The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-10-05
POPULAR ELECTIONS.
THE STEADY GROWTH OF INTEREST
IN STATE ELECTIONS.

Lessons That May he 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 1878 and 1904, the proportion of
votes cast to the population varied from
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-
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
few men and to take it away from the
multitude. No such theory is borne out
by the election returns. At one of the
most holly contested elections in Virgin
ia, when Chief Justice Marshalls father
was a 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, 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 York and the power
of its ajorities 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 $50, in Kings 500 and in Erie SOC,
while in Cortlandt and Otsego the ratio
is 3.11 to /; 3.16 in Yates, 1856 in Gene
see, 1888 in Delaware, 1886 in Allegany,
326 in Madison, 1897 in Ontario, 1929 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, fol
Schoharie, one of the few rural Demo
cratic counties, shows q ratio of 3. an6
Greene, another Democratic county, has
ratio of 1886. The percentage of voters
is lower in the cities than in the rura
districts. The two counties of Schenec
tady and Schoharie are Democratic ant
contiguous. Schoharie is purely agri
cultural county, while great part O
the population of Schenectady county il
in Schenectady, which is fourishinl
little city. Schenectady has 5000 mor'
population than Schoharie, but it cast
several hundred fewer votes, and there il
a difference of third in their ratios.
One reason for the high ratios in New
York, Brooklyn and Buffalo is the larg
number of aliens in those cities. TIL
aliens count in the population, but the.
do not count in the number of voters
According to the state census New York
population is one-fourth alien, and tn
ratio in Buffalo is almost as high.
Another thing is the difference in cleo
ton laws. In the cities man has to g
to the polling place twice to vote-onc
to register and once to cast his ballot l.
the country lie has to go only once ant
that time to vote. His name may be pu
on the registration list by his friends
A comparison of these returns with tn
election returns at the time of the RevC
lutionary war and the adoption of tn
constitution shows that political intel
est is increasing every year, and that tn
percentage of those who participate i
elections is also increasing. In Massf
chusetts toward the close of the last Gel
fury, when discussions respecting tn
federal constitution were going on an
when there had been an actual rebellio
in one part of the state, not over pc
cent of the population voted, althoug
the census of those days shows that abor
three times that percentage of men WEI
entitled to vote. In New York state {
the last election the census and registr
tions lists were almost identical in man
districts. and there were some distric
where there were more votes cast tina
the census showed of residents in the di
trict in the spring when the census WI
taken
1t may be that to the rich men al
men engrossed in the management
large business affairs politics and polit
cal matters are not relatively so i1npo
tant as they were when the United Stat
began, but a comparison OF the electic
returns shows that aside from the wide
ing of the franchise the proportion
those who vote is greater in this sta
than ever before.-New York Sun.
Oiling Shears.
If your shears squeak or bind viii