Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-10-30
There Are Three Amendments to
Be Voted U!ss5li at Tues
days Election.
QUESTIONS ARE IMPORTANT
Increased Revenue by Equitable AS
sessment is tic Object Of Ono OF
Tic Most Moment.

Every voter who tries to cast a ballot
as he wants his vote recorded without
being terrified by the voting machine,
has at least three things to remember,
and for those who are not entirely
familiar with using the machine it will
be we'll to adopt a system OF checks,
for first aid in case of panic at tho
moment Of manipulating the levers
Here are three things each voter
must remember to do after he has en-
tered the booth and its curtains have
closed behind him:
First, he must remember a thing
+ FULFILLED HIS DUTY ASA CITI-
ZEN WHO MERELY PULLS HIS
PARTY LEVER STRAIGHT AND
LET'S 1T GO AT THAT
This is because Lawmakers seeking
to keep the power in the hands Of the
people. have provided that they shall
be the final arbiters Of proposed chang
es tn the constitution Three such
changes are proposed this year, and 1t
Is sorry comment upon the intelli-
Gence with which the rights OF the
ballot are exercised, to see such ques-
tons almost universally overlooked
and disregarded
ID
THREE AMENDMENTS.
In the upper left-hand corner of the
machine, above all the party levers
arc little levers that should be pushed
to the yes or mo" side on three
constitutional amendments. Two Of
the amendments, it is claimed. are
technical merely. but embarrassment
TO the state and TO the Legislature, and
to one of Utah's counties especially
can follow the rejection of amend.
ment 8. and financial difficulties can
follow the rejection or amendment .,
for under the present conditions the
states; revenue will automatically drop
nearly one-third, as soon as the to-
tal valuation reaches s200,0O0,000 and
this revenue is already too small for
the demands constantly pressing upon
1t. H.
If amendment one passes the mines
and smelling industries will pay q larg-
.er proportion OF the taxes than they do
at present. This amendment grows out
Of a belief on the legislatures part, that
The present assessment system of mines
and srne!ters allows them to escape al
most free OF taxes, and it is sought by
this means to place the assessing pow
or in a state body which can see the
perspective than that obtainable by a
county assessor.
EASY TO VOTE STRAIGHT. .
The second thing he must remember
is that party managers and politicians
figure upon the machines bluffing
enough voters to vote straight tickets
to- make it a matter of Indifference
one candidate is poor or
good. Women especially are counted
on to get a stampeded feeling and
leave the booth after pressing a
straight party lever. Belief in this
phase of incompetent citizenship was
what made the fight to get three Am
erican" tickets In the field. Every
voter who gives in to such q. feeling OF
fear fastens upon himself the power
OF politicians over his choice. Party
labels, the nation over are being CAST
aside in the face of a new power
that OF wide eyed intelligent inter-
estsin the personality of candidates and
their personal qualifications to Go the
peoples business. Selective choices
witness the election in Oregon of a
Democratic u. S. senator Will, a Re
publican legislature pledged to elect
him.
1T IS EASY TO SCRATCH.
The third thing to remember is that
1t is easy 10 scratch. All you have
10 do is turn bnck the little lever over
the candidate you don't like, which
was turned down by your pulling your
party lever. Then turn down a little
one directly over or under it for the
candidate of your choice. A single,
selr-possessed glance over the board
is sufficient To enable you to locate
the proper levers. A single action of
the hand will register your vote just
as you would want it registered il
you We're ordering someone else to do
he&technical work on the machine IT
self.
Let he. first finger tllen recall to you
the amendments that you must vote
for after pulling your party lever, the i
second finger stand for the fact that t
is easy To scratch, and that you have
am obligation to make TIE machine
reflect your mental attitude
and the third finger for the way to
scratch BY pushing back the ohjec-
tionable levers first, and then pulling
down new ones. You can't pull down
the wrong lever, for ii Won't5come eE-
cept for candidates for the same off
ces You haze cancelled.
When voting machines were first in
stalled the great increase in straight
votes was thought to be temporary.
and because of their newiiess. This
election Will throw much light on the