Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-11-10

TT Weekly Courier, / year 1.5t
once: l17-11s East Second Street
telephone editorial; or business
ofice) No. "A
address, the Courier Printing Com.
I pany. Ot.umwa, Iowa.
entered as second class matter
october II, 1888, at the postofflce. OF.
tumwa. Iowa, under the Act OF Congress!
or March 3. 1879.
MORE AFTER-ELEcTIoN KICKS
Ottumwa is not the only city. in
| iowa with an after-election kick on
the cumbersome method of counting
me vote in top-heavy wards, with its
attendant discomfort and delays. Os.
kaioosa and Burlington have register
ed protest against the continuance
of the present system.
! The Oskaloosa Herald has the fol.
lowing to say concerning the counting
of ballots under the old system:
The record of the vote of Lincoln
township was the first to reach the Of
nee OF the county recorder. 1t was
brought to the city at $50 o'clock
| Wednesday morning. This precinct
voted only ninety-six tickets, and with
even this small number the counting
and the clerical work attached there
to made an all night job. The last
precincts were counted out late
Wednesday evening, but on account Of
the distance from the city they did
not reach the auditor until Thursday
about noon.
The Third ward of Oskaloosa, with
a total of 5S5 votes, was the last pre-
cinct to complete the count of the
vote. The judges and clerks began
counting Tuesday evening about 1880
o'clock, as soon following the closing
of the polls as they could get a sup
per. They worked all night, all the
day following and until midnight Wed
nesday. Here nature overtaxed, refus-
ed further service. The men were ex-
hausted and could get no further.
Hence the work was left uncompleted
until Thursday morning.
These things suggest the absolute
necessity Of better facilities and means
Tor counting the ballots. Three ways
have been suggested. One is the intro.
duction of voting machines. Another,
the division of the larger precincts so
mat there will not be to exceed 800
ballots cast at any polling place. The
third IS double set of judges and
clerks of election one set to count
the ballots while the other receives
them.
FOR every reason accuracy, facil-
ity, comfort and convenience
change in methods is desired, No
more laborious or inconvenient meth
cd could be devised than the one now
in vogue
The Burlington Hawk-Eye says the
practical reader will agree with the
voting machines. 1t believes the in
creaslng of clerks and judges would
nearly double the expense and nor
hasten the result to any reasona BE
extent. The Hawk-Eye, advocating
voting machines, says:
Inc distressing delay in making
known the result of the election in
this city and county under the ancient
and old-fogy method now in use. has
again aroused the people to the desire
for voting machines. Had the ma.
CHIMES purchased by the county. and
lying useless in the court house base
ment have been in use Tuesday all
over the county, the result. of the vota
would have been known long befor,
midnight There would have been no
discarded ballots. livery voters vote |
Nould nave been counted, and the re-
SUIT would have been SO accurately
taoulated that the official count would |
nave Deen merely formality.''
waterloo and Des Moines tried yot. |
ing machines this year and the result !
was an early count Of the vote in both
cltles. special from Waterloo saws.
The voting machines used in all
SIX precincts in Waterloo on general
election day, gave universal satisfac.
llon. In one precinct 1,141 votes were
cast in 720 minutes, and in two others
nearly Thousand votes were cast in
each in the same time-or vote in
much less tIan a minute.
Inc count on forty-three candidates
N the city was known almost i'm
nedlately, and the judges work was
vastly diminished"
The Des Moines Register and Lead.
er in an editorial which declared the
Des Moines experiment proved tn.
Young machine to be success sun-
sested that the entire state should
adopt the machine at future elections.
me Register and Leader said: +
Inc voting machine has come to
'eplace the whole awkward ballot svs- (
EN-, and Iowa might just as well lead
ne procession. No one who has once |,
Joted on machine will ever again
the blanket ballot. 1t is out
II date, behind the times, inconyeni-
mt. costly, and a reflection on the In.
senuity of the people of this great
tate"
1t is to be hoped that before there /:
5 another election tn, matter will be
ntelllgently worked out and that Wa |
'ello county will never so through an
Thar