The Harrison times., 1912-09-21
Little Rock Letter.


conjecture as to the future.
One of the first and most import.
ant things suggested is that some
means must be adopted for eYped.
iting the count. Five days after the
election, only two-thirds of the vote
has been accounted for, and many
of the counties 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 open charges
of fraud in many of the counties
that have been especially close, and
therefore slow There is a posi-
bility of this later on forming the
basis of proceedings to test the
legality Of the election in some pre-
cinct, or even county, affecting some
matter Of great public interest,
The Little Rock papers have taken
up the question, leading politicians
are discussing it, aud with the as
sistance Of the country press, some
practical reform can possibly be
brought about, At this election
there were nine questions submitted
to the people, complicating the bal
lot, confusing the voter and pro-
longing the work Of the judges and
clerks And the people were new at
the game, In states where the In.
itiative and Referendum has become
a familiar procedure, like Ohio,
Oregon, Missouri, Oklahoma, or
where there is no restriction on the
number of constitutional amend
ments that may be submitted, there
are as many as thirty, forty or fifty
questions submitted,
In some of the larger precincts the
Judges counted for twenty-five hours
before they finished the task what
would have been the result if there
had been forty acts and amend
ments instead Of nine?
Several expedents have been sug.
gested The voting machines in use
in New York and Il few other states
enable the Judges to know every
total aa soon as the last ballot is
east. But the voting machines are
very expensive, The candidates
might be assessed a certain per cent
at each primary until they were
paid for, when they would become
the property Of each county This
would be the ideal way Of handling
an election where the ticket is long
aud complies True, it would make
the exercise Of the franchise more or
less mechanical but the people
would get used to It,
Then, again. two sets Of Judges
might be provided at each polling
place, one 60 count and tabulate the
ballots as they are cast which
would enable them TO announce the
result within short time after the
close Of the polls,
Still another suggestion is that
the precincts might be made smaller
no one to contain more thap 900
voters, which would greatly reduce
the burden that is now placed on
the clerks and judges Proposed
Act No, 3, initiated by the Republi.
cans, and which was defeated in the
election provided among other
things that "thc counting Of the
ballots shall begin immediatelyupon
the closing Of the polls, and shall be
continued without interruption un-
til the count is completed" " The
purpose was prnisworthy, being
offered as q solution for the delay in
the returns, but IL would have been
clearly mpraelieable, The first and
second wards Of Little Rock east
nearly one thousand votes each,
The Judges counted for nearly
twenty.lour hours before finishing
the work, Before starting lhceount
they had been ON duty for about
ten hours, ltis beyond human en-
dufnncc to stay on the job 30 long
without rest,
And when the people have learned
the business Of direct legislation,
having Just graduated from the
primcr class with passing fair aver
ages, they willu rest content with
nine on ten propositions, and the
Arkunsus ballot viii grow and mul
tlply until 1t will take a week 90
count It Therefore, something
must be done.
IGNORANCE or TilE NOrEt
Another lesson that Is taught by
this election Is that the voter, ~ n
class, is not atrnned lnwsmaker but
this may come with practice The.
final figures will show chat ~ many
hs 90, 900 hilcd to vote either for or|