The evening times., 1900-10-05

It is said that one of the significant
features of the pending campaign is the
apathy manifest in several States in the
matter of polling the soldier vote in the
field.
It is said that in almost all the North
ern States the party of the Administration
is in control Of the governmental machin-
cry, and hence responsible for any neglect
to make appropriations, or otherwise pre-
pare for securing these ballots. This af
fords a striking contrast with 1893, when
State after State pushed through its Leg
islature the acts necessary for polling the
troops.
The difference in the political conditions
then and now may or may not, it is said,
account for the change; at any rate, many
people will discern here a distinct relation
of cause and effect. In 1895 the country
was engaged in a foreign war with foe
man believed to be worthy OF its steel.
AS far as the popular emotions were con-
cerned, the patriotic impulse was all in
the direction of supporting the Admins
tration. The chances were more than fair
that the soldiers in the field, balancing
their mere Americanism against their
hardships and discomforts, would vote to
sustain the party in power a matter of
pride. Although at that time there were
some loud whispers of a policy of terrific
rial ACKNOWLEDGMENT upbn which the Ad-
ministration was about 10 enter, that poll
cy had not yet crystalliZed, nor could any
one foresee its probable fruits. In 1909,
on the contrary, there are about $4,000
soldiers in the Philippines engaged in
war which has grown out Of the still
young expansion programme.
Soldiers who have spent a year in the
archipelago, tested its climate in all sea-
| sons, and perhaps had a taste of hospital
| life, will be very likely to see the issues
| of the present campaign in the order in
| which they were placed at Kansas City
/ that is, with the question of Imperialism
! foremost Does it pay for the United
! States to hold fast the Philippine Islands?
/ That is the way the question to be settled
| in November reads, through the speeta-
| cles of the soldier engaged in keeping
| Aguinaldo's remnant OF an army il check
The Democrats accuse the Republicans
| of lukewarmneSs toward the soldier vote
| this year because afraid to put the Ques-
! tion Of Imperialism to the test CT a vote
| By the men who have presumptiFely most
| of q personal stake in the results. The Re
/ publcans retort that they have no such
| fear, but that the men from the various
| States are so scattered under the present
/ organization of the Army that it would be-
| d tremendously expensive undertaking, and
| LISE Il6 results NOulO AOl justify IL
How the Vote Is Taken.
The ways of taking the votes in the field
| differ with different States. For example.
| New Jersey soldiers vote by proxy, each
! soldier being furnished with a blank in du-
Dlicate which he has to fill cut and prop
| erly attest, naming the person who Is TO
| represent him at the polls in his home pre-
! cinct. One copy OF this proxy he forwards
TO the man who Is to serve in his place,
I and the other to the election authorities.
| so that the two copies act as checks upon
each other when the soldiers representa-
! tive appears at the polling place. This
| method is considered to have some adYan-
| tage5 in the fact that it simplihes the vot-
! ing, insures prompt count of the whole
| ballot, and obviates as far as possible the
| practice Of fraud. Another method is that
| pursued by Pennsylvania, in which, at
| each captains headquarters. q poll is open
| ed on election day, and every Pennsylvania
| soldier within mile OF the poll, unless ac-
| lively engaged with the enemy or other
! wise necessarily prevented, is expected to
| cast his vote as he would at home. II has
| the disadvantage OF prOlonging the inter
I val of uncertainty bstween the day OF vot-
! ing and a proclamation OF the results II.
/ precincts where the vote is at all close.
To counterbaance this it insures the SOL
| Gier's individual action upon each cand;-
date presented for his suffrage. whereas
the New jersey plan leaves a good deal to
! thS discretion of the person who acts as
proxy, and if that person dies or refuses to
serve, the soldier loses his vote.
There is another element which, 1t IS
| said enters into the consideration OF
the soldier vote in the field. namely, the
| expense of taking il Massachusetts
| Representative declared two years ago
that it cost about S2Co.C in cable tolls
| to send the full text of the lcng Austria
! liam ballots to the soldiers across the
seas. 1t is safe TO assume. however,
| that if the dominant party had felt srf-
| ffciently secure Of the result. and that
that result when it came would be in
some sense decisive for it's own SIDE,
the money would have been forthcoming
The Hstlessness shown by NEST of the
State Governments this year is well typt-
fed by the failure of New York to make
the necessary appropriation-an omis-
SIGN in strong contrast with the course
of the State in 1898. when the Legisla-
ture was called in extra session to en-
act laws assuring to every New York
soldier a chance to cast his ballot.
Laws Which Are Relics.
Some Of the laws under which the
States acted in 1898 were relics. with
little or no amendment. of the laws en-
acted during the civil war to insure the
soldier vote in the field The only Presi-
Dental election held at that time was IN
1854. President Lincoln running for
election against General Mcclellan. So
large a proportion of the younger voting
element was absent from some of the
States then that the soldier vote was
extremely important. For instane. 600
California troops in the field voted for
Lincoln and 237 for Mcclellan; of New
| Hampshire's soldiers, 2,135 voted for
Lincoln and 1,87S for Mcclellan; Il coo
| Ohio soldiers voted for Lincoln and 6, 200
voted for McClel1an-the Importance of
the soldier vote in this case appearing
plurality of those Ohioans who voted
at their homes was only q 0G9, the ad-
| dition of the soldiers vote raised it 20
SO, 600. Wisconsin furnished $4,000 vet
ers in the field, Michigan 1880. Ken
tucky 1000, Kansas 1.600. and Rhode ISL
and LOCO. AS compared with such to-
tails, the soldier vote in the field today
would seem dwarfsh. and it is doubtful
even if as much spirit would be shown
by the soliers in 1898.
| Some of the Republicans not enly de-
| fend the apathy in the States this year
on the ground of the insignificance of
the total soldier vote. but go so far as
| to claim that if the soldiers in the Phil
i2pines all voted there would he great
rreponderance in favor of the keeping OF
the islands.
Cooperative Establishment.
Of chief interest in the testimony of
John Kunzler, President of the American
Glass Workers Union, of Pittsburg, be-