The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-09-03
APPROPRIATION FOR
MACHINES A RESULT
OF SECRET CAMP A|GN

the county council yesterday in sup
port of the voting machines. was sign
ed by the following officers and direc-
tors OF the club:
J. f. Mccarthy, president: Walter
H Bates, chairman protein; members
OF the board present. J. F. Mccarthy,
John H. Nicholson (the local repre-
sentative of the Empire Voting Ma
chine company, Pettis A. Reid. Henry
Gennett, f w. Craighead. Walter II
Bates. Howard A Dill. Nettleton Nef.
and A L. jenkins: members OF the
board not present but Concurring,
George Z. Seidel Sharon f. Jones.
Hans n Kohl George R Dilks. :. f.
Swayne and George II. knoIlenberg.
The special committee OF the Com
mercial club, which has been investi-
eating the voting machine question re-
Gently and on whose report the board
of directors acted in urging the COM
ty commissioners and members OF the
county council TO purchase the ma
chimes, were f NJ Haas, chairman.
Richard Sedgwick and w II. Quigg.
trick was attempted by the rep
resentatives of the company in the
preparation of the resolution. In the
original resolution no amount was
named as interest on deferred pay
ments and when il was presented To
the council for action the words ''5
per cent" interest were inserted. w
II. Cook, a member of the council OBJ
jeCted strenuously TO the 5 per cent
clause stating that the county could
borrow all the money ii wanted at
Az per cent. Mr.. Cook stated that he
had had an understanding with Mr..
Davis last week that the interest rate
should be Az per cent. Messrs. Cook
and Robinson refused to vote on the
resolution until the rate of interest
was changed. The resolution passed
at the Az per cent rate.
At South Bend, Indiana, at the time
the question of voting machines was
under discussion, the makers of all
voting machines were invited TO take
part in the demonstration. The repre-
sentatives of each of the companies
| demonstrated how the other makes OF
machines could be manipulated.
The Empire machine was shown by
| the representatives of the Information
al machines to be impracticable.
South Bend Investigation.
1t was shown that the paper roll
can be moved without the manipula-
! ton of the levers, thus enabling one
man to cast more than one vote with
out the judges knowledge. This, II
was claimed, is done by lifting the
cover of the slots and pushing the pa
per on with the fingers. AS the ma
chine is surrounded by a curtain
which excludes the voter from view ii
was declared that plural voting in this
manner would be very simple.
The International representatives
also showed how the candidate could
be deprived of votes which were in
tended for him. This was accomplish
| ed, it was claimed, by slipping a rub
! Der band over the hub of one of the
keys used to register an irregular
vote and over the knob of the adjoin-
ing one, the candidates whose names
appeared behind those keys could be
cut out without the voters notice
when he draws his finger along the
line of keys, according to the instruc-
tions which go with the machine
! This method of defrauding the cleo
tors of votes which they believe they
are casting is said to have been used
! in recent elections at Buffalo on the
| United States Standard machines
which are also manufactured by the
Empire company. 1t is also claimed
| that the Empire machine is in direct
violation of the Indiana election laws
as the machines may be opened at
any time during the day of election.
No Machines for Laporte.
Yesterday while the members of the
Wayne county council were voting an
appropriation to buy voting machines,
the county council of Laporte county,
! Indiana, were dissuaded from making
an appropriation of $4,000 to pur-
chase the machines for that county.
| President Arthur Taylor, of the coun-
ty election board was instrumental in
having the appropriation stopped. The
action came as result Of public opin-
ion following the investigation of the
| sale of the machines to the Cook coun-
| ty, Illinois, election board and the st.
Joseph county, Indiana, board. The
| announcement in Chicago papers OF
| the day before that the company that
was trying to sell the machines to La
porte county. the Empire Voting Ma
chine company, had sold out to COM
petitor, was offered as an additional
reason for stopping the purchase.