The Topeka state journal., 1909-02-19
CITY HALL NEWS.
City Official Pleased With New
Voting Machines.
They Will Be Ready for Spring
Election.
LASTDAY TO REGISTER
Books Close at Ten O'clock To-
night.
Other Items OF Interest From
City Building.
LAST DAY REGISTER

I have observed them from every
point OF view possible and I am more
than pleased at our prospect of hav-
ing an excellent operating piece OF
mechanism
These were the words OF Mayor
Green this morning after he had been
talking On the voting machine oueS-
ton which seems to be bothering the
city at the present time. Topeka has
signed q contract with the Kansas
Voting Machine company for fifteen
voting machines to be in the hands
Of the city officials before the first of
April They are to be used for the
spring city election and they are be
ing built by the Kansas Voting Ma
chine company. newly organized in
stItution consisting Of prominent To-
peka men The machine was invented
by J P. Paynter OF this city
There has been considerable talk
around the city hall lately TO the effect
that the voting machines would not
De used AZ the city election and even
if they were finished by this time they
were dangerous things to handle on
account Of the liability Of accidents
and Jocks" IN Minneapolis not long
ago q bunch OF the machines locked
on the city officials and through the
continual pounding efforts Of the
newspapers paper ballots had been
prepared and the election was saved.
This Minneapolis incident Travelled
ike WIId-drs over the country and
caused d wave OF fear and doubt to
sweep through the Municipalities It
has been found that the Minneapolis
machine was q crude affair and did
not have the proper examination As
g. further evidence Of quality for the
Topeka machine the foreman of the
plant where the Minneapolis machine
was made applied to the Topeka COM
pauy for 4. position as aSsembIer and
he failed to land the Job Even after
this he examined the devices at the
best N the country ranking far ahead
OF the machines used in Minnesota
and other northern states This piece
OF information travelled to the city
officials and this morning they in
Guired into the Kansas machine them
Mayor Green Is the general sentiment
expressed by the city officials this
morning
As Councilman Jordan Of the city
council said-yOu can't make a mis-
take on the piece Of mechanism which
VIII be used by thfs-city- You cant
push too many buttons. you can't
spoil your vote, YOU can't push any
lever that does not do the right thing
and an Uliterate OF the lowest quality
can vote in less than z minute
One OF the officials tried out the sam
pie machine this morning OF course
he could read and write and was intel
HgeCt-buc not any more than the av-
erage voter. He looked over the ticket
posted inside the curtains. scratched his
ticket until Il included every party on
the map. voted for all the amendments
and bond propositions On the list and
came out OF the booth-aud this whole
performance took just three secoudstr!
The law says that q minute can be
taken in looking over the names and
pushing the buttons As q matter Of
trial the voting machine people took
an iIGteTate coIored man from the
street. who could not read or write and
showing him in the booth told him TO
vote. Any fIhterate can count-espec-
Ially chIckens-and when he was told
the numbers OF the candidates he fuss
ed over the buttons seemingly afraid
to push them. and took in the bonds
and aI-thts man registered his vote
and was gazing at the booth from the
outside in exactly 50 seconds.
To say that the city officials are
pleased would be putting on the soft
pedaEthey are deEghted-aud they are
thoroughly convinced that they have the
best voting machine in the country to-
day
". z DENIES. Z travelling represen-
srs, man whose business is TO ex-I
anime the voting machines over the
United States was in Topeka this week
and his report Of the Topeka invention
was enough to make the city officials
swell with pride He said in part
Z can truthfuIIy say that you have
the best make OF d voting machine
have seen in all my trips over the coun-
Try and through all OF the different
plants. I predict that IL this plant be-
comes known over the country Topeka
VIII have TO donate acres On which to
build the factory and machine shops
The invention is the best and the sim
pIest I have SeeR-aud 7 have seen all
Of than
4 word might be said about the kan
sas Voting Machine company whose
plant is On Jackson street near Sew
enth- II Is 4 company OF Topeka men
holders The company is at the pres
tdeut- II C Holman secretary: and
Charles w Hull manager Congress
man Reeder and Otis L Benton from
obsrEn are the only out Of town stock
elr time capitalized at S3e. 600 and their
plant Is worth II all At the present
time the plant employs eight men and
the pay roll runs up 10 almost 81 coo q
month This Is but q starter and the
whole force Is now at work on the To-
peka machines attempting to get them
out before the first OF April Every
part Of the machine Is made at the
plant here IN Topeka uot an assembled
part viii be purchased The force Of
men viii be added TO Monday and
probably a night shift viii De hired In
making the machine the COMPANY uses
IS different dies-they have construct
ed their own dies at an enormous cost
and months OF time The accuracy
efficiency. capacity and safety OF the
machine IS declared perfect By all who
have examined II and Manager Hull
has given exhibitions TO over 5000 peo-
pie The company own patent rights
over Kansas. Nebraska and Iowa and
more states viii undoubtedly be added
in the future
Concerning the saving of money TO
the city Mayor Green said this morn
ing
We figure that the machines viii
pay for themselves in SIX years At
uSr when we made the contract we
ngured On twelve years but since that
time the primary elections have been