number Of eccentric indi-
viduals who have gone to work deVising me-
chanical schemes by which the purity OF
the franchise may be preserved, ignorance.
prejudice. and instability abolished and
patriotism made moro general in the land
than the reformers think 1t is now.
Ono ballot reformer has come forward with
plan whereby the ungodly politicians may
be put orout, and all unrighteous partisans,
ofhonest convictions. may be knocked out at
one blow. Instead OF tho voter casting bal
lot he is to get sortof Illuminated rainbow,
printed by the State. various shades Of ink
being used for the respective candidates, as
red for Republicans, green for German re-
formers yellow for Labor men, and blue. very
appropriately. for the Democrats.
Another reformer who resides In Rochester
brings to notice o scheme whereby the cleo
tor. on presenting himself. is to be con-
fronted by q huge telephone switch board,
containing number OF electric buttons cor
responding to the names Of the various can
didates and to be pushed, according to
preference, by the thumb Of the citizen. The
apartment whore he is to stand Is to be
air tight and copper fastened, and when the
button Is pushed an automatic register is to
sound gong, and then the elector Is to de-
part free from observation or Importantly.
Athird system Is hardly less fantastic. Tho
intending voter Is to enter darkened room,
ct one side Of the polling place, and In secrecy
as to write. ON an ordinary pad. the names OF
his various candidates in invisible. ink. The
ballots thus prepared are to be dropped into
o transparent box, and not until the polls
close are chemicals to be applied to the
ttcllets and the names upon them counted.
Still another plan Is the device of an arith-
metical genius who follows the idea OF the
table Of logarithma He wants to arrange
the various candidates In groups. or blocks OF
1ive Tor more) under alphabetical headings,
20 that. for instance, a Mugwump would be
enabled to pick out (as all Mugwumps can
do with unerring accuracy the names he
prefers-a Democrat for one office, Republ-
can for another. a nondescript Of some kind
for third. These combinations will be
placed upon q bulletin board. and the voter
Will be expected to secure, from warden
seated at desk, ticket bearing the num-
bor of his desired combination somewhat In
Ghe style Of o race ticket. This ticket he
would drop In Aslot, and on falling 1t twould bo
registered by an electric appliance one end
of which the voter would hold In his left hand,
connecting with q galvanic battery. II he
attempted to cast two or moro votes, the
battery would not be disconnected and he
would thus be automatically discovered.
4 Still another plan proposed by an electoral
feformer is even more fanciful. To prevent
bribery; to preclude the unhallowed use OF
money; to smash the political machines and
to secure virtue generally. he proposes a
system whereby instead Of printed bal
lots, we are to have loaded dice, This
scheme Is perhaps the most ingenious
of all. When the voter comes along he is to
receiye from O clerk number OF pieces OF
dice, one for each office to be filled. On each
Of the six sides Is to be stamped the name OF
one candidate for that ofiice. Under the face
OF each side Is to be an aperture, and the In
tending voter Is to get from the ballot clerk,
besides the dice, number Of small pieces OF
lead fishing sinkers on small scale. Under
fhenAmo of his ono favorite candidate, on each
die, he Is to insert ono Of these weights.
That done, he Is to approach the warden. or
poll clerk, who lie to be blindfolded. The lat
n ter will ascertain by touching II q suf1clency
or superHuity OF dice is offered. That done,
he Is to take them and let them fall, one by
one, through an Official funnel. Naturally.
the loaded side OF the dice will, In turning,
reach the bottom first, and there 1t will fall
upon o paper tape set to receiveit, such as ia
used, for sending out stock quotations from
Wallstreet. The dice will imprint tho names
favored upon the tape. which will he can
vassod as soon as the polls close
BY such means. the boGnS ballot reEOEmeEa