Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1893-06-22
POPULAR ELECTIONS.
THE STEADY GROWTH OF INTEREST
IN STATE ELECTIONS.


Lessons That May BE Drawn From the New
York State and National EIections-The
Percentage OF Voters to the Population
Greater In the Country.
A comparison Of the election returns
at the end Of the last century, about the
time of the adoption of the constitution
of the United States, with the returns
for the last presidential election, shows
how widely the suffrage has extended in
the United States. In Massachusetts.
between ITS and 1894, the proportion of
votes cast to the population varied from
2 to 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-
tions 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
few men and to take it away from the
multitude. No such theory is borne ont
by the election returns At one of the
most hotly contested elections in Virgin
la, when Chief Justice Marshalls father
was q candidate for membership in the
house of burgesses, or what would cor
respond to asselnblyman here, there was
only one vote cast to every 10 inhabit-
ants, ratio smaller than that cast in
any county in this state for a 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 come 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 Yoreand 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 it 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 6.S9 in Kings 5.95 and in Erie sos,
while in Cortlandt and OtscGo the ratio
is 8.11 to L: g. 16 in Yates, J. 50 in Gene
see, .33 in Delaware, 335 ia Allcgany,
1926 in Madison, 3.37 in Ontario. 8. % in
st. Lawrence. This shows a 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. II
cannot be difference in politics. for
Schoharie. one Of the few rural Demo
cratic counties, shows d ratio Of 3. 13, and
Greene, another Democratic coTnty. has
ratio of 3.36. 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 hns COCO more
population than Schoharie but it casts
several hundred fewer votes, and there is
a difference Of third in their ratios.
One reason for the high ratios in New
York, Brooklyn and Buffalo is the large
number of aliens in those cities. The
aliens count III the population, bat they
do not count in the number of voters.
According to the state census New Y York'
population is one-fourth alien, and the
ratio in Buffalo is almost as high.
Another thing is the difference III cleo
ton laws. In the cities man has to go
to the polling place twice TO vote-once
to register and once to cast his ballot. In
the country he has to go only once and
that time to vote. His name may be put
on the registration list by his friends.
A comparison of these returns with the
election returns at the time Of the Revo-
lutionary war and the adoption Of the
constitution shows that political inter
est is increasing every year. and that the
percentage of those who participate in
elections is also increasing. In Massa-
chusetts toward the close Of the last cen
tury, when discussions respecting the
federal constitution were going ON and
when there had been an actual rebellion
in one part Of the state, not over per
cent Of the population voted. although
the census of those days shows that about
three times that percentage of men We're
entitled to vote In New York state at
the last election the census and registra-
tions lists We're almost identical in many
districts, and there were some districts
where there were more votes cast thar
the census showed of residents in the dis
trict in the spring when the census was
taken.
1t may be that to the rich men and
men engrossed in the management of
large business affairs politics and politi-
cal matters are not relatively 50 i1npor-
tant as they were when the United States
began. but comparison Of tile election
returns shows that aside from the widen
1 ing of the franchise the proportion Of
those who vote is greater III this state
than ever before.-New Y ork Sun.