Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1916-10-11
ABSENT VOTERS
! LAW A BENEFIT
More Than 10000 Voters Can BE
!, Benefited by New Law.
PREDICT 25,OOO ABSENTEES
WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE.
Gems iierabie Expense Can Be Saved
With tho Operation Of New
Voting System.

De Moines, Ia, Aug. 9.-Between
10000 and 10000 voters in Iowa
can be benefited by the operation of
the absent voters law and thousands
of dollars can be saved to the men
! for whose benefit the law was orig
inally intended by it's use in the gen.
Ieral election in November accord
ing to W. j. Reinke and T.. NJ. Went
worth, two of the men most instru-
mental in securing it's enactment.
The law will be SO thoroughly ex-
planned before that election that
there will be no occasion for any
man included in its provisions failing
to vote this fall, they said last night.
II do not say that there will be
$4,000 votes cast by men away from
their legal residence at election
time, said Mr.. Wentworth, "but
will be very greatly surprised il
there are not at least $4,000 such
votes cast. Every travelling man.
student, business man of any kind, or
| any other voters, and there are many
large classes of them, who knows
| that he will not be at home on cleo
ttion day can cast his regular ballot
as though he were to walk up to the
polling places and drop it in the bal
lot box, and he can do il with the alb
isolute security that no one will know
about the candidates for whom he
voted any more than if he remained
at home to VOTE
The soldiers at the border, if they
are kept there until election time,
will be able to use the absent voters
ballot in case they come from COM
Imunities in Iowa where registration
| is not required, but in other cases the
soldiers who live in the larger cities
will be deprived of their suffrage this
year.
New registration lists are mad
every presidential year and | know
of no way that voter can register
other than by being present in per-
son" said Attorney General Cosson
yesterday. THE absent voters law
should be amended to provide for
Esuch cases and to make the registra-
ton as well as the voting possible
for certain persons.
operation Of the absent voting sys-
TEN is negligible as compared witch
the expense incurred by the absent
lvoterS to take advantage of the pres
ent arrangement He foresaes de-
velopment of the principle involved
to extend 1t to the farmers in the
field. to the men who make up com
lmunities in which there are now but
few voters to take advantage of tbs
present law The law can be so ex-
tended he said. that it will make |,
possible for the farmers to save. the
liuic now TeuulTeu III UuSy SedSOllS Ol
the year to go 30 the polling places
in town, by simply securing their bal
lots in advance and turning them ov--
er at the proper time TO the rural
lcarriers.
In order to acquaint the largest
Iclass of voters who are affected by
1.-THE law with its operation. accurate
directions as to how To use it are to
be prepared and given to all of the
travelling mems associations connect
ed with the Commercial Travellers
Congress of Iowa to be mailed OFT
with their assessment announce
Iments.
w. j. Reinke. the originator of the
idea for the law in Iowa is president
of the National Absent Voters league
and is receiving numerous inquiries
from other states on the working oi
1.-The law I'm iowa