Norwich bulletin., 1912-06-08

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 necticut, and it was time Norwich
 got into lline, He was given burst
 of applause as he concluded.
 Advocated by John H. Barnes.
 In rising to advocate the purchase
 of voting machines John H. Barnes
 drew parallel between the opposition
 which once was felt over the intro | ductiOn of the trolley car and this at
 tempted Introduction of the voting ma | chine. Since the evolution of the vot-
 ing machine, said Mir. Barnes, all the
 croakers had oiled up their threats 1 donned sackcloth and ashes from the
 dismal swamp and joined the knockers 1 club, but the legislatures of many
 states had approved them and so great an authority as William Jennings l Bryan had endorsed them.
 l Mir. Barnes said he brought forward l the name of Bryan because there seem ] ed to be @ democratic aroma in Nor
 wich just at present. Daughter MT.
 Barnes advocated the machines for
 their absolute secrecy, easy quick count, doing away with buying of | votes making impossible 8 recount or 1 contest and also making it sure that no one is diSfrancAised. Us had been the case in our last city and town election last Monday. when ITS votes
 were cast out enough to turn thet re-
 suit in almost any election in d city of this size. He told how New Haven
 had used 4S machines in it's largest election. and declared that New Jer- sey had only cast out the machines
 because the grafters were dissatisfied.
 He was vigorously appauded.
 Opposed by 8. g. Thresher. $. s. Thresher raised laugh as he | secured the floor and came to the desk with a large envelope of papers which he said he wasn't going to read. but just wanted to show that he had them. Voting machines, he said. had been tried in different parts of the country and had been discarded, and were now being sold for what they could get for them. In New Jersey,
 it had been that way, and it won't do tc set up Bridgeport against the state
 of New Jersey. In Los Angeles alsj
 they had the machines several years | but the people wouldn't use them. There was no more use for the ma
 chimes than for two tails to cat He said he was cory for any man who would acknowledge that he could
 pot mark the balolt as it now Is. and he was sorry he lived in Norwich. If
 a man couldn't mark a ballot, Nbe couldn't run this machine This was
 the most revolutionary thing since | Noah left the ark.
 MT. Thresher said he had voted on
 the machine downstairs, or, at least. 1 he had been told he had voted, but he
 had no way of knowing that he had.
 He said that all that was wanted was | to do away with the ring at top of the
 ballot where the voter is expected to put in cross, and he hoped the ma
 chimes would be voted down. He was also given vigorous applause
 Edward Kirby Suggests a Name.
 There was applause also for Edward
 Kirby as he stepped to the desk. I'd | like to have had some of these last | Monday" said MT Kirby, and l might 1 have been elected. I'm not going to | oppose these machines, for I find l 1 make myself unpopular when 1 try l 10 save the people money"
 l MT. Kirby made the suggestion that | the name of John J. Murphy be added | to the committee.
 A. A. Browning made an inouiry
 about voting for presidential electors,
 and was interrupted by West Side
 man who shouted that the old way
 was the best way.
 'VtOI . StPPoStLtons
 ! H. F. Palmer also opposed the ma chimes, considering them in the light of luxury which we could get along with out and advising that we do not jump
 ct this change too soon. He presented a letter which he asked the clerk to read. It was an answer by Governor Wilson's secretary that New Jersey 1 had used the machines, but with un- satisfactory results, and the voters 1 had protested against them and the legislators had ruled them out
 There was applause for the letter from New Jerseys governor, and A. 4. Browning again spoke, cOunselling that We go slow, although he thought there would be a time when we would want machines. He proposed an amendment that the committee named be directed to inquire as to the advis- ability of securing machines, recom- mend the kind and number if decided that they were advisable. and report at an adjourned meeting of this meet ing.
 Approval of this was also indicated by applause, but the motion was lost on a viva voce vote.
 Net Back to Grandfather's Time.
 The concluding argument was by Ashley T. Boon, who said that he de- sired to refute the allegation made that the evolution of the human brain had stopped when it reached Norwich. He | instanced great inventors who had once been considered idiots and said this was not time to talk about going back to our grandfather's methods of buying and delivering votes when the | party managers went around with a i bunch of poodle in their hands and saw | that the vote was delivered. It was 1 time 10 do away with the blanket bal 1 lot and as for New Jersey, it could not
 be taken as a criterion as that state
 had been out of the country for the l last 40 years.
 | His speech was an effective one and | the vote was taken at once. There was vigorous shout on the Yes side and a feeble response from the Noes so that the vote was declared passed
 and the meeting adjourned with ap- l plause.
 | ALL-STARS' SOCIAL.