Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1893-09-29


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
st 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
Q to per cent In several counties Of
the state of New York there were cast at
the election of 1899 almost one-third as
many votes as there were inhabitants.
1t is the habit of many people to take
1t 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 out
by the election returns. At one of the
most holly contested elections in Virgin
la. 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 enc vote cast to every 10 inhabit-
ants, a ratio smaller than that cast in
any county in this state for great many
years. There was 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 it's 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 $50, in Kings 5.95 and in Erie SOC,
while in Cortlandt and Otsego the ratio
is 3.11 to 1; 316 in Yates, 1856 in Gene
see, g. SO in Delaware, 1856 in Allegany,
826 in Madison, S.37 in Ontario, 322 in
St. Lawrence. This shows 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 a difference in politics, for
Schoharie, one of the few rural Demo
cratic counties, shows ratio of 3. 10, and
Greene, another Democratic county, has
a ratio Of $3.50. 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 great part of
the population of Schenectady county il
in Schenectady, which is fourishing
little city. Schenectady has 5000 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 in the population, but they
do not count in the number of voters.
According to the state census New York's
population is one-fourth alien, and the
ratio in Buffalo is almost as high.
Another thing is the difference in 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
fury, 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 pei
cent of the population voted, although
the census of those days shows that about
three times that percentage of men were
entitled to vote. In New York state a
the last election the census and registra
tons lists were 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 wa
taken.
1t may be that to .Ls rich men anC
men engrossed in the management O
large business affairs politics and politi
cal matters are not relatively so impor
ant as they were when the United State
began, but comparison of the election
returns shows that aside from the widen
ing of the franchise the proportion o
those who vote is greater in this stat
than ever before.-New York Sun.