The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-11-14
Kansans Looking at Bulletin
Boards Week After Election.
Emphasizes Need OF Amended
Election Laws.
SLOW, UNCERTAIN MACHINERY
Judge Buckman Looks over
Legislative List of Winners.
He Finds Very Few OF 1911
Names Among Them.

That the kansas election macnln-
s-v is badly in need OF repairs
never beeu more evident than III II
- unsettled gubernatorial contes :
TvLfa other states have cornplete1
+beir count and settled down 10 ~
routine OF daily affairs, kansahs
-+,T1 s+anf7ing in front OF the oulIe1iii
t,o,-5s watching the belated retul -
Cd wondering who has really OeCi'
elected chief executive and TO ~
e. of the other state Offices
one week ago last Tuesday kansas
+e15 a statewide election And now
ten days later, the election OF 4
ernor is as much in. doubt as a' ~ H.,
night of election day. That Is H01
rrtere is q dispute as TO even
HE maiorities-if rnaJorltles al .
of nearly a half dozen ot9eI [aI+-s
5a+as fer state Office YET oIleL 5av
- be1d their election the same g g
tt-N-t - voting in Kansas, have settIeN
- r.oIiticaI affairs and the go go
- matter OF history Eve.
P is1,t all. The unusually cos
contest for governor mas -
+ba pIaring fact that the As-l-Sa -
lot needs fixing, that the E'reSent
+aro of handling returns Is az a-les4 ---i5e
- ross covered The use u
60. - =, the form of circles and pouItLE
fe~biTits is now repudiated even oE - -
- 1,-y-r, advocated their adopIOA e--0
I7ointed to them as a real reLoIn1- 5,v
Leaders in both parties are -5
denouncing the election eI1,- -
s15.-se for rejecting ballots Wnlcn lLSy
{'eIisve should have been counted & LoL
+,ei- favorite candidate And yer CLIo
present ballot system appears 10 Ia
tre- really more at fault tnan ~ ~
election officials. The clrcIe anu
,ar+v emblem together with tne 20
- voting instructions mlsLed nun
80. ~ vo+ars and ballots we're re-
fac+ed in every portion OF the $50 $50
-Tbese rejected ballots will proOaDIs
IN forth an election contest lot -L41
E-a1sas s-overnorship and the expense
of that contest viii amount 10 nse
tines the annual salary OF the oMce-
Then, again, the counting ol TM13Ia
l., Ka1sss is slow and tedious n1Ie
1r,1eI-ans were reading the State Jour-
+si5s bulletins of final election returns
- r. east the election clerks in Ran
res we're struggling through tnelr HrsI
loo ballots Again. In hundreds OF cleo
tfo7 precincts grey haired men sat On
the election boards and with the aid or
coal oil lamp and a pair Of spectacles
made an honest effort to secure a ralr
count of the votes in their precinct
Be your own Judge Of their success
Only in the last session Of the leg1sla-
ture a law was passed enabling cltles
and counties OF this state to purchase
vo+iue machines. That law was vetoed
by the governor.
This winter the Democrats apparently
will have absolute and uudisputed con-
troll of both branches of the legislature.
They have promised the Massachusetts
ballot law. That may help They have
promised to amend the primary law.
But that doesn't settle the present diff
f7culty. What Kansas wants is the elec-
ton news before Inauguration day.
And what will the Democratic legisla-
ture do about it?
Judge G. H Bucknan of wfrffeId. !
speaker OF the house in the 1911 session. is I
in Topeka today attending 8 meeting or
Cowley county jurist had Just finished
reading a list Of representative who are
TO sit IN the 1913 session
That isn't very familiar list" said
Judge Bucku1an- pointing TO a column of
names. There are not very many OF the /
boys who were here two years ago who
are coming back this winter Wen. really /
I am not surprised although I was disap-
POINTED at the election results The Dem
ocrats gained everywhere ard guess II
was only natural for them 10 sweep things
clean in Kansas It was Republican dis
satisfaction more than love of the prin-
ctpIes Of the opposite party that caused
Judge Buck-naE was a candidate for tbs,
Republican nomination as associate 1us-
tice CT the supreme court in the recent
primaries, but was defeated by a small
majority
James W. Simpson, of Mcpherson. was
IN Topeka last night He Is proud Of the
showing his county made in the recent
election
With the exception of Riley county
said Simpson. our county gave Stubs
Capper and the Republican candidates the
largest majOr1tieS Of any county in the
state To be sure the Capper majority in
Shawnee was larger than the Riley or
Mcpherson nlajoritieS but Shawnee fo1t-
ed Governor Stubs and it can't oe count
81