The San Francisco call., 1907-02-02
BILL TO PRY OPEN
VOTING MACHINE
Measure by Which Welch
May See Interior of One
of Devices introduced
PREPARED BY GATOR
CALL HEADQUARTERS,
1907 EIGHTH STREET,

SACRAMENTO, Feb 1-Unless par
liamentary distractions be employed to
secure protracted delay in the enact
ment of a bill introduced today by
Senator George Walker on behalf of
the Senate committee on elections, Sem
ator Richard WEIGH will have an op-
portunity to see the internal mechanism
of one of the voting machines employed
In the last general election in San
Francisco, and his expert will have an
opportunity to show how the machines
can be manipulated to defeat the will
of the voters
The row in the Senate committee yes
terday over Welch's resolution en-
powering 1t to employ an expert to
examine the voting machines resulted
IN the committee authorizing the draft
of a bill designed to accomplish what
a resolution could not. The services
of T. v. Gator, president of the San
Francisco Board of Election Commits
sioners, were impressed. and a bill was
drawn and introduced today.
OPENING OBJ MACHINES
The. committees bill provides that
whenever either house by resolution
shall direct that any special or stand
Ing committee have power and author
ity to investigate, the machines may
be opened within the six months pro-
hibitive period now provided by gen
eral law. If the purpose of the tnves-
tigation is merely to settle an cleo
ton contest, the machine must be
opened before the committee; but If
1t be for investigation OF the mechan-
ism, as proposed by Senator Welch. the
committee may designate the persons
to conduct such investigation and the
place. Only one machine of each
pattern may be taken from a municipal
warehouse under the provisions Of the
BILL and a machine that is the private
property of an individual or firm can
not be taken.
Senator Welch is entirely satisfied
with the terms of the bill. He was not
satisfied with the proposition made by
Senator Leavitt and insisted that a
competent mechanic should be allowed
to take one Of the machines apart
and examine IT thoroughly for the pur-
pose of detecting If possible how by
some simple and inconspicuous means
the machine could be made to register
the votes of the elector wrongfully.
He does not object to the presence of
the machine company's experts, but
he does want a mechanic entirely un-
acquainted with the machines to have
ample time for a careful study of
them He argues logically enough that
to merely open a machine and after
a mere ocular examination subject "A
mechanic unacQuainted with the de-
vices to a series Of questions touching
its merits would be the merest farce.
PROSPECTS OF BILL
That the bill is satisfactory to Sem
ator WeIch does not necessarily mean
that the examination he so much wants
will be secured in time for report
to be returned at this session, though,
in the regular order of things, this
T. ic fAI
without amendment early next
week it could be passed before the
weekend adjournment. The Assembly
committee on elections is an energetic
aggregation and could reasonably be
relied upon to give it dispatch. Should
the measure meet with no delay 1t
could be law in two weeks in the
regular order of things Another week
or two would be consumed in. prelimi-
naries and preparations. A report might
get back in time to be received, If not
considered. before adjournment, without
date in March.
The Senate committees amendment
to the Held Wright resolution for. a
direct primary election law constitu-
tional amendment was adopted by the
Senate today without dissenting voice.
The attitude of the leaders Is that the
whole matter was thoroughly threshed
out in the committee, that virtually
all the objections raised by the op-
position have, in the committees judg-
ment, been met and, finally, that the
amendment is in it's least Objectionable
form and that no further attempts
should be made to tinker with It.
SEVENTY ARE ON RECORD
These statements are not conclusive
proof that there will be no opposition
on the floor of the Senate, nor that that
opposition will not manifest itself in
an alleged desire to improve the Held
Wright resolution by amendment, SEN
ator Wright will probably call the
measure UP early next week and the
number Of pledges given 1t indicate that
1t will be. permitted to go through in
tact:
On account of the: proyiso saving tho
existing primary law in the event
the next. Legislature fails to enact a
direct arfnary law the resolution must
go, back: to the. Assembly. There 1t is
slated to meet some captious opposition
because of the .proviso,- but there is
satisfactory reason now apparent for
believing that this captious element can
make no serious inroads .on the vote by
which the resolution passed the lower
house originally. Seventy members
went squaTeIy on record and every man
Of them. without any explanation or
qualification. The addition Of a pro-
viso, which in. no wise changes the
value of the measure, would not prove
a sufficient excuse for an Assemblyman
to take back to his constituents for
turning against the measure.