Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-11-05
CROSS IN THE CIRCLE
First Duty of Democrats in Enter.
ing BaIloting Booths
Tomorrow.
LEGISLATIVE CHOICE
City Committee on Guard Against
, Illegal Voting..Political
Points.

The first duty of the democrat who
desires to vote his ticket straight to-
| morrow is to place cross in the cir
Gle at the head of the democratic
ticket. Under ordinary circumstances
this would be all that is necessary to
vote the full ticket, but under tie
peculiar existing conditions as to
the legislative candidacy it is neces-
sary to indicate a preference between
the two candidates, or the ballot, as
far as it pertains to them, will be of
no effect. THE ARGUS has spoken
heretofore of the various methods by
which a ticket under these circum-
stances can be voted, the simplest
way being. in addition to marking the
circle, to place cross in the square
before the name OF the candidate pre-
ferred for the legislature.
As has been said before, the.course
most to be desired by dem ocrats is
that involving a vote for straight
democratic nominees. In the case of
Messr5. McEniry and Andrews, the
only question now that comes up
is as to which would be the
more desirable party representative
to have in the legislature. MIR. Nc
Eniry's democracy is above question
or dispute, whereas Mr.. Andrews has
been placed at a decided disadvantage
in preparing for the emergency of in
dependent candidacy, it being the rule
of both political parties that a man
who would run independently after
his party had turned him down is not
q good party man, and in his car
rying in the columns of 'his paper
the republican national, state
and congressional tickets, and his
attack, even since being placed
on the ticket, on the democratic presi-
Dental elector from the Tenth dis
'trict, c. K. Laid. against whom he
has a personal grievance. So that re-
gardless of the intensity of Mr.. An
drews' democracy, otherwise, his
methods have not been such as to
merit the unqualified Endorsement of
the party.
This much is said for the informa-
tion and benefit of democrats who de-
sire TO hew as close as possible to the
party line tomorrow. 1t is for the
people to determine upon the legisla-
tive as we'll as all other political ques-
tons, and upon them will be the con-
sequences of how the election may go.
watching the Vote.
After a careful inspection of the
registration books in the Seventh ward
the city democratic committee is sat-
isfied of registration in excess of
the legal voters of the ward
and measures have been determined
upon that will result in prosecutions
if sufficient evidence of illegal voting
is obtained. The committee has con-
frmed the. suspicious voiced through
THE ARGUS last week in its compari-
sons of the census and registrations
returns. Not alone in the Seventh,
but in other wards. there are names on
the registration books that have no
legal right to be there. All respecta-
bic citizens agree in the demand for
an honest vote tomorrow and should
lend their assistance in suppressing
illegal tactics. The democratic COM
mittee has taken the initiative and
will relentlessly pursue through pro-
cess of law any and all who are de-
tected in the act of illegal balloting.