The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-11-20
Look TO the Election Districts.

The BOARD appointed aader the act OF
June 10, 1891, known as the new elec-
ton law, to go into effect IN March,
1892. consists of the secretary OF the
Commonwealth, Secretary of Internal
Affairs and Auditor General IL Is their
duty to decide upon the booths, etc, to
be used at the polls under the new law,
and to take all necessary steps TO taclll-
tate th. execution OF the new system
The members of the board have given
notice to all the County Commissioners
of the state TO meet in the Supreme Court
room at Harrisburg on "Wednesday, the
18th inst, to aid the Board in the IN
spection of the varied samples of shelves,
compartments, guard-rails, ballot boxes,
etc, so that the decision may be aS gem
orally acceptable as possible Every
Board of County Commissioners IN the
State should send at least one OF Its
members to this meeting, not only TO
aid the State Board in reaching the best
conclusions, but also to famillarZe the
local Boards with the new election sys-
tenn.
The Constitution requires the cities OF
Philadelphia, Pittsburg and Allegheny
to increase their voting precincts from
time to time to maintain 30 voters TO
each as the maximum number, and pre-
cincts in the smaller cities, towns and
! counties are required TO he divided by
the courts whenever convenience OF
electors and the public interests will be
promoted thereby"
Its important, in view of the slower
process of voting attending the new
election system, that both cities and
counties should at once have their cleo
ton precincts revised by the courts to
comply with the plain letter of the su-
preme law in the chief cities, and with
its plain spirit in the smaller cities,
| towns and counties.
The State will furnish the Commits
| sioners of the counties with the neces-
sarv fixtures for the number of election
precincts in each city and county, and
| the fixtures will then become the prop
erty of the county. The Commissioners
/ will be required to send to the Auditor
General, early in the next summer, the
number of election precincts IN each
county, and before that return shall be
made, the districts of each city and
county should be carefully scrutlnIZed
! by the Commissioners, and needed new
precincts created by the courts. Pre-
/ cincts should be divided in every case in
I the cities where the constitutional hml-
! tation is exceeded, and in every case in
1 the country where the number of voters
! is so large as to crowd the polls incon-
venientiy at any hour of the day.
! There Is no difficulty about revising
the precincts in the three chief cities of
! the State, as the Constitution is manda-
| tory in limiting the number of voters at
$50 in each; but ii is not mandatory in
! the smaller cities, towns and counties,
| and the County Commissioners should
promptly and carefully consider the mat
ter and have their precincts revised be
fore making their returns Of election
| districts to the Auditor General.
In many rural districts one-half or
! more of the votes are cast between five
and seven O'Clock in the e.ening, and
in some cases nearly or quite half the
votes are cast between six and seven.
| These facts are known to the Commits
| sioners, and they should so revise the
| districts OF their respective counties as
! to assure the convenient polling Of the
! vote at such times as the people are
most likely to attend the election.
The new ballot law has many imper-
/ fections, most of which are studied in
ventions to hinder or defeat the reforms
aimed at by the friends OF the measure;
but II Is the law of the state and must
he executed as it Is. Let tine County
| Commissioners take prompt and
| thorough measures to put the new sys-
TEN into operation with as little friction
as possible, and the few good results
likely to be attained will make il posi-
ble to get thoroughly honest ballot re-
form in Pennsylvania in the near by
and bye.-PLiId. Tj5,cS.