The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-10-20

state winch the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. or tne
thousand or two by failure to mark the
ballot constitutes has received due atten-
ton, but the still greater menace which
lies in the failure of more than 40, 600
people to vote because to do SO required
the physical sxertion Of walking
to the polls OF of Harvesting horse
and riding there, has received no atten-
ton whatever. While the mental
strain required to make a Gross on an
Australian ballot ID in fair way to be
relieved, no provision has been suggested
for the relief of the physical strain In
volved in having only one polling place
in town. Unless our elections are TO be
handed over entirely to people who take
interest enough in the questions at issue
to induce than to voluntarily undergo
this strain, which it can readily be seen
would be calamitous, something must be
done. The prob lem would be COMPARE
tievly easy one. II it were not for the
matter OF expense. Men could be en-
ployed to take the ballot box from house
to house and collect the ballots. This
would assure full vote undoubtedly,
because no citizen would probably be so
Indifferent or SO lazy as to refuse to let a
ballot drop from his hand into box held
directly underneath. But there would be
expense to this, and the State must not
be saddled with any expense for deter
mining what the opinions of its citizens
are as to the men who should fill its
of4 Init ifc offo {va
persons who went around with the boxes
would probably not be willing to do it
for nothing. Possibly an ARA ngement
night be made with the tax collector to
collect the taxes and the votes at
the same time without any charge
collecting the former. There tare
some objections to this plan, however.
The tax gatherer is generally not persona
grata to most of the voters, and people
not ready to fork over have been known
to absent themselves from home on his
approach. So there would be the danger
in this plan that full vote might not be
thrown. Another plan which has 90.
Cured to us is the sending of the ballot
of the head of the family to school by the
children, there to DO deposited with tho
teacher. But this Is not without weak
points. Some heads Of families have no
children. Several other solutions more or
less effective have presented themselves.
but they all have some outs The COM
bined wisdom of the legislature will,
however, we have no doubt be sufficient
for the solution Of the problem. Let us
sum up briefly what Is demanded:
First, system Of voting which will
impose no mental strain whatever A re-
turn to the old system. when the ballot,
all ready for deposit. was put into. the hand
of tho voter by some approved heller,
win solve this part Of the problem.
Second, q system of voting that will re-.
quire no physical exsrtion. This could
be easily solved II it were not for the
third essential, which is
That the system shall involve absolute
ly no expense to the State.
If the legislature succeeds in construct
ing system which will answer all these
requirements the great danger to the
State that lies in the Acknowledgement Of
people who don't take interest enough
to inform themselves as to the simple
requirements of the present system, or are
too apathetic to walk half mile to the
polls, will be averted. This is certainly
an end which will repay any amount Of
mental labor for its achievement When
the state can be run without putting
any strain on body or mind then every
thing will be lovely.