Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-02-19
TabuIating Returns.
Member of Congress.
Ma jority, rs.

A r is nominated, getting n votes
IN his inaugural, Governor File der
made specific mention of the need fol-
competent election officers. pointing
| out that competent officers are essen
| tlal to the successful workings of tbs
| election laws. The Governors words
are:
| Our primary a~a ele~tion laws. OF
| the whole work admirably. The sys-
| TEN is beyond the experimental stage
and its great superiority over any
previous method has been complete y
demonstrated. There should, how
ever be an Improvement in the man.
ner OF select on of election officers. If
the men in charge of polling places
are ignorant or corrupt, we are bou id
to suffer from their incompetence or
vices, and since we cannot by law,
make men intelligent or moral, we
should exercise more care in the
choice of those who are to perform
this most important duty. TIL can
be done through more stringent civil
service examinations, and l would at
tract to these examinations a | State.
county and municipal employers by
providing that such of them as quail
fly for election officers shall be ex-
cused from their public duties on
registry, primary and election days,
without loss OF pay. Men employed
in private business cannot. as a rule,
be released by their employers and ii
my idea were adopted an intel gent
class of men would be available for
this public work"
Can the governor see, or has the
governor considered, the difficulties la
obtaining the high-class results asked
for from district election board, as
experienced. say, by county clerks.
city clerks or others whose duties
place them in direct touch with the
work of election officers? Thet is
one question propounded That he
has given the subject study is
shown by his suggestion that in
telligent and competent clerks In the
public employ be permitted to serve
on district election boards and to
receive the fixed compensation fol
such services without loss of pay for
time taken from their regular situa-
tons.
The element OF cost that would at
tach to this proposition, If carried
out, can only be imagined, as it can
only be computed by the handicap
feature of Inconvenience and delay In
proceedings in departments affected
by the absence OF the regular clerks.
If it is further asked, civil service
examinations fail to produce a bet.
ter class of election officers than nov
developed. what cun ne expected OF
them In the efforts to perform the
greater and more complicated duties
required under the operations of the
Hennessey act, when their work g
said to be so unsatisfactory under
the simpler system of tallying and
tabulating In existence at present?
II the civil service examinations OF
candidates for places on district cleo
ton boards are 10 be more eXacting
than at present, when so many fall
to qualify, how are more competent
men for the service TO be procured?
What element Of expense would en-
ter into this matter? Suppose clerks
in the public employ would refuse to
Ia e examina tons or to serve? Could
they be compelled to serve or take
the examinations? If the idea was
distasteful 10 clerk, he could easily
and deliberately fail to qualify.
1t would seem that there are many
reasons that Justify the asking of
questions by those who look at the
cost Of things. tax rates and other
features. that might rise up to con-
fuse and confound conditions in the
future. It is a proposition that could
set the Economy and Efficiency Com
mission fSessing.
Take Newark as case in point.
There are 1s6 election districts in this
city, averaging at least 500 voters.
The maximum number OF voters al
lowed by law to o district is 400.