The Portland daily press., 1892-04-07
ELECTION SCENES.
Something About the Way They Vote in
Rhode Island.

Something About the Way They Vote in
Rhode Island.
PROVIDENCE, April 6.-The election
passed off quietly today under the Aus
tralian system. The general procedure
is the same as in Massachusetts, but the
method of recording the vote cast is by
the old fashioned Massachusetts, system
of party teller behind the ballot clerk.
Each of the tellers records dozen names
of voters on block, tears off the strip
and sends it by special messenger to ward
headquarters. The ballots are placed in
the old-time box, the warden announcing
the votes. Five minutes only are allowed
inside the rail and but two ballots to a
voter in case he spoils one. The day was
holiday insomuch as the banks and pub
lie buildings were closed. But it strikes
an outsider rather oddly to see these
quiet institutions shut fast, while every
rum shop in Providence is going full
blast. crowded with patrons.
The Republicans were on the qui vive
for frauds, so intensely drawn were the
lines of the contest. In sending out cir
culars yesterday number of names were
found in the printed lists furnished by
the ward clerks with no residence APP
pended. Inquiry revealed the fact that
the names were not registered in Decem-
ber and were, therefore, not entitled to
vote at this election. Now, there are
three classes of voters in Rhode Island
the registry voter, who pays no tax,
but must register the year pre-.
ceding that in which he votes;
the personal property tax voter,
Sc, 10 hn fprpd
but once; and the property tax voter,
who is registered by virtue of his land
holding The registry voter registers
each year to continue on the list. There
is canvassing board, but it depends
almost wholly on the ward clerks, who
prepare list of the registry voters in
their respective wards and submit it to
the board. Ii q clerk who puts in list
of 2650 names, for instance, says 1T is all
right it goes, but the city clerk has a
check list of his own. He verifies the
ward list and writes out the residences of
the duly registered voters he finds, but
necessarily omits the unregistered ones.
This is the list used by the Republican
city committee. The ward clerks list is
the posted list used at the polls. II a
Democratic clerk takes last years list
and prints it right over again he may slip
IL Dy Unc cdIlVdSSlIlS UOttIu Ou lib
voucher. 1t was in this way that quite a
number of unregistered voters were got
upon the list for today's election. 1t
was at first given out that more than
three hundred had been so recorded.
This was afterwards reduced to 100, but
this morning upon final veriication the
number of illegally registered voters
simmered down to about 80.
Senior Montt. the Chilian Minister from
Washington, is in town inspecting the
system of voting, in which he is deeply
interested.
Bishop Thos. M. Clark of the diocese
of Rhode Island, a previous supporter of
President Cleveland, came down to the
polls in the First District second ward
this morning and voted the straight Re-
publican ticket, giving as his reason that
he was voting for honest money. Half
the vote of Providence, over $4,000, was
in at noon. In one precinct this morning
70 working men were waiting at the
polls at o'elock for chance to vote.