The log cabin Democrat. [volume] (Conway, Ark.) 1908-current, 1912-09-16
BELATFD RETURNS
FEATURE ELECTION
FASTER COUNT Is NEEDED
LITTLE ROCK CORRESPONDENT
DISCUSSES |. & r. ELEC-
TON RESULTS.


suits furnish food for considerable
discussion and for conjecture as to
the future
One of the first and most important
things suggested is that some means
must be adopted for expediting the
count. Five days after the election
only two thirds of the vote had been
accounted for, and many of the coun-
ties did not make their official returns
for ten days.
This has caused not only a great
deal of confusion and uncertainty, but
has been the unfortunate cause of
suspicious and even charges of open
fraud in many of the counties that
have been especially close, and there
fore slow. There is possibility of
this later on forming the basis of
proceedings to test the legality of the
election in some precincts, or even
counties, affecting some matter of
81 eat public interest.
The Little Rock papers have taken
up the question, leading politicians
are discussing it, and with the assist
ance of the country press, some prac-
teal reform can possibly be brought
about. At this election there were
nine questions submitted to the peo-
pie, complicating the ballot, confus-
ing the voter and proIonging the work
of the judges and clerks. And the
people We're new at the game In
states where the initiative and refer
endum has become a familiar legisla-
tive procedure, like Ohio, Oregon,
Missouri, Oklahoma, or where there
is no restriction on the number of
constitutional amendments that may
be submitted, there are as many as
80, 40 or 80 questions submitted.
In some of the larger precincts, the
judges counted for % hours before
they finished the task-what would
have been the result if there had been
40 acts and amendments instead of 8?
Then, again, two sets of judges
might be provided at each polling
place, one to count and tabulate the
ballots as they are cast, which would
enable them to announce the result
within a short time after the close of
the polls.
Still another suggestion is that the
precincts might be made smaller, no
one to contain more than 250 voters,
which would greatly reduce the bur
den that is now placed on the clerks
and judges. The first and second
wards of Little Rock cast nearly
1000 votes each. The judges count
ed for "a hours before finishing the
work. Before starting the count they
had been on duty for about 10 hours.
1t is beyond human endurance to stay
on the job so long without rest.
And when the people have learned
the business of direct legislation, hav-
ing just graduated from the primer
class with passing fair averages,
they will not rest content with nine
or ten propositions, and the Arkansas
ballot will grow and multiply until it
will take a week to count it. There
fore, something must be done.
Another lesson that is taught by
| this election is that the voter, as
class, is not a trained lawmaker, but
this may come with practice. The
| final figures will show that as many
as 10000 failed to vote either for or
against some of the measures. through
indifference or lack of understand
! ing. And this Notwithstanding the
fact that all the proposed measures
were published in full for month in
about $50 newspapers of the state, at
least one in each county. Yet there
were thousands of men, many of them
intelligent citizens and not alone the
ignorant cornfield negro, who had a
very hazy notion as to what they were
all about when he went into the booth
to cast his ballot 1t is a safe prop
osition that not more than ten per
cent of the 10000 voters ever read
all the measures in full.
With the great mass of voters there
were two subjects that stood out bold
lily above all others. The statewide
prohibition act overshadowed every
thing else, and everybody was thor
oughly drilled as to the meaning of
Act No. 2. And yet in many instan-
ces ballots were cast for prohibition
and for license at the same time.
Some counties, even, have majority
for the prohibition of liquor traffic in
, every county of the state, and also
gave majority for the licensing of
saloons. This crossing can be ex-
planned in no other way than by the
ignorance of the voter.