Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-03-15
SPLIT ON OMAHA ELECTION
Senate Special Committee Hands in
Two Reports on Inquiry.
BOTH RECOMMEND NEW LAWS
Machine, and Commission 90 select
Election Officials ny Lot
Are Recommended.
lFrom a STAFF Correspondent

LINCOLN, March 14-(Special Telegram
The senate committee sent to omaha to
investigate charges made by Governor
Aldrich against methods Of conducting
elections made two reports this afternoon.
The majority report. which is signed by
Albert Tibbetts and Lee says the irreg-
ularites found are of little consequence.
and is practically a repetition Of the report
made by the house committee
The minority report. which is signed by
Kemp and Hoagland, says that many irreg-
ularites were found. The voting machines.
Il says are easily manipulated. the election
officials are often ignorant men and that
votes OF foreigners who are unable to read
English are used by INSCRIPTIONS leaders
to defeat the will Of the people.
The report recommends the appointment
OF an election commission by the district
judges in each county who shall have
charge Of the selection Of election officials
It would have registration books open the
year around and repeal the provision which
provides for registration by affidavit on
election day.
The majority report concludes with the
following Recommendations:
| Within the time at its disposal your com
mittee could not undertake 70 open the
poll books and investigate the conduct OF
city Of Omaha, but confined itself largely
/ to the wards specifically referred to In the
special message Of the governor. and to
(which the proofs adduced by the attorney
authorized by him to conduct the invesu-
Igation were directed. Every opportunity
was afforded to substantiate, as well as
/ TO confute, the specific charges made.
While in many instances as we have seen,
| the proof failed to establish the charges
made conditions were disclosed we'll ca l.
| culated to arouse grave apprehension as
! to the purity Of the ballot in the larger
Tote zrfeHffF 1a lin
! dial legislation already has been suggested
! but II is the opinion Of your COMMITTEES
that there should be a complete revision
/ of our laws pertaining to the exercise OF
the elective franchise. Those laws, as now
existing, are SO Voluminous, complex and
ambiguous as to BATTLE even trained law
yers Laws designed to regulate the dis
charge Of the simplest civic duty and to
be administered and applied by OFFICERS
chosen for a day from the ordinary walks
of life, should have the qualities Of brew
these S aaPPtes t anS nvte yyrogaTes
levasions and violations and tend to dis
courage all attempts at their strict OBJ
The majority report concludes with the
following recommendations:
That the registration laws ought to b,
amended TO provide for permanent regis
| tration of voters at some central office II
! the cities, and to provide a special Officer
for the purpose and to keep the registration
| office open for period OF at least a sutft
| Client time to give all Of the legal voters Of
said city an opportunity to register ina
before the election and no one be permitted
to register thereafter before election. eN-
| cept voters reaching the age of Fl after thC
| commencement OF said ten days period
and that no votes be permitted to be cas-
at said election except those that are regis
tered. Your committee believes that thu
election laws should be such as to abandon
| entirely the system of voting by affidaviti
| of unregistered voters.
Your committee further recommends tina
the voting machines be abolished and tina
we return to the Australian ballot, believ
ing that this is the most perfect system
| that has yet been devised.
Your committee further recommends that
further restrictions be placed around the
| judges and clerks Of election in the matter
of assisting incompetent ovters, so as tC
prevent as much as possible the casting oi
these votes in a different way from thai
intended by the voter. -----~-' --'-
Appointment of Election Officers.
Your committee further recommends that
| the law shall be changed in the method OF
the selection Of election officers in the
cities. A large part of the irrCgularity is
caused by inefficient incompetent and ir.
responsible election officers, and by the
| selection Of these officers by the political
parties In the effort Of said parties to con.
troll in the ignorant wards OF the city. We
believe the law should be framed so as
to provide for the appointment Of an cleo,
ton commissioner in the cities and by the
selection of the names Of election officers
similar to the selection Of 1uries and by
the placing of the names on the wheel and
by selecting the officer of such election
precinct from wheel regardless Of the
question OF whether or not the persons Sc
selected were residents OF the precincts foI
which they were selected to be the election
officials; that said selection should be BY
lot, and II the law could be so framed, We
believe that the selection of the election
! commissioner should be in the hands Of
the district judges OF the counties wherein
such said city is located.