Evening star., 1896-11-03
At FOUR MILE RUN
Scenes at the Balloting at the Nearest Viz
ginis Precinct.
The Constable an Important F'nctor
in Aiding the Il1iternte How to
Cast Their Votes.

Just across the Potomac in Alexandria
county the excitement over the election
today was at fever heat. At an early hour
this morning the crowds began to gather
about the voting places and there they
stayed for the most part all through the
day. Scenes that are being enacted all
over the country were being duplicated in
the little villages across the river and
knots of men stood about for hours at a
time discussing the situation and the prob
able outcome of the battle of the ballots.
The voting place nearest to this city was
at Four-NIile Run and there all the voters
from a section Of country extending from
the limits of Alexandria to the Aqueduct
bridge and well back into the county had
an opportunity to say their say In the
election Of the ccuntry's next President.
This section is known as the Jefferson
''deestrick.' and it is said that fully three
fourths of the voters are colored men.
There are in the neighborhood of $50
voters in the district. and when Star
reporter visited Four-Mile Run this morn-
ing fully a third of them were standing
about discussing matters OF national in
tcrest ard settling the financial question
over and over again. In the crowd there
were not more than six or eight white
men outside of the election Cff1cers. They
all admitted that the colored voters would
cast their ballots almost to man for
Nlchlnley, Dut now HldIy VI tHt NOtcS
would ever get counted. they also admitted,
was quite another matter.
Importance of the Constable.
The polling place was small brick build
ing on the main road between this city and
Alexandria. On the little porch were erect
ed two closets booths. into which the
voters were expected to retire to fix up
theil ballots. The only man who was per-
NIT n The hOothS with
the constable who was charged with
the duty of aiding the i!literatc in scratch
ing their tickets. He wore a Bryan button
conspicuously pinned to the lapel of his
coat, and as almost every man who was
unable to read. expressed a desire to vote
for Mckinley, it can readily be seen that
the constable occupied a position of con-
siderable Importance. When voter told
him which ticket he wanted to vote. the
constable would show him which names to
scratch off. leaving the voter to do the
actual penciling himself. 1t Seemed as
though fully half of the voters were COM
PEELED to call upon him for assistance
The constable said to The Star reporter
that, in his opinion, there would be thouS
andS of votes that would be thrown out
because they We're not properly made out
There's a man in that booth now" he
said, who thinks he can scratch his ticket
all right and refuses to let me help him.
and yet I know very well that he's simply
throwing his vote away, because he don
kIOW how TO make II out. / ShOuldnt Dtt
surprised If $1,000 votes are thrown out in
this state for that very reason"
Made to Confuse.
That's just about right. said a we'll
known Alexandria republican when the
statement was called to his attention.
These ballots are made in the first place
with a vieH to confusing ignorant voters.
They are more than two feet long and con-
tain the names of five presidential candi-
dates, congressional candidates, electors
and the rest. [ tell you it would take Il
Philadelphia lawyer to properly under
stand hm Right here IN this district two
OF the thee Judges are democrats, and SO
is the clerk and the constable. a voter
who is unable to read has to be assisted
by {, democrat. and yet the chances are
ten to one he's republican himself. l
am confident ttat if every vote cast in this
state were counted as it was intended 10
he Virginia would go republican by from
five to ter thousand.
There was comparatively little excite
rnent about the voting place. AS fast as
the voters had thrust their slips through
hole in the window behind which the
Judges sat they retired to the railroad plat
form and spent the rest of the day talk
ing politics or discussing the latest murder
loo