The morning times., 1896-11-01
BEFORE YOUR BALLOT IS CAST
Detail OF the Machinery Which Makes a
President of This Republic.
Copyright. 1891

clacketty- -clack-clack! The printing press
as IL turns off large sheets with peculiar
looking squares upon them, snfppetyssnip.
snip! The click of the scissors a s the ballot 8
are cut apart. Burr-r-r! whaekety- -whack
whack! The sa wing of boards and the max
Ing or boxes for transporting the ballots
to the election polls.
The machinery that makes a President
has been set in motion. Day after tomor-
row the people will do the rest
without the ballots a President could not
De elected True, there is a fable that a
President could be elected by accIamation.
But the attendant difficulties are too great
A written out ballot would elect a cand-
date as truly as a printed one. But the
work Of preparing the ballot is too great
The most intelligent man could not write
out his election ballot accurately in less
than two hours. A slow w ritter would take
twice us long. The Unintelligent man
could not do it at all. ~
A PROPER BALLOT.
Certain words must be written upon an
election ballot and in u certain way, ac-
cordIng TO the avs OF the State The bal
lots must be numbered consecutively Ger
tain heads of police officials must affix
their signatures, and there ii0st be certain
emblens and markings all Of which goes
TO show that the printing OF the election
ballots is the most Important part OF the
canvass, for without the ballots there could
be no new President.
The Presidential ballots the work of
the State printer. Every State gets out
its own ballots in its own way. III Some
States there is a law that the candidate
must provide his ballots. In other States
the cities and the counties do il, each being
responsible for a part.
All over the United States allowances
are made for ballots that are spoiled in
the using. A man takes a ballot and
marks upon it wrong. He shows it to
SOME one who points out the error The
man i'll error destroys his ballot and the
State allows him TO take another one.
There are generous States and s.ingy
States in the matter OF ballots. New
York allows each man four ballots. He
can thus spoil three and still have the
privilege of voting. Other States give
him but two. One State generously al
lows him six. Anything 10 secure his
vote.
AN ANXIOUS HOUR.
The thing that keeps the ballot printer
awake nights is to obtain copy 1t is
very late before he knows what is TO be
in the ballot. Last Presidential election
a printer got anxious a week before
election, and over one OF the disputed
ballots ventured 10 print an eagle. The
law decided tnat the eagle was not the
individual emblem of that party and for
bade it to be used asa distinctive en-
blem. All the ballots, had 70 be thrown
away. -
Over one Of the ballots this year there is a
ship. Over another a. large star. Over
another an arm welding j hammer, and
another has the clover leaf. Each party
has its own picture or emblem above its
candidate upon the little slip given you for
voting purposes.
IL is impossible to name one general bal
lot law for all States. because each is a
law unto itself. But in nearly all a ballot
is u broad piece of paper with ten panels
upon it. Each panel has separate candi-
date and party printed on it. AT the top is
the party emblem and in the middle place