Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1892-11-08
THE ELECTION.
IT WAS THE .QUlErEsr EVER
KNOWN HERE.


Ve'er-votine Blank BAllots-The
Vote Quite Up to the Registration.
The polls in this city TO-DAY did not
open until half-past 8 o'clock, when
the staff of judges and clerks, consist
ing of Messrs. McFarlanr, Suthe rland,
Jacobs, Holleran, Dads aud Me-
Fadden, with Constsbl-s Romaine and
Oliver, as peace officers, were in at.
tendance.
By that time fully IS voters were in
line. Most Of them must have voted
straight tickets, or nearly so, as half
an hour later fully 100 ballots, repre-
senting about rs per cent. of the reg.
istration, had been pc led.
One Populist "spotter" who sat on
the railing. checking off the voters.
was promptly elected. The Australian
system was adopted because it insured
a secret ballot. One OF tho important
conditions to that end 10 that no
"electioneering" shall be done within
100 feet OF the polls. Yet here was
q man, an ex-member OF the Legiels.
ture, not an election official, sitting
there, within IL or Is feet of the
ballot box, checking the names Of
voters. The sight naturally caused
some Indignation among those press
.nt. aud the "spotter" had to desist.
The mode Of receiving, preparing
and casting ballots is Of course move.
A railing beginning near the door OF
the polling place leads past the dlstri-
buting clerk to the booths where the
voter prepares his ballot. Of these
there are nine, each enclosed on three
sides, fitted with u small shelf on
which there was lighted candle. As
he passed the distributing clerk-jos
McFadden-the voter was handed q
ballot about 15xl8 inches. On this
ballot were FIVE columns. The frs,
contained the Republican, the second
the Populist, the third tho Demo-
cratic, the fourth the Prohibition, and
the fifth blank ticket.
The voter proceeded to an empty
booth, made cross opposite the name
Of each candidate for whom no de-
sired to vote, then left the booth and
proceeded to the ballot box, where
Mr.. Sutherland received his ballot and
called out his name, the JUICES and
clerks checked it off on tho copies OF
the registration list and OF the check
list, the ballot was clipped into = eli,
in the top of the box about three in.
ches long by half-an-inch wide, and
tho voter walked away on the opposite
side of the polling. place from that in
which he entered.
An inch rope was stretched acros.
three sides of the street, at = distance
Of 100 feet from the polling, place
This caused some complaint, on the
ground that it was not necessary &c
blockade tie street, and that distance
flags would have answered the pur
pose; but this being legal holiday
when traffic is supposed to be sus
pended, these complaints could hardly
be deemed we'll founded.
By o'clock $40 votes had beer
cast, and all voters seemed to hav,
had plenty of time to prepare thei
ballots.
Some funny mistakes were made
Frank Peterson, manager Of TIL
springs, wished to vote the Repub
lican ticket. He made crosses in tn
left margin adjoining the Republican
ticket. As the Republican ticket wa
IN the outside column there cal
be no can no doubt of bis intention
His ticket will therefore probably B.
, counted.
A. D. Flynn wished to vote III
Democratic ticket straight. He too
his ticket from the distributing CLERK
folded it, and handed i. to the judge
of election. 1t went into tho boz
blank. No vote.
. Another Democrat wished to vot
for Cuddy and John, two Republican,