New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-03-31
NAY BE GIGANTIC GRAB.
JOKER IN D4TIS BILL.
Would Put Millions into the Treas
ury of a Totiug Machine Com pdnB.
ley TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE :

Albany. March 3o-A joker snugly hidden IN
Senator Davis's voting machine bill dis
covered to-day. Il would if enacted into law.
compel the election authorities Of every com
munity in the state 10 buy voting machines OF
a single corporation. the machine 70 be Sc
lected by practically unknown board of COM
missiouers at a cost Of more than SJ.OOOOOO.
The city Of Nev-York alone would he forced.
the moment this committee decided on a voting
machine. 10 expend at least $2OOOOOO in equip
ping each election district with the machine.
Moreover il is a fact of common knowledge that
lobbyists Of political Importance. who are inter
ested in a certain voting machine company, are
busily' engaged in OilinE the wheels for the
passage Of this measure. which may prove. when
fully exploited to be the most colossal grab bill
Of the session.
This joker is inserted I'm the bill so cleverly
that il had escaped the nOtice OF Senator Da--is
himself. and he expressed great surprise when
II was called to his attention to-day. The
Davis bill is intended TO regulate the use Of
voting machines. and amends the existing law.
As the law stands to-day the Board of. Elec-
tions Of the city Of New-Tork, or the Common
Council ~ any other city, or authorities Of any
town may adopt any kind Of a voting ma
chine approved by the State Board Of Election
Commissioners. This section is not amended
by the present law. but the proposition that
these commissioners shall decide a machine
is inserted. Now comes the joker. Section 100
OF the law provides: The local authorities
adopting n voting machine shall. as
practicable thereafter. provide for each polling
place one or more machines" This Is amended
TO read thus: The local authorities. when
notified Of the adoption OF voting machine
by the state board designated in this act. shall
At once provide for each polling place one or
more voting machines I'm complete order Of the
type adopted" And the next section. which at
present allows the local authorities 70 provide
funds for the purchase Of voting machines is
amended so as to make it mandatory on the
Board os Elections.
Reduced 10 practical terms. what this means
is this. The style and requirements of voting
machine are carefully prescribed in the law. so
it IS quite possible that only one kind of ma
chine could be adopted. Any time. therefore.
that this mysterious commission shall decide on
a voting machine. all it has to do Is to inform
the Board Of Elections in New-York City, and
that body will have no option. but must pur-
chase these machines at once me cost OF d
voting machine Is approximately S0pO mus
the CITY Of NeV-York il IL purchased only two
machines for each election district would he
compelled under the Davis law to spend at least
So 2.OOOOOO in buying one kind OF machlne.
Every village. town and city in the state OF
New-York would be placed at the absolute
mercy of the corporation anufaCturing this
machine and over Sj.OOO.OOO would be paid out
Of the public treasury INTO that OF the COrpOla-
ton
II is perfectly well known that lobbyists Of no
small political importance are here in the In
terests Of this bill the full import OF which was
discovered to-day. The Davis bill Is so long and
complicated and the amendment Is so snugly I'M
badded in il that the scheme has up to the Tges-
ent moment entirely escaped attention. plan
which violates all the principles of home rule
and would put millions OF dollars into the
rocLets of the stockholders Of n certain voting
machine manufacturing company Is thus
brought 10 light.
when Senator Davis was asked tonight about
+be hin he did not attempt any defence OF its
provisions. but declared he would have IL
amended before it was passed so that the man
Jatorv feature would be removed and the matter
left in the hands OF the local authorities 10 de-
ri5a whether they would use the machine and
what machine they would use.
How did that provision now existing get in?''
Senator Davis was asked
well" he said. with a smile, 1T Is out now
This is Of course. slight exaggeratiOn. as
the amendment has not yet been added. Senator
DavIs's answer helps to emphasize the charac-
ter OF the bill as conceived and introduced.