Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1912-09-18
Recent Election Count Has Caused a Great Deal of Confusion and Dissat-
 isfaction.
IGNORANCE OF VOTER
OUf Of the Chaos Comes Four New LaHS-Deieat of T.-.J. Fill a
 Rebuke to Legislature.
I(BY CLIO -HARPER

Little Rcck, Sept 11.-The ArkaLt- sas votes have just had their debut as popular lawmakers, and the re- suts furnish food fer considerable discuss on, and for conjecture as to the future
 One of the first and most impor.- ant !th ngs suggested is that some means must be adopted for eX2edlt- ing fle count. Fiev days after the election, only two tn; rds of he vote had been accounted for. and many of the counties did not make their offic al re'turrs fer len days.
 This has caused not only great deal of confusion and uncertainty, but has been' the unfortunate cause of susp cion and fraud in many of me counties that have been especially close, and therefore slow. There is a possibility of this later C'ai forming the basis of proceedings to rest the legality of the election n some pre- cinct, or even county, affecting some matter of great public interest
 The Little Rock papers have taken up the quest On, leading pol Hicians are discussing it, and with the as sistance of the country press, some practical reform can possibly De | brought about. At tn S election there were nine questions submitted to the people, complcating the ballot, conr fusing the voter and prolcnging the work of the judges and clerks And the people were rev at the game. Tn states where the IniaN.ve and Refer endum has become fam liar legis- atiys procedure, p like. Ohio, Oregon, Missouri, Oklahoma, Or where shere is no restriction on the number ct constitutional amendments that may be subm tied, there are as maIy as thirty, forty or fifty questions sub- mit.ed.
 In some of the larger precincts the judges counted for twenty-five hours before they finished the task what would have been the result i there had been forty ascs and amend ments instead of nire.
 Several expedents have ben sdg- gested. The voting mach nes i'll use ir NaW York and few other states enable the judges to know every tota as soon as he last ballot is cast. Bu fhe voting machines are very exren s've. The candidates might be as sessau a certain per cent at each prl mary until they were paid fer, Whel they would become the property O each county Tn would be the idea way of handling an cleo ion where the t tcket is long and complex. True it would make the exercise of 'h' franchise more Or less mechanical but the people would get used to t.
 Then, agair, two sets of ]udee might be provided at each polling n]aca. one to count and tabula;e hf ballots as they are cast, which would enable them to announce the resul within a short time after the close 0 the polls.
 St Il another s,ugges. ion is that th prec nets might be smaller, no one tt contain more than 250 vc,ters, Whlc' would greatly reduce the burden tha is rcw placed on the clerks ahs iudses. Proposed Act No. 5, lnitla:e' by the Republicans, and Wa cn wa defeated in !he elect.cn, proVldo' among otaerthings that !" he countlni If the ballots shall begin immediate lv upon the clos ng of the pol.s, ant shall he continued without :nterrup tion until she count is completed G.. The purpese was praisewor hy, belni offered as solution for the delay J inc returns, but t would have pee clearly impracticable. The first an second wards of Little Rock cas nearly one thousand votes each. It iud.gss counted for twens y-four hIut hefcre finishing the work. beloi star, ng the count they had been . duty for about ten hours. It Is pe yond human endurance to stay on LII ieb Sc long without rest.
 And when the people have leaIpe the business of direct legislatlcl having just graduated from sth 5, primer. class win pa$s5rg fair air ave1 s1 ages, they will not rest ocntent wit nine or ten propositions. and q
 Arkansas ballot will grow ard mu ss tiply una l it will take week