Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-10-29
Observation-Disclosures
} IOWA PRESS COMMENTS

Change Desred.-A fling with the
county auditor of papers to be pre-
sented to the board of supervisors,
though addressed to the board, is not
a legal filing. The supreme court, in
decision landed down the other day
in the Polk county court house case,
has passed upon TINS point. The aud
itor, says the court, is not the agent
of the board of supervisors, but an in
dependent officer, most of whose du-
ties are entirely disconnected with
those of that body. 1t is true the aud
itor acts as the clerk of the board
when the board is in session, but no.
where is he, either while acting as
clerk of the board or independently as
auditor, required to receive or file ap-
plications or to present them to the
board when fled nor is it exacted of
the board to take notice of documents
of that character save when properly
presented. Speaking of the petition in
this case, the court says it might as
we'll have been filed with the treasur-
err or recorder, aside from the mere
matter of accessibility. 1t would seem,
then, that it would not be out of place
for the legislature to remedy the mat
ter 1t ought to be possible to make
legal filing through the county audi.
tor, for the board of supervisors does
not maintain a permanent office and
has no other clerk than the county au.
ditor The decision of the court must
be accepted as defining the law but
such law does not contribute to bust
ness convenience or to economy of ini
tiating business before the board OF
supervisors.-Sioux City Journal
Voting Machines for loWa.-The
Register is in receipt of letter from
Mr.. Gillespie. of jamestown, New
York. in which he warns the state
against a number of voting machines
that are offered in various Iowa cities
before long. Mr.. Gillespie says that
some machines, which sell for $10(
each or something like that, do one
or two things to perfection, but leave
all difficult things undone. One of the
machines that will probably be offer
led, provides for the voting being done
by means of balls and, as a voting ma
chine should have a capacity of no
less than thirty candidates and one
thousand votes for each candidate, ;
ball machine would have to have 80
600 balls, and it is needless to say tina
this is ridiculously impractical. /
voting machine, Mr.. Gillespie says
must be so constructed that it no
only provides for the present require
ments Of the law, but also provide
for possible changes, provides TO
voting for unnamed candidates. for flu
ture woman's suffrage, for voting OF
| special questions, etc, etc. In tn
: machine that uses balls the ball
: have to be counted in making up tn
returns, and in order to do so the ma
chine has to be taken apart, that is t
say, each section containing an offic
line is taken out and the balls counte
so that in the hands of an unscrupr
lous election officer great deal O
manipulation might be done, and i
fact whole section could be carrie
, away. In conclusion. Mr.. Gillespi
? says: "The people of Iowa should III
} dertsand this question before investin
) their money in something that ma
: prove to be total loss" Mr.. Gillespi
2 is the Atlantic, Iowa, man who inven
A ed voting machine, but had to go cas-
]. to find capital to make it and legisl
Y tors sufficiently wide awake to pr
D vide for its use. He represents vo
j ing machines, of course. but his lettt
/ is timely and the warning should
g needed. In selecting machine fl
J. use in Iowa all makes should be tho
oughly inspected and the best or
l. chosen.-Des Moines Register.
l. The Young Voters.-In every car
s |paign there are men who change the
= allegiance from one political party
# another. some from conviction TIL
the party they have been opposing
a nearest right, others because they fe
d that their greatness is not proper
e appreciated and rewarded. But