St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-05-07
THE NEW BALLOT LAW.
How 1t Worked-Odds and Ends
of the Day.

Yesterdays election was held under
the new Keyes election law, known as
the Australian system, and was the lrSt
time the kangaroo was given trial
in large Western city. 1t is difficult
to say at this time the law was COM
plete success, though it carried sweep
ing Democratic victory. The day was
fair and cool, and there was every con-
dition calculated to bring out a heavy
vote, AS it chanced, however, about 65
per cent of the vote was cast, Or q, GOO
in all. The system was not at fault in
suppressing the vote, though it is prob
able the change of hours, closing the
polls at o'clock, shut out many votes.
So far as heard there were very few
difficulties and no serious disturbances.
The voting went smoothly along, evil
denclng the fact that voters had been
generally pretty thoroughly Instructed
in the mysteries of the law. Nor was
there the expected delay. The scratch.
ing was incOnsequent, and as res ul6
the vote went rapidly into tine boxes. In
the Eighth district of the First ward,
for example. rs votes were deposited in
the first forty-fve minutes after the
polls opened.
There were many little incidents dur
ing the day, but none specially worthy
of note. In the Eighth district of the
Fourth ward, the Republicans made an
effort to capture the judges, but were
outvoted and badly defeated.
Seine pretty tall hustling was done in
the Second ward by the supporters OF
the three aldermanic candidates, and.
at the close of the poll, victory was
claimed for each. The best of good
feeling predominated among the elect
ors; polling was done quietly and sys-
tematically: there was an after absence
of disorder or attempts at broW-beatlng
voters at the polls. 1t was generally
Third districts would give Reed a ma
iority of the votes cast, but in the other
districts it was claimed that Bott
had the stronger pull, and. it this
proved to be the case, his election
was assured. But, really, when it came
down to the actual condition of things,
no one really knew how the election
was going. The electors had been pOlled.
but how they voted the ballot box alone
held the secret. 1t was computed that
about 25 per cent of the registered
voters failed to vote in this ward. Ii
this was so, the fact was one which
materially added to the probabilities
of Mr.. Reeds election. The hours
fixed for the polling was to blame
largely for the lack Of large number
of wOrkingmen failing to vote. The
polls opened at O'clock and closed at
O'Clock There are several hundreds
Workingmen on the bluff who leave for
work as early as O'Clock. They are
engaged working in various parts of the
city, sometimes miles away from the
voting precinct, and do not return home
until after 6 O'Clock in the evening.
These men cannot afford to lose days
work, and in consequence they are prac-
tically disfranchised, The electoral
law needs amendment in this respect.
s'The fact is" said prominent men,
Der of the Republican city committee
last evening, THAT there have been too
many Burgers, Lowensteins and others
Of that ilk at the front during this CAM
paign. The people were disgusted with
them, and | think that great many Re-
publican voters were scared off by rea-
son of the prominence of these men.
Before we can hope to win in this city
the Republicans will have to throw over
these men,"
There was a general disposition on the
part of the kids yesterday to let the
'kangaroo' law severely alone. They
Dulu lLCil a. WIN o@O ISSeSA
day in their attempts to work it, and
they kept very quiet yesterday.
In one of the numerous editorials
on the first page of the evening Repub-
lican organ Of yesterday appeared the
following squib: ''As a matter of fact,
shown by the investigation made dur
ing the past two or three days by the
Dispatch, there were only seven names
included in the 200 of those struck off
which should not have been included,
and three of these attended subsequently
and had the mistake rectified. So that
the voters who were disfranehised'
amount to four in number"
To show the utter falsity OF the above
the reader need 90 no further than the
news columns of the same issue of this
paper; for in write-up of the situa-
tion, as it appeared at noon to the re-
porters of the Dispatch, the following
statement was made: "A score of voters
appeared whose names were contained
in the lists of illegally registered, and
their votes were promptly sworn in,
with the attest of some anxious Demo
crat."
Which statement is correct, that con-
tanned in the editorial, or the one print
ed in the news columns? Were only
four names Of legal voters stricken
from the lists. or did score of those
who were sought to be disfranchised
appear and vote by the aid of the affi-
daYitS OF men who knew them?