The San Francisco call., 1903-12-01
VOTING MACHINES
DEVELOP A ROW
Alameda Politicians in
Throes Of Another
Imbroglio.
Jordan and Leavitt, Repre-
senting Rival Firms,
Head Factions.
Oakland Office San Francisco Call.

Oakland Office San Francisco Call,
Ills Broadway, Nov. 30.
The battle of the ballot machines.
now in progress in Alameda County,
is of more than local interest and be-
fore it is finished it bids fair to in
VolVe personages of local. State and
even national consequence. Not only
is the local political atmosphere thor
oughly charged with the ballot ma
chine electricity, but the galvanism has
reached even to the Capital at Sacra-
mento.
The contest before the local Super
visors has been one for a big contract
that involved the expenditure of a
great deal of money, and this contract
has threatened TO disrupt party and
faction in Alameda County. State Of
fetal is arrayed against State official.
Political factions are being brought
into conflict over the question of which
machine shall be chosen, positions,
nominations and political influence are
being traded and bartered, while po-
litical futures are being wrecked and
made.
The trouble began when Frank c.
Jordan, Clerk of the Supreme Court.
was chosen manager for the Columbia
Ballot Machine Company of Indiana
polls, Ind. While this company has its
headquarters in the Hoosier CITY. if is
really an Oakland concern. This is
the famous Christensen machine" that
inquired before a session of the State
Legislature several years ago. 1t is
backed, largely, by George w. Reed
and Emil Nusbaumer of Oakland with
various and sundry stockholders scat
tered from Oakland to the East.
MACHINE FAILS TO WORK.
Frank Jordan took this machine to
the convention Of Supervisors that was
helo at Martinez a very few months
ago. and he was there booked to read
an address upon Voting Machines"
Then came the first hitch. There
were two hitches, in fact One was
with the Columbia ballot machine and
the other was with F. C. Jordan.
During the session Of the Supervis-
ors or the State the Columbia ballot
machine failed to work and .Jor-
dan abandoned its management and
became the manager of the United
states Standard ballot machine.
The stockholders Of the Columbia
Ballot Machine Company sag that Jor-
dan injured their sample machine so
that it would not work and tnen aban-
doned them for the rival concern. JOr-
dan retalates by saying that he dis
covered that the Columbia machine
would not work and he abandoned il
or his own free will.
Whatever the fact may be, Jordan
next made his appearance as the rep
resehtative Of the United States Stand
ard machine and State Senator Frank
w Leavitt appeared as the manager
Of the Columbia machine. and il he
came State official against State Off
cial in the contest to see which one
could place the greatest number of bal
lot machines in the control of the va
rious county Supervisors.
1t was just about this time that Gov
ernor George c. Pardee took a hand in
affairs.
GOVERNOR INTERFERES.
Governor Pardee had a legal. moral
and political right to take the hand
that he did. He had legal right be-
cause the law that authorized ballot
machines in California made him ex-
oflcio a member Of the commission that
was TO pass upon the ballot machines
that were to be submitted to the boards
OF Supervisors for selection. He had
a moral right as the head Of the State
government and he had political
right as the head of his party and the
head Of the Republican administration.
to which party both of the rival ma
chine promoters belonged.
So Governor Pardee sent for Jordan.
Mr.. Jordan was sent for in several ca
pacities. In the first place Governor
Pardee and Frank G. Jordan, then
County Clerk Of Alameda County. used
to "dO politics" together in Oakland.
In the second place Jordan is a mem
Der of the Republican administration
Of the State of California, of which
Governor Pardee is the head. In the
third place Governor Pardee is a mem
ber Of the ballot machine commission
and Jordan is a ballot machine pro-
moter. So in all of these capacities Jor-
dan called upon the Governor. The
Governor and the clerk of the Supreme
Court looked at each other.
Frank" said the Governor. do you
think IT looks 1ust right for a member
Of the State administration to be trying
to sell ballot machines to counties in
the State?" ti
Doc" replied the Clerk of the Su-
preme Court, who knew the Governor
il the days of his medical practice, "it
is a great deal better that 1 should die
with a wad than without any. There
is little matter between us, and there
can never be a settlement unless l
make that waG."
HIS FIRST STRAIGHT VOTE.
This is the story that Jordan himself
tells, and he has told it more than once
around Oakland since the battle of the
ballot machines began. At any rate.
Jordan still represents the United
States Standard ballot machine.
In addition to this story, Jordan told
another in which Governor Pardee fig
ured to the Board Of Supervisors. This
is the way Jordan told it to the Ala
media Supervisors:
Governor Pardee asked me to show