St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-04-05
THE, MkRSUPIAL Method.
How Rhode islanders Voted the Aus
tralian Ballots.
MANY WERE DISFRANCHIsED
The Kangaroo Puzzle Proves Anything
But a Success in Little
Rhody.

PROVIDENCE, X. l., April 4.-Ine
delay in counting the ballots has not
been the least Objectionable feature OF
the Botany Bay system OF voting that
was followed in this state on Wednes-
day. AT the Tenth ward room last even
ing the warden, clerk and two super
visors were still engaged.ln the count.
Not one of them had seen rest since
O'Clock Wednesday morning. The count
ing of the 1.50O and odd ballots had been
going on since z o'clock Wednesday
evening. and was not finished at
O'Clock last evening. ''UnleSs some
thing is DONE" said the Democratic
supervisor, ''in the way OF relieving
the ward officers it will be impossible
in the future to get men to accept the
place, either of warden. clerk OF super
visor This is more than human nature
can stand" Under the American sys-.
TEN of voting three or four hours at the
most were sufficient for the task, which
requires more than twenty-four hours
according to the nlarSupial method, and
that, too, with experienced men attend
ing to the work The Tenth ward was
DO exception. At dark last night. for
the first time, doubtless, in the 254
years of the existence of town
and city, the result of an elec-
ton, as to the local part of it,
was still unknown full day after
the voting had closed. And Providence
is quiet community, with hardly the
voting population of New York ward.
The number of persons DISTINGUISHED
by the kangaroo puzzle ballot grows
hourly. In the Tenth ward alone the
estimate is one hundred, and in the city
and state will amount to thousands.
The ballots bore plain evidence OF the
intent of the voters to vote their honest
convictions, and yet the ballots had to
be rejected BECAUSE there was a cross
here or cross there in the wrong place.
Then various veXing questions arose, or
would arise in event OF close vote, as
to what constitutes an illegal vote,
and whether voter who has put
cross at the beginning of name,
for instance, ought to be therefore
DISTINGUISHED. 1t is asserted on good
authority that one method of buying
votes in use yesterday was this: The
vote purchaser would accompany his
man to the gate; the voter bought.
would announce his name. have it
checked and enter the enclosure, and
then, in hearing of the bribe-giver, he
would request the warrant for the as
sistance of a supervisor of the same pc
litical party as the vote-buYer. This
would be sufficient assurance that the
voter would fulfill his spart Of the bar
gain, and at the same time 1t would be
carried out without apparent collision
OH the part of the supervisor. The
great majority Of the ballots thrown out
were cast by Democrats. Last year
John w. Davis, the Democratic
candidate for governor, had
plurality over Hobart w. Todd,
the Republican candidate, of
4,419 votes. This year MI. Davis has
plurality OF 1,450, showing a loss of
about 5000. Last year Davis came
within about 500 votes of being elected
by the people. This year he lacks about
LOO votes of election; and all this
under the ballot reform system, which
was to have worked wonders for the
people. While the Democratic vote
shows a decline, the Republican vote
shows an increase Of nearly 5000. Last
April the Democrats elected their can
didate for attorney general, Ziba 0. Slo-
cum. This year Mr.. Slocum, in common
with the remainder of the Democratic
ticket, fails of popular election. This
result cannot be ascribed to any lack of
energy on the part of Demo-
cratic workers, for the Republicans
themselves admit that in no previous
year have the Democrats shown such
energy in urging voters to the polls and
in fighting the issues of the campaign.
The simple fact is that the kangaroo
ballot system has prevented a Demo
cratic victory by DISTINGUISHING Demo-
cratic voters. With the free American
system of voting Mr.. Davis. would no
nlontaA Itn mo iorifx-
of thousands. In the town Of Burrill-
chised by being unable or falling to
mark the ballots as required by law.
OF these ninety no less than thirty took
the big ballots. which look like nothing
more than cumbersome railway guide,
and put them in the box with
out marking. In another town
on the eastern shore an earnest
Democrat thought he was Serv-
ing his party by putting a cross
against every candidate except the
Democrats. Numbers of men, ashamed
to confess ftiiteracy, went into the horse
stalls. pretended to mark, but did not,
and put blank ballots in the box. The
single ray OF light for tile Democrats IS
that Newport has gone Democratic.
electing one Democratic senator and
four representatives. Ihe reason Tor
this is that Gov. Ladd recommended
that a state house be built in Proyi-
dence. The Newport people, prospect
i've of party, are jealous of their city's
place as one of the two capitals of
Rhode Island. Besides, they are yet
sore over the defeat of George Peabody
Wetmore for United States senator Il
year ago, and they undoubtedly meant
to administer rebuke and warning at
the first opportunity.