The record-union., 1896-10-29
A MARES NEST.

Our -Populist friends in
some quarters are a good deal disturbed
about possible complications in count
ing the votes for their Presidential
Electors next Tuesday night. But real
1y there is not the slightest reason for
their sweating intelligence over the
matter.
Under the law the Democratic and the
Pnpulist Presidential Electors are
placed upon the ballot separately,
though the names are the same and rep
resent the same persons
Our friends of the fusion-opposition
are worried over these fears: First, that
some people, though the ballot reads
vote for nine" may really vote for
eighteen, by marking the Electors of
both groups. and that in such cases the
Board of Election may throw out the
vote. Second, that more votes may be
cast for one group than the other, but
the less number be counted only In the
aggregate, on the ground that it occurs
FIRST In the ballot list.
Now. there is nothing whatever in
this scare, and if there was, on a re-
count fthe courts would straighten it
has been so held always. that the Elec-
tion Board must strive to give the will
of the voter expression, and must as
certain that will from the ballot giving
- 10 in, c;,,o
terpreting it technically and rigidly.
The Civil Code provides that wherever
the same name Is used twice in any
document the presumption is that it
stands for one person only. and this pre-
sumption can be overcome only by proof
that the names represent two persons.
However. the Election Boards never
Will get that far.
Here IS the whole case: Every ballot
will represent but one vote. By no pos
sible means can 1t be made to count for
two persons for the same Office. There
fore, If the names Of the Democratic
Populists unstamped. the first will be
Tailed one vote each. If the names Of
the Populist Electors are found
stamped, and the Democratic names are
blank or unstamped. the Populists Will
get one vote each only. So, then, to re-
peat, each ballot can tally but one
vote, and the aggregate of the votes de-
termine the selection.
I,t e,,x~,~@~o ~..,oo ,-o+or~
cross opposite the names in each case:
that Is, twice on one ballot and that
John Smith gets two crosses on the bal
lot Then the Election Board will count
the first one called off, and it will be
tailed, and the second will be ignored.
for 1t cannot be permitted that one bal
lot may record two votes and the board
knows, and the presumption is, that the
two names stand for one person. So the
ballot will again record but one vote
and the true intent of the voter.
But may not the Election Boards
throw out the vote for Electors If two
sets are marked The boards must do
so If, and only In case the two mark
iH6S lOI tWO SebS VI Inherent per-
sons.
Now as on the tally sheets the names
of candidates occur precisely as they do
on the ballots used by the voters, and
with the same political designations
when the tally sheets are footed up, the
clerks will carry out opposite each name
the number of tallies recorded for it,
and in each group of the duplicated
names, each name will receive the num-
Der of tallies representing the one vote
cast for 1t by each ballot This fact will
be returned as a fact, and the Cam
vassing Board. which meets some ten
days after the election, will determine
the grand total by adding together the
votes Of the precincts. and we take it
that they will give to each person all the
votes cast for him, whether as Populist
or as Democrat, and thus the viii Of the