New-York tribune., 1897-11-21
MANY CHANGES NEEDED
COMMISSIONER BLAIR POINTS OUT
DEFECTS IN THE ELECTION LAW

AND cANvASSERS SHOULD BE siMri-if
VOTERS SHOULD HAVE MORE FREE
DOM IN THE SELECTION OF CAN
pIpArEs AND PRESENT EX-
HAusTIvE HOURS OF
LABOR SHOULD BE
SHORTENED.
Manv Lessons are always taught by popu'a'
election that do not directly concern 'he
cess OF one party the failure Oh "' ,s
This years battle Of the ballots WAS NV
over before the Election Commissioners
nv their experience with election cleiNs on"
voters began to tell each other OF chans w
should be made In the election laws ou' '
with the voting and the counting Oh '"e '
things Of the past, the Commissioners "i
clined to believe that If they cohsti'"'e' w
Legislature they would be more oisposeu
make a complete new law ina" ~ W ~
up the present statute.
The science OF voting and the compiehieh'ai'
sc,ence Of collecting the votes and ascertain
,ro ,beir decisions between the candidates nave
GRADUALLY been developed TO point where frauu
90 diaicult and where people Of ordinary lh'ei-
ugenco have no trouble in voting secretly lor
whom they wish. The part or the eiec'io'' oii'
cials is however so complicated oy an o'e'p'"'
of legal red tape that much is yet 10 oe "0'oi'i
plished the Election Commissioners say pe
fore perfection is approached. 1hs Se"'
election with it's unusual incentives 10 Note ie
gardless of party ties, and the uncommon spirit
of independence, placed before the poli cierhs
and the canvassers on Election Nlght CUT
lection Of ballots the like of which, TOT puzznhs
and pe-plexing problems was never equaHeu'
More than ever the Commissioners are coi-
WINGED that the laws should be simplihed ana
Of
reason in many particulars which mean little
to the man whose only work on Election Day Is
to cast his vote but much TO the army or clerks
which has TO work hard and long to give the
public the result Of the voting at the earliest
possible moment.
BENJAMIN f. Blair the vice-president OF the
Board Of Elections. has given unsparinGly or MS
time TO the study of the present election laws
and he has reached many interesting conclusions
concerning changes which in his opinion SHOULD
be made at the earliest opportunity. Commits
sioner Blair thinks that the ballot itself is sim
pie enough and that the average elector is now
fully educated in the art of voting But the
trouble is that the election law is too compll-
Gated, and that the entire system or con-
ducting elections should be simplhed. In
several respects. he thinks the present
law Is inferior TO those which have pre-
ceded IT, The Raines election law provides for
each polling place four canvassers and two poll
clerks Mr.. Blair says he does not think that
u force Of six men is needed at the polling place
all the time. and he would remedy the situation
by dispensing entirely with the ll'clerks dur
ing the polling hours of Election Day
SUGGESTIONS FOR CHANGEs.
Talking with a Tribune reporter yesterday In
his law ofice at No. 80 Liberty-st.. Mr.. Blair
said: "The present law, 1t seems to me. provides
altogether too much work for the election off,
cials. For some OF the work which the clerks
and canvassers are obliged 10 do ! can see no
urgent need. For instance the two poll clerks
. have to stay at the polls all day and busy them
\ selves Keeping record Of the election as the
law calls it. Here IS the paragraph describing
the work:
1.-The poll clerks will make no entry in respect
to any elector until an official ballot has been
delivered TO him by the ballot clerks and his
name and the number OF the ballot so delivered
have been announced by the latter officers They
will then enter in the first column. the number
of the elector in the successive order OF the
delivery Of the ballots That Is to say, the
first elector whom ballot is delivered Will
be No. l. the second elector No. =. and
80 on throughout the day. To avoid con-
fusion, II not al utter failure TO comply with
this requirement OF the law 1t will be necessary
for the poll clerks 70 exercise great care 1t
has been suggested that mistakes might be
avoided by keeping at hand sheet OF paper
and jotting down consecutivey thereon the num-
bers Of the electors as they receive their ballots.
BY that means the poll clerks will never be at
a loss as to the proper number of an eector. as
they might otherwise be because Of the necessity
of turning from one page to another Of the poll
book in order to enter the names Of the electors
IN alphabetical order"
LESS WORK FOR POLL CLERKS
"The object Of this work seems to be to insure
against an exchange Of ballots between the
voters and TO provide other hinderances for
fraud other provisions Of the law. believe,
accomplish the same result, and thus make this
work unnecessary After election the books on
which the poll clerks expend all this work are
rarely IL ever referred TO. IL l were asked to
suggest an amendment to the law. would pro-
pose that the poll clerks be relieved OF all duty
during the day and that either they or some
other set Of workers be provided to aid In the
counting OF the votes when the polls close late
in the afternoon
Few persons except those who have worked
at the polls ever realize the strain upon mans
mental and physical endurance wnich the pres
ent law compels the election official TO endure
The men obliged TO appear at the poinhS-
place early enough In the morning to have all
in readiness for the ballot-box to be opened Tor
business at q o'clock This means that they
must leave their beds and start out on their
work by o'clock. According TO the strict m
terpretation Of the law they cannot leave the
POLLING room from that time until the voting 10
done and the votes are all counted and that Is
rarely accomplished before midnight. and often
has to be prolonged indefinitely into the fol-
lowing day. Besides the inhuman treatment
which such laws infict, one must consider tne
ability OF man to work carefully and EN-
cientiy on the important task OF counting the
vote late at night. after an exciting and ex-
bausting day of the closest confinement is IL
any wonder that mistakes made In the |
counts, and that we have all this trouble with
fniscounts and miscalculations? No employer |
would think of asking his men 10 work steadily |
at an important job where vast interests were |
at stake for twenty or more hours without rest |
"A a nnuortunifY for refreshment