Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1916-11-05
GENERAL EXODIS
OffICE-HOLDERS
FROM CAPITAL
Politicians Hit Road for
Places of Legal Residence
to Cast Votes.

Washington. Nov. 1.-THE general
exodus of voters from the District OF
Columbia began III earnest today.
From every department men have
been granted leaves t. go home to
east their ballots on eleq5ion day
The outgoing trains tonight and to-
morrow will carry several hundred
voters in addition to those who have
already left the city. Many clerks use
their annual leave of absence for this
purpose, and it is difficult to est
mate the exact number of voters who
will have gone home by Tuesday.
Since the civil service has been eX-
tended to virtually all Of the prindipai
departments of the government the
number of clerks and other employees
retaining q voting residence in the
state from which they come, has
steadily decreased The reasons for
the decrease are obvious. AS the
employees under the civil service rules
are sure of retaining their positions
irrespective OF any changes in the ad-
ministration they no longer have the
same ind antive to participate active
~ in politics that they had in the days
when ito the victor belongs the
spoils" applied TO practically every
position in the service of the federal
government. Another very potent
reason for the decrease in the num-
bcr of department clerks going home
to vote is TO be foun in the abOll
ton of the old custom of giving free
railroad transportation. In the days
when the campaign barrels were
heaped high with contributions that
the law did not require to be made
puhlid the national campaign COM
mittees of both parties were ready
and willing TO furnish a railroad
ticket to any Washingtonian who had
a vote in some one of the states and
was willing to cast it for the fright"
candidate.
However there are many clerks
who still go home to vote, and in the
coming election the number promises
to be larger than for some years past
Those retaining a voting residence IN
those states which are classed as
doubtful" have been urged by the
party leaders to avail themselves Of
their rights Of franchise. Already
several hundred of them have left the
ctty, and it is expected that many
more will go within the next two
DAYS. Those Twin" in nearby states
will not leave until tomorrow night
or Monday
Political Joh-HOiders Travel.
The thinning out is not so notice
able as in the days before the civi
service era, when nosition depended
absolutely upon political activity, bu
a sufficient number still adhere tt
the old custom to make their absence
noticeable. All the heads of depart
ments will go home to vote, and the
example SGT by them will be FOLLOWED
almost uniformly by the doicfs Q
bureaus aud department divisions.
The capitol building will be prac
tically deserted on election day. None
of the official positions in that build
ing is subject to civil service rule an
most of them are held as a result o
personal political service. AS don
sequence. the occupants have in man.
cases been quite as much occupied
with political affairs as have beer
their superiors.
The supreme < purt of the Unite
States constitutes one exception t.
the general rule prevailing at thu
capital. That tribunal is going for
ward as usual with its business. bu
even the members of the court hav
shown themselves to he not total
divorced from the general concern il
the results of the approaching battl
of the ballots In addition to the fac
that political and social life ha
brought them into close contact wit
President Wilson, they naturally fec
an exceptional personal interest i
Mr. Hughes, who until recently wa
one of their colleagues on the bencl
and. regardless of political leaninG>
they have not hesitated to follow tn
progress of his campaign with dos
personal interest.