The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-03-10
A SHAMEFUL SPECTACLE.

OF TO MAINTAIN.
A SHAMEFUL SPECTACLE.
The need of a ballot machine system
has received new emphasis in the de-
velopments just made in Santa Clara
County. According to all the press Of
San Jose the will of the majority Of the
people of the county was completely
overthrown, defeated and trodden I'M
der heel because Of the stupidity. the
'invincible ignorance, the insufferable
assurance and overbearing. and the cor
ruption of election officials.
This was not confined to city pre-
cinets, but the blunders were found in
ton boards stubbornly refused or
stupidity failed to follow the plain in
structions given them under the law.
and printed so large and clearly that
they could not mistake them on the
blanks. They muddled things so shame
fully that there was scarce a precinct
in the county that sent in returns prop
erly.
On the trial before the Superior Court
after the contest in which these dis
closures were made closed. the presid-
ing Judge discovered evidences of fraud
of the buying and selling of votes. and
thereupon of his own motion he has
just reopened the case, and now the
whole shameful scandal is to be ripped
up and laid bare if the court can dc it.
The Judge found on examination a
remarkable similarity and regularity in
the markings of many ballots, and a
popularity in many cases suggesting
that thumb nail stamps" had been
used in court, while the contest went
on, possibly under the very nose of the
Judge He also found certain thumb
prints evidently pressed upon the bal
lots to identify them, that the buyer
of votes might be assured that his
hireling had delivered the goods.
If there is any virtue in Mark Twain's
thumb print story of 'Pudd'n Head Will
son." these inprints on the Santa Clara
ballots ought to plump some one into
State prison for long penal residence.
At present the shameful scandal Is the
talk of all Santa Clara County.
Now the voting machine cannot make
thumb print marks, reasonably it may
be assumed it cannot lie. It does not
mark ballots at all, though most of the
machines furnish print in duplicate
of the metal registration of the votes
ing as the voting goes on. 1t cannot
possibly cheat, except all the election
officers collide to throw the mechanism
out of order. Even then it's irregularity
viii be recorded and the defeat Of the
schemers be disclosed by the machine
itself
However. human trust has to be re-
posed somewhere, and no machine can
be made that will not be susceptible to
some misuse But the machine. while
preserving every right and sovereign
away superior in it's record to the old
time count and tally system, with its
booty clerks, weary inspectors and faint
judges, DOING over smoky lamps in
dingy, Sitting polling places at late
hours, aided in their carelessness by
stupid assistants, and bossed by their
own arrogant assumption of possession
of all the knowledge Of earth.
1t is greatly to be regretted that we
are making in this progressive State
such slow progress in reforming the
election system. The Australian fea-
ture of it is admirable. The secret
booth is ideal. The blanket ballot is all
right save in it's alphabetical massing
of names instead of using the parallel
column method, and the straight ticket
voting method. But the Australian sys-
tenn cannot possibly provide against the
ignorance, stupidity and laundering of
incompetent officials. when it comes to
counting, nor against the manipulation
Of the ballots by thumb nail stamp
thieves-thieves in the sense that the
reversal of voters will by false mark
ing or counting is theft of the worst or
der-or the sublime indifference Of off,
Gals of the election to the obligations
of their oaths.