The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-08-04
DID NOT LIKE IT
Many Voters Resent Open Ballot
Feature Today.
Leave Polling Places Rather
Than Declare Themselves.
A GOOD SIZED VOTE.
This Is Indicated by Figures
This Afternoon.
Very Few Democrats Are Cast
ing Their Ballots.
A GOOD SIZED VOTE.


The nomin alton by primary had It's
FIRST try out under the new law in To-
peka today and it developed that the
ordinary voter is reluctant to declare
to which party he belongs. Here and
there were precincts where such an
experience was not encountered by the
election boards but in the main the
voter does not like to answer to the
query. The law provides that the vo-
ter must state his party affiliation be-
fore receiving the ballot. Some of the
voters thought that when this question
was proposed it was done merely as
Joke but when II was explained to them
they received it in good grace. others
without asking for an explanation be-
came angered and refused to vote. one
man in the Second ward became so
enraged at what he termed the fool
ishness and impertinence of the law
that he tore up his ballot and would
not vote others simply turned around
and walked out of the polling place
without voting. This attitude on the
part of the voters was manifest in all
parts of the city, 1t happened In the
Third and Fourth wards as we'll as the
Second The number was not large,
averaging probably in some districts
not more than 10 in 200 votes cast.
Democrats and Socialists were the
most frequent voters to take umbrage
at the uuestion-and the feeling was
probably in part measure due to the
reluctance on the part of men to snow
their affiiation with the party that Is
not dominent.
know that the election today is simply
to name the party ticket and not to
place in office. One man who thought
1t was a regular election appeared
at a polling place to receive his pai-
lot but when he learned that II was
simply a primary nomination he stamp
ed out with ruffled feelings and assum-
ed that he had been buncoed into the
belief that this decided things.
Some of them just know it's Iefng
day and come in and vote, sald one
Judge of an election. and he laughed.
Chances favor the carrying OF the
city by the Long-Leland combination
on the Republican ticket, though some
late back tracking OF voters from Long
to Bristow has caused revision OF
figures and considerable uncertainty
by the dopesters.
Democrats have all taken to the
woods today or else they are voting
the Republican ticket pretty consist
your own opinion. In the Second
ward which is generally considered to
be a Democratic stronghold the great
est number of Democratic votes cast
in any one precinct just before noon
did not exceed 15 out of 65 votes cast.
The entire Democratic vote in the
Second ward did not approximate 15
IN the Second out of about 500 votes
polled.
had not mustered to exceed 90 votes
out of about 450 votes counted at IL
o'clock.
The first precinct in the Fifth ward
voted early and steadily. rolling up
the greatest number of votes of any
precinct in the city at II o'clock, 26s
with registration of 6S2. This is due
in large measure to the strenuous
efforts expended by former Council
man James Sinner to capture the
office of county commissioner. Shi-
mer lives in the precinct which shows
one of the heaviest registrations in all
of its history.
In general the voting places west Of
Kansas avenue were the ones most
frequented in the morning and at that
time they showed a far greater proper
tion of the vote cast to the registration
than any of the precincts east of Kan
sas avenue. The latter part of the city
is populated heavily by employees of
the Santa Fe shops. The shops closed
down at twelve O'Clock and the voters
on the east side STAYED off the duty of
going to the polls until their leisure
time this afternoon. A heavy vote
will therefore come in from 1 O'Clock
until O'Clock, at which time the polls
close.
Taking the wards it is conceded that
the Second ward will be carried by
Long-Leland as against Bristow-
Stubbs. the Fifth ward will go to the
Stubbs-Bristow seemingly though the
colored vote. heavy as il is, will carry
the third precinct of the Fifth with
out question for Long.
The Third. Fourth and First wards
are apparently horse races with the
majority OF the votes cast by the Re-
publicans favoring the nomination of
votes for Stubbs- -Bristow.
Long-Stubbs.
While the active forces in many
cases seem to be Bristow-Stubbs and
Long Leland, there are being cast
many votes which are for Long for
the senatorial nomination and Stubbs
for governor.
Quiet on North Side
North Topeka. or the First ward is
as quiet as a grave yard as far as in
dications of primary election are
concerned. There was a light rush
at each Of the voting precincts early
In the morning but this soon died
votes an hour and this pace was re-
tanned until the noon hour when there
was another light squirt. One hundred
and thirty voters are registered in the
first precinct of this ward and of this
number but one-fourth had voted at
the noon hour, five of the voters call
ing for and receiving Democrat bal
lots.
In the second precinct of the First
ward 249 voters have registered and
here as in the first precinct about one
fourth of the vote was cast at the
noon hour, fifteen Democrats being
among this number. In this ward one
jealous supporter of Capron for
sheriff announced that he wanted
Democratic ballot as he wanted to
vote for just one man on the ticket
and that he did not care a rap for the
rest Of the nominees. He was one Of