Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-20
Device Expected to Diminish
Chance of FiIibuster.
ROLL CALLS QUICKLY OVER
Device When Perfected to Be Of
fered to Congress.
INVENTOR AWAITS HIS PATENT
Scheme Whereby One Day in Every
Six May Be Saved
to Legislation.

An invention that will save 10 the
House of Representatives one full legis-
lative day out OF every Ska compare
lively simple yet ingenious device for
accurately recording the vote OF that
body in less than one minute-will be Of
fered to the government within the next
few weeks, or at least cotemporaneously
with the opening OF the SXty-second
Congress. The adoption OF this device.
according to the inventor. will not only
make 1t possible for the House TO per-
form the work OF seven days in six, but
would disarm the filibuster OF a most
effective weapon-the irty-five-minute
roll call used to such advantage by Rep
resentative Mann in opposing the war
claims measure.
Inventor Guards His Secret.
The inventor Of this mechanical plan to
revolutionize the manner OF voting is
westerner. secretary to a representative
from one OF the mountain states. He Is
carefully guarding his secret until his
patent rights have been secured. and con-
hdently expects to finish the few remain
ing minor details in time to offer his
machine to the Sixty-Second Congress
when it shall convene.
AT present It requires thiity-five min
utes to call the roll OF the House. The
new mechanism. its author asserts, will
enable that body-even though twice its
present Size-to accurately record its will
IN less than one minute. Taking two
roll calls as days average during a
session, and five hours as legslatiN-
day. the use OF the westerner's invention
would mean saving Of six full hours il
week In time. to say nothing of the ten
thousand -doilars-a- minute" expense Of e
lower branch of Congress.
Merely Presses a Button.
Following the adoption of this device.
whenever roll call is demanded, the
member will merely have to press an cleo
trio button to record his vote. In ore
minute from the time the roll call Is
demanded the reading clerk will be in
possession OF the required totals, as well
as Il permanent written record Of every
member voting.
In an attic room in Southeast Wash
ington the inventor has installed a work
ing model that seems to substantiate
every claim made for his time-saver.
Boxed under strong table 3xi feet.
standing at one end OF the room. Is the
electrical mechanism. From this table
run wires to twenty imaginary desks at
these desks are three buttons. labeled
Aye Nay" and Present Under
the table-used to represent the reading
clerks desk in the House-may be sen
large perforated metal plate and thrl c
small levers. The pressing OF a button
at any of the desks at the other end OF
the room will cause a small steel pin ~
protrude through the perforated plate.
simplified for Reading Clerk.
The mechanism is controlled by the
person at the clerks desk When a vote
is desired to be taken the reading clerk
uses the first lever to turn on the cur
rent, and announces the fact. The mem
Der then presses the button desired to
express his will. AS each button Is
pressed, the steel pin corresponding TO
the button prOtrudes through the metal
plate under the desk. When all have
voted the clerk operates the second lever.
This lever brings each metal pin In cleo
trical contact with a tabulating device,
and the three separate totals-"Aye.
NAY" and "Present'-are shown under
glass plate on the table. The operation
of the third lever prints the name or
the member voting. and opposite 1t the
way he voted on large sheet OF paper
put in it's proper place under the table
by the clerk. These sheets are for the
permanent record The vote Is taken.
a permanent record made, and the result
announced-all In less than one minute.
There is no more possibility of error
in this method than under the present
system, the inventor asserts. The cleo
trio button cannot be operated unless the
member is sitting in his seat-his weight
In the chair being absolutely necessary
to establish a proper contact This Is
done to prevent the possibility OF another
operating the voting mechanism In the
members absence. The current is under
the control of the reading clerk, Is on
only for a moment. and only one button
will register a vote, as further precaution
against irregularty. 1t would be far
easier for another member to answer to
the name Of an absentee. under the pres
ent system, than for some one to operate
the button of an absent member declares
the inventor.
Free of Cost to Congress.
I'VE will offer the of the machines
to both the House and Senate without
charge" said the enthusiastic westerner
in discussing his plans. I'VE expect TO
make our money by leasing the machines
to every state legislature In the United
States as soon as the government demon
strates what they can do. ! already have
the assurance of all the capital needed
to put the machines on the market, and
am only waiting to more thoroughly per.
feet some of the minor details. and to
get my drawings and specifications In
shape, before securing the patent rights.
Should the government decline to test
my invention We will take 1t to some
of the larger state legislatures first"
According to the inventor. the prin-
ciples Of the modern adding machine and
the cash register, combined from a study
Of the tabulating machines used by the
census bureau embrace the essentials Of