Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-11-10

in many parts of the county has grown
rather diminished in recent years I'M
til Rock Island county now enjoys the
distinction of being about the last to
be heard from n the state at large af-
ter an election has been held. Away
down in the back woods of Egypt and
out in the remote corners of the state
where there are no railroads or other
facilities for reaching the county seat
promptly, they manage to get the re-
Island county.
The shortcoming peculiar to Rock
Island, and it is of the most exas-
perating kind, is one which THE AR
GUS, in the discharge of it's duty to
the public, has exhausted every means
at its command to remove. 1t has
spared neither pains nor expense to
get the returns from all parts of the
| county promptly and accurately. 1t
has appealed to the election officers in
the strongest manner possible, to fur
nish the public with what is properly
the public's due. Through it's per-
sistent efforts the returns from Rock
Island, and through like spirit on the
part of Moline papers, the results in
that city, now come in to a reasonable
certainty. At least this was true of
the late election. And the election Of
ficers, who are thus to be praised for
| their consideration, have a hundred
| to one more difficult tasks than the
rural officers.
But country brethren will not heed.
That is to say the majority of them
| will not. Either through conscien-
tious scrupples or because OF an in
difference to public requirements they
simply will not respond. 1t has been
| said that in certain instances the di-
| vulging of the results of the election
prior TO the announcement OF the
same by the legally constituted can
wasting board is regarded as a vio
lation of sworn duty. In this respect
some of the judges seem to feel them
| selves bound by the requirements of
secrecy applicable to grand jurors,
Prior to last Tuesdays election
THE ARGUS sent out letters to the
judges in every voting precinct in
the county, accompanied by blank
forms OF the ballot 10 be filled in and
stamped return envelopes, asking the
favor of response, this in the inter-
est of the public. Some thirty of
these were mailed, and Just ten came
| back as requested. When THE ARGUS
was preparing this plan, County Clerk
Hubbard said: II wish you every sue
cess, but l doubt exceedingly if you
will attain it. We have tried it and
failed. We have asked Judges to
bring US in an abstract of the vote of
| their respective precincts, and are do
ing the same this year. and have
asked for the same at as early a date
as possible, but for some reason they
will not in all instances comply.
Some do, but there are more who will
not. We cannot understand it
There ought to be law making it
mandatory, not only for speedy re-
turn of the sealed results of the cleo
tion TO the county clerks, but of an
bstract of the vote. There is no
reason why the full returns of Rock
Island county should not have been
in the hands of County Clerk Hubbard
by noon last Wednesday at the out
side, and in every instance a copy of
the same provided in addition to the
sealed ballots and tally sheets. The
law should apply in such cases. 1t
should do this much, not for the bene-
ut of the newspapers, but the public:
the people who vote.
Until some way is reached to ac-
complish the end so much desired,
it might be well to inject, a little
new material into the competition of
the election boards in some parts of
the county.