The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1893-09-14
POPULAR ELECTIONS.
THE STEADY GROWTH OF INTEREST
IN STATE ELECTIONS.

wv ofAIe ELECTIONS.
Lessons That May Ne Drawn From the New
York State and National Eiecticna-Ths
Percentage Of Voters TO the Popui.tion
Greater In tho Country.
A comparison Of the election returns
pt the end Of the last century, about the
lime Of the adoption of the constitution
Of the United States, with the returns
for the last presidential election, shows
how widely thesuffrsge has extended in
the United States. In Massachusetts,
between ITS and 1904, the proportion Of
votes cast to the population varied from
Q to D per cent. In several counties Of
the state Of New York there were cast at
the election Of 1892 almost one third as
many votes as there were inhabitants.
1t Is the habit Of many people to take
It for granted that the earlier institu-
tons Of the United States were more
democratic than the present ones, and
that the tendency Of these times is to
put the political power in the hands of a
few men and to take 1t away from the
multitude. No such theory is borne out
by the election returns. At one of the
most hotly contested elections in Virgin
Ia. when Chief Justice Marshall's father
was candidate for membership in the
house Of burgesses, or what would cor
respond to assemblyman here, there was
only one vote cast to every 10 inhabit-
ants. q ratio smaller than that cast in
any county in this state for great many
years. There was a property qualifica-
ton for electors in this contest, and it
was frequently the case that the voting,
instead of being by secret ballot, was
viva voce. There were so few electors
that they would all como together on
election day. and their names would be
called, every man naming his choice.
With all the talk about the large vote
Of the city Of New York and the power
OF its majorities to settle the result in the
state, it is somewhat contradictory that
the election figures should show that
New York has the smallest ratio of voters
to inhabitants-less than half as large as
the ratio in many Of the rural counties.
Brooklyn comes next and Buffalo third.
Throughout the state 1t is general that
the Democratic counties cast fewer votes
to the number of their inhabitants than
the Republican counties. In New York
the number Of inhabitants to each voter
is $50. in Kings sos and in Erie sos,
while in Cortlandt and Otsego the ratio
is BIZ to 4; 3.16 in Yates, 3.35 in Gene
see, 1888 in Delaware, 8.35 In Allegany,
SEQ in Madison. 8.37 in Ontario, see in
st. Lawrence. This shows o ratio twice
as large in New York and almost twice
as large in Brooklyn and Buffalo as in
the rural counties.
There are two main reasons to account
for this. One is the difference in the
election laws in the cities and in the
counties, and the other is the difference
in the character of the population. 1t
cannot be difference in politics, for
Schoharie, one of the few rural Demo-
cratic counties, shows ratio Of 8. 10, and
another Democratic county, has
a ratio Of 1856. The percentage of voters
is lower in the cities than in the rural
districts. The two counties Of Science
tady and Schoharie are Democratic and
contiguous. Schoharie is purely agri-
cultural county, while a great part Of
the population Of Schenectady county Is
in Schenectady, which is fiourishing
little city. Schenectady has 5000 more
population than Schoharie, but it casts
several hundred fewer votes, and there Ia
q difference of third in their ratios.
One reason for the high ratios in New