Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-08
BOARD MEMBERS in THIRD WARD
WANT TO VOTE IN OLD
FASHIONED WAY.
STAND TWO AGAINST ONE
Use Of Universal Voting Machines
Authorized by Board Of Supervisors
in Third and Ninth Precincts -
Frank Fielder Favors Experiment.

81 am heartily in favor of the use OF
the voting machine in the third ward
at the coming election" said Mayor
Picker this morning when Informed
that an effort was being made In GER
tain quarters to influence the mem
bers of the election board Of that ward
to refuse to allow the use of the ma
chine permission for which was grant
ed by the board of supervisors at
recent meeting.
II am not voter in that ward but
as mayor of the city and in view Of
the fact that the city council has re-
Gently purchased seven Of the ma
chimes for use by the city in city cleo
tions am anxious to have the ma
chine given a trial. believe that
fully nine-tenths Of the people of the
third ward desire to use the machines
at the coming election.
Anxious for Trial.
II am anxious that it be given a
trial then for the reason that the board
has authorized the use of the machine
in addition to the regular Australian
ballot system. If it should become
evident that the machine will not do
the work little damage will be done
and the voting can be continued by
the old method.
II do not believe it is treating the
voting machine people fair to allow
them to incur the expense of keeping
extra machines in the city and be at
the expense of having two or three
men in charge for the purpose of ex-
planning the workings Of the machine
to voters If at the last moment the
election board is going to take matters
into its own hands and is going con.
trary to the desire of practically every
body in refusing to allow the use of
the machine.
Personally am heartily in favor
of the machine and believe it to be
all right in every way. have heard
| but two or three who are opposed tc
the machines. When such splendid
opportunity for it's experimental use
is available it certainly looks queer tc
me that the board of that ward vii
take an action that not only seems
against the desire of the board of SUI
pervisors. but certainly against the
4 wishes of a majority of the voters O.
the ward"
Favored by Fielder.
Frank Fielder. one of the three mem
bers of the election board of the thirt
ward, is heartily in favor of the ex
perimental use of the machine at tn,
coming election.
George Pierce states that he is on
posed to the use of the machines, ant
while Henry CRUDE. the third membe
OF the board, could not be seen, it j
said that he opposes the use of tn
machines. Upon what grounds MI
CRUDE opposes the machine is no
stated.
Pierce's Objections.
Mr.. Pierce when asked to state hi
reasons for his objection to the me
chine, said: 81 went up to the cour
house and tested the machine in ever
imaginable way. / decided that di
not want to use it myself. My oil
jections to the machine first. are ths
it will be impossible to get in all th
votes; second, that there are alway
ten or dozen travelling men who wan
to vote in the morning before goin
out and if We used the machine som
one could get in and hold the machin
and cause them to loose their vote
In the third place object to the M
. chine because of the difficulty of vo
ing a split ticket in the case of til
justices and constables."
In Answer.
In answer to these arguments M
Bemis, who represents the Univers
Voting Machine company, says: 81
the experiment show whether the m
: chimes will vote the ward or not Ye
can never find out if you do not tr
We know that it will. The expel
: ment will prove it. You will hay
!, your Australian system to fall bae
: on if it doesn't and there is no possib
: danger of losing single vote.
> AS for the difficulty of splitting Il
ballot on group ticket leave tn
!. to the judgment of any fair mindt
man who will come and examine Il
machine The method is perfectly Sill
pie. Actual use at elections ha'
proven that any man of ordinary
= telligence has no difficulty at all. u
: best way TO settle this argument is
come and examine the machine.
8 Authorized by State.
n "As for the argument that check
S the names on card and then droppil
d the card into the slot in the machi
a is not legal, that whole matter a
= been settled in the courts. The sta
e Legislature has provided for the use
A. voting machines and has a comm
sion appointed for the purpose of {
aiming and passing upon voting n
:. chimes. Our machine has been pass
,Iuon nv This commission in every &C