The Saint Paul globe., 1902-08-07
ASSEMBLY UNABLE TO GET TO.
GETHER ON USE OF VOT-
ING MACHINE
LOCAL INVENTION is
SAID TO BE THE CAUSE
If Members Fail to Agree at the Reg
ular Meeting This Way There Is Lit
tie Probability of Machines Being
Used This Year at Least.

The probabilities are that no voting
machines will be used at the election
TINS. fall even as an experiment An
ADJOURNED meeting of the Assembly
was called for last night at which rules
ana regulations were to have been
passed which would have allowed the
United States Voting Machine COM
pany to have placed one of it's voting
machines in the polling booth in the
hrst precinct of the Seventh ward.
~ President Schiffmann and Assembly
man Whltcomb were the only members
of the body to put in an appearance.
ana after waiting for fifteen minutes
for quorum the meeting was ad-
journed sine die.
3. H. Griggs, who is attorney for
the United States company, expressed
the opinion that had there been a full
attendance OF the members of the as
senbiy the resolution, adopting rules
and regulations which would allow the
use OF the machines, would have been
passed by a vote of to A.
According to Mr.. Griggs, the delay
in allowing the city to take advantage
OF the voting machine is in the inter
ests of machine which is being con-
structed by local firm and which is
not ready to be put on the market. In
order to prevent the trial of any ma
chine other than the one in which To-
cal parties are interested, Mr. Griggs
claims the assembly, or rather few
OF the members of that body are TAX
ing action which will prevent any vot-
ing machine being tried, even as an
experiment.
A representative of the company,
who has been talking for several years
about the machine patented by a local
man, and for the benefit of which the
legislature passed a law allowing vot-
ing machines to be used, said there
1@&I LI-s
regulating elections, provides that all
rules and regulations must be adopted
by, the council at least ninety days be-
fore election, and yesterday was the
possible day on which such action
could be legally taken. The fact that
the assembly did not concur in the
rules adopted by the board of alder
men at meeting last night, the repre-
sentative of the local company said,
made it impossible to use the ma
chimes at the coming election in any
precinct in the city.
President Schiffmann was of the
opinion that the city had no money to
spend in the purchasing of any voting
machines just at the present time
why we have not enough money to
pay the legitimate expenses of the
coming election let alone paying any,
thing out for voting machines" said
| the Seventh ward assemblyman. "The
understanding was that there should
| be an experiment made in one or two
precincts this fall, but last evening
notice the board of aldermen had a
resolution directing the city clerk to
| advertise for bids for purchasing
| number of machines. This puts very
| different complexion on the PROPOSE
| ton and looks as if an attempt was to
| be made to force the city to purchase
| a number of voting machines before
| the experiment has been tried
Mr.. Schiffmann took the ground that
| the failure of the assembly to hold
meeting last night and pass rules and
| regulations providing for the use of
machines would prevent any expert
ments being tried this fall, for the rea-
| son that such action must be taken
| ninety days Lefore an election. AS
| president of the assembly Mr.. Schiff-
| the notation made by the clerk follow
| ing his order that there being no
| quorum the meeting was adjourned
| sine die should be spread upon the
| minutes.
Mr.. Griggs, as attorney for the Unit
| ed States company, contends that the
| council having designated the use of
| voting machine in the First precinct
| of the Seventh ward it would be neces-
sary to use machine in that precinct
| in order to hold the election.
In order to force the members Of the
assembly to vote on the proposition
| the matter will be brought up at the
regular meeting of the assembly to be
held this evening.