The Savannah morning news., 1902-10-31
GOING HOME TO VOTE.
The Exodus From washington Not
as Large as in Former Years.

as Large as in Former Years.
Washington, Oct. 30.-"President
Roosevelt's Official announcement to
government employees, to the effect
that they are not required to go home
to vote, unless they want to, may
come back to plague him when he
comes up for reelection" remarked
an enthusiastic political hustler, who
has for number of years made 1t his
business to round up all of the voters
in the departments and send them
home to cast their ballots in national
elections.
Early in the present campaign, the
party workers, on both sides, made an
effort to induce the government en-
ployes in Washington to contribute to
the respective campaign funds. The
President heard OF 1t, and promptly is
sued an order prohibiting any one in
the public service from soliciting cam
paign contributions. He went further,
and announced that employees in the
government service need not feel
Obliged to contribute to the campaign
fund of their party, and they might
use their own discretion and conven-
fence about going home to vote.
THE Presidents order will cost us
several thousand votes" said an indig-
nant Republican, who has not only
made his contribution to the campaign
fund, but who intends to go home to
vote as he has done for many years
past. II have been. trying to get my
friends. who have votes in New York
to go home on election day, and in
many instances I have volunteered to
provide them with transportation, but
they say that they rely upon the Presi-
dent to protect them against any at
| tack which may be made upon them
hereafter by the political bosses"
THAT is not ALL" continued the New
Yorker "the railroad companies are
putting UP stiff kick because so few
voters are going home from Washing
ton this year. They usually carry out
OF the Capital City from 1000 to 10000
voters, at half rates. They offered half
rates again this year, but so far not
| a thousand applications have been
made for the reduced tickets"
| For many years employees in the gov
| eminent departments were expected to
| contribute certain percentage of their
| annual salary-men and women-to the
| campaign fund of the party in power.
| All Of the states had regular organi-
! cations here, and they were differed
| by prominent officials. Public officers
| in many incidents gave more attention
| to the political affairs of their respect
| i've states than they did to the BUSH
! ness of Uncle Sam. One notable spec
linen Of this class was Col Dan Gros-
venor, brother Of Representative
| Grosvenor of Ohio. Dan was chief of
! a division in the Treasury Department.
| He devoted most of his time to looking
| after the Ohio vote resident in Wash
| ington. His Office was the headquar-
| tiers for all visiting Republican poll
ticians from the Buckeye State, and
y
| dress Of every man employed in WASH
| ington who was entitled to vote in
| Ohio. He made 1t his business to keep
| informed as to their party loyalty,
| both from a financial and a voting
standpoint, and If they failed to come
| to time, they were made to feel the
| displeasure Of the party managers in
| variouss ways.
! New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois,
Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa and other
| big states maintained similar political
| agencies in this city, with official
| headquarters in the various depart
| ments, and every man who had not
| forfeited his right to vote in a doubt
| full state was required to give a good
excuse for not going home to vote on
| election day. Now the two parties are
more equally divided in the personnel
| of the departments, besides many of
| them feel secure under the Civil Serv-
| ice policy of President Roosevelt so
| they do not regard themselves bound
| to keep up their citizenship In their re-
| spective states.
This indifference in the approaching
| congressional election on the part of
governmental employees, is not confin-
| ed to the Republican ranks. Demo-
| Gratis are as apathetic as their political
| opponents. Many New York and Penn
| sylvania Democrats declined to go
| home to register, and also refused to
| accept free transportation from the
| Campaign Committee. There are many
| Democrats and Republicans here who
| are not in the government service, but
somehow they manage to retain the
| right to vote in certain states. Many
| of this class not only require that all
| of their expenses of going home to vote
| be paid, but they also demand conf
| pensation for voting the party ticket.
New York Democrats and Republi-
| cans are engaged In a desperate strug-
| gle to get every man entitled to vote
| in the Empire State to deposit his bal
lot at the coming election. Political
| cowboys are dashing around Washing
| ton trying to round up every man who
| has a shadow of a claim to vote in the
| Coler-Odell contest The traffic in votes
has been carried on in the doubtful
! states for many years. and 1t Will prob
/
| thousands Of irresponsible persons in
those states who rate their party 10y
| atty by the price the managers are
| willing to pay on election day.
| David B. Hill, in discussing this sub
| ject, with a few friends. recently. re-
| marked that 1.-The practice has grown
| to such an extent In New York. that
many of the so-called regular organi-
| cation men demanded to be compen-
stated before they will vote This
| practice" added Mr.. Hill. was car
| ried to extreme in the Flower and the
Morton elections. Mr.. Flower, after Sc
curing the nomination for Governor,
was ambitious to roll I'D an enormous
majority. He expended campaign funds
| with a recklessness which put all kinds
| of extravagant notions into the heads
| OF INSCRIPTIONS voters. Former Vice
| President Morton had a similar anbi-
1 ton when he was the Republican NOM
| inee for Governor. Mr.. Flower and Mr..
Morton had plenty Of money to throw
into the campaign fund, thus setting
a precedent which but few Of the gu
| bernatorial candidates can follow. The
| result is that 1t Is an impossibility to
| get out the full vote. without the ex-
/ penditure of vast sums Of money
among those supposed to be our own
x,conleY