The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-11-04

New York-The voting this year
will cover a greater extent of terri
tory than ever before in the history of
the republic. There will be voting for
twenty-four hours, a fact unprece-
dented in American politics, for hard
1y will the ballots have ceased falling
in the East, in Cuba and in Porto
Rico before they will have begun
huttering in Hawaii. Then as the sun
rises in the PARKWAY Pacific the sol
diers in the remote Philippines will
continue the work of voting for the
various state candidates and for con-
gressmen.
Many of the volunteers will be in
mid-ocean, either coming from the
Philippines across the Pacific or
from Porto Rico on the Atlantic, and
there the unique work of voting will
go on as quietly and peaceably as
though the ballots were being cast in
the home cities of the soldier-boys.
All the states have made provisions
for voting, blanket ballots by the
thousands having been already
shipped to the various points where
garrison duty is being done, or in the
camps of the south where the various
divisions are being gathered for the
occupancy of Cuba Most of the
states have provided for commission
ers to supervise the voting of the sol
diers, and in this respect the system
differs materially from that in vogue
during the civil war, when the sol
diers were expected to vote by proxy
In their respective towns.
This method was most unsatisfac-
tory, for it required the sealing of the
votes by the soIdier-voter and its
transmission to a friend who was Civ
en- power of attorney to cast it for
him.
Not alone did this mean the loss of
many votes during the transmission,
but in numerous cases the soldiers
had no one to send them to, and
hence failed to vote at all.
This year the legislatures in some
cases met in special session and pro-
vided for the casting of the soldier
vote, while in other cases the gov
errors acted under existing laws to
cover such cases.
For instance, Governor Leedy, of
Kansas, has made a double provision
for the voting. In the case of return
ing Kansas troops from the Philip
pines he has arranged for a ballot in
mid-ocean. For the Kansas negro
soldiers at Santiago he has appointed
Rev. G. D. OIden, a Baptist negro
preacher as commissioner to carry the
ballots there, to supervise the voting
and to return with the sealed votes
as soon as they have been cast.
New York has already adopted spe-
cial measures to prevent the disfran-
chisement of the New York soldiers in
the Astor Battery at Manila. The
secretary of state found that a clause
in the soldier voting law permits the
use of an unofficial ballot where it is
impossible to send the official one
after the close of individual nOmina-
tons. The last day for nominations
was October 10 and it was found that
the official ballot could not be got to
Manila before election day, November
8. At one time it was feared that the
New York soldiers in the Philippines
would be disfranchised owing to this
condition of facts.
Mr.. Palmer had an unofficial ballot
prepared and will cable the late nom
nations to Manila so that the ballot
will be a duplicate of the one prepar-
ed in New York state. As the last
day for the state canvassing board to
close its IabOrs is December %. there
will be no trouble about getting the
Manila vote in the New York sta te
election canvassed, as the Manila
mails will reach Albany in ample
time.
New Jersey and several other states
adhere to the old law, and the sol
diers or sailors vote by sending a
sealed ballot to another elector in his
district to cast for him. The greater
number of the New Jersey ballots go
to Camp Meade, Pa, where the states
volunteers are encamped.