Norwich bulletin., 1912-05-21
DISCUSSED TWO VOTING MACHINES
Citizens Meeting Under Board of Trade AusPices-Agent Hamilton Speaks For The Empire and U s. Standard Vice-President Nckes Presents Claim of The American Voting Machine Demonstrations Given.

Two types of voting machines, the Empire and the American, were on ex- hibition on Monday night before pub lie meeting called by the Board of Trade in the town hall. and the repre- sentatives of each machine were given opportunity to demonstrate and ex- plain the merits and workings of their machines.
 Their explanations were received with attention and were provocative of considerable questioning which indi- cated the live interest taken in the subject by the citizens present. There was an attendance of about 100.
 President Haviland Speaks.
 The two machines were set up in the front of the room, where they had been inspected before the meeting by those who arrived early. President Joseph D, Haviland called the gathering to order just after o'clock and remind ed those present that this was not a meeting where action could be taken, but was meant more to assist the voters to determine whether they wanted voting machines or not.
 Every mans vote, be he rich or poor, counts one, and only one, he said. From the first writing of the constitu- tion of the United States this thought, the protection of the ballot, has been uppermost in the minds of our legisla- tors, knowing that the rise or fall of this republic depended upon the purity of the ballot
 Our lawmakers have spent so much time in placing safeguards around the ballot that today 1t needs much study and care not to become entangled among the Ks and circles.
 We have gone by the age of a sim pie ballot. Some of us can remember when each party printed a simple ticket headed by their party name which gave the name of the office and directly under it the name of the can didate You could vote straight or you could paste a name over the one on the regular ticket. No booths then seemed necessary for a secret ballot.
 l have seen a man employing a large number of men come marching in to the polls, at their head then standing by the ballot box give each of his men as they came up folded ballot which he put in the box That was secret balloting-the only kind that I ever saw that was a perfect success. The voter himself did not know what he voted.
 Every Vote Should Count.
 A few things should be always kept in view. One is that every vote hon. estly cast should be counted. Today that is not done. The late Afassachu- setts primaries showed when counted up that over 13,000 votes were throwI out. not because they were cast dis honestly, but because the men who cast them did not understand how the vote should be marked. They became entangled among the crosses and cir cles. Those men were in effect dis franchised In our own town at a late election, which caused the Higgins Jodoin recount, there were nearly 30( voters disfranchised, or not counted It may have been your vote. it may have been mine, whose ever the votes were that were thrown out it wa, wrong, yet it is law Incidentally speaking about that recount. one can. not help but think the committee il charge, taking IS months to coun' those votes. could not have had an. other job in sight-they worked by tht day.
 Machines Must Prove Their Value.
 am not advocating voting machines unless they can be proven to be Wha' they claim to be. Our present system of voting is wrong or one thing am sure; The machine counts every vote.
 Duty to Exercise Franchise.
 The present system nor the machin, can make man vote. If man en. titled to vote will not, l pity his poor selfish soul; willing to sit by the fire eating and drinking, willing to enioy the blessings this glorious land of lib erty gives him, but not willing to hell make it more glorious. Willing to si in the shaee while his neighbors work Says that politics are rotten. l would like to notice the improvements h. would make if elected mayor Does h. stand in his doorway, seeing the weed growing, and simply wish they woult stop growing? Wouldn't he do bette to get out and pull them up?
 The following words were spekel yesterday from pulpit in this city There is no such thing as a neutra force. Every bit of force in this worl is pulling some way-if not for. thel against"
 A voter refusing to vote is not neu tral, he is drone. Bees kill thei | drones and throw their bodies out O 1 the hive. l do not recommend sue, drastic measures. but l do say to thos men stand up, take your place amoni men. If things are wrong, right then Our city is as the inhabitants make Ii You arc one. Do your duty and don shirk
 Agent Hamilton for the Empire. President Haviland then introduce Arthur s. Hamilton of Rochester agent for the Empire machine, whic was on exhibition, and MT Hamilto gave an instructive talk upon ballot ys voting machines
 He touched first upon the paper bal