The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1919-04-24
OLD BALLOT BOX
At EARLY ELECTIONS
METHODS WERE DIFFERENT IN
EARLY DAYS
Review of Early Election Ballots
Recalls Names of Many
Prominent Citizens


senger office is displayed the first bal
lot box ever used in the Township of
Vienna. 1t is the property of Mrs.
Ida Bingham and was preserved by
her late husband, Walter Bingham,
whose parents, Mr.. and Mrs. Geo. T.
Bingham, were among the earliest
settlers in the township. The little
box is about IL inches long by six
inches square and would not hold half
of the township ballots now cast at
township election, to say nothing of
the state and county ballots and the
amendments. The largest ballot box
now in use in the township is two
feet high by one and one-half feet
square But the tickets were very
small affairs when the old box was in
use. They were usually about three
inches wide and six or eight inches
long and each political party provided
its own and paid the expense of hav-
ing them printed. There was moth
ing of secrecy about the ballot in
those days. Electioneering was in
| dulged in close about or even in the
| polling place and the voter was very
| frequently handed the ballot he was
expected to cast, in fact it was al
legged that certain large employers of
labor used to hand their employees
the ballots they wished them to cast
and march them up to the polling
place and see to it they were thus
voted. This latter, Of course, was
very possibly not the case in Vienna
| township, but it was said to have
been done frequently in the places
where large numbers of men were
employed. "FMing" ballots was a
chief duty of the old time political
heller This means that if he found
a voter Who was susceptible to his ar
gument or influence, he endeavored
to get him to allow slips to be pasted
over the names of as many candidates
on his party ballot as possible, said
slips bearing the name of the opposi-
ton candidates. Election days were
hailed with JOY by the printers who
reaped harvest from printing the
gummed slips before referred to.
AS the contest waxed hot, the candi-
dates wanted more and more stickers
and usually weren't very particular
about the price. 1t was rather a
question of speed, because to run
short Of stickers meant the loss of
votes and mayhap the election. Of
course, after election the matter
of expenses appeared in an altogether
different light and sometimes the
printer waited awhile for his pay.
AS we have said, the tickets were
formerly separate instead of in the
blanket form as at present-the Re-
publicans on one ticket, the Demo-
Gratis on another, Prohibitionists on
another and so on. The Republi-
cans, then as now, were the dominant
party and occasionally two Of the
minority parties would go in together
gether and beat them out. This was
called "fusion" and Governor Josiah
Begole, Of Flint, was elected through
1
Greenbackers. Such combinations of
| parties are now prohibited by law.
Inside the old ballot box are three
of the old time tickets above de-
scribed, being for a Vienna township
| election. We have no means of
knowing just when they were used, as
they are undated, but here is list
Of the candidates: Republican ticket
Supervisor, B. S. Jennings; Clerk,
Arthur T. Baker; Treasurer, Daniel
Reid; School Inspector, VIM. H. Rus
sell; Com. Of Highways, Walter d.
Bingham; Justice, VIM. Whitehouse !;
Constables, Frank Rockafellow, Ezra
G. Wisner, George w. Hurd, Peter
McNally Union Ticket-Supervisor,
VIM. H. Davis; Clerk, Russell john
son; Treasurer, Philo M. Begole; !;
Highway Com, Aaron Parsons I;
School Inspector, B. S. Jennings; !;
Justices, David S. Halstead and Jno.
w. Foote; Drain Com, Alanson S.
Foster; Constables, Jacob A. Spring
er, Frank Rockafellow, Lewis F.
Long and James Inkstar. Next comes
what appears to be one Of the "fu-
sion" tickets above referred to, be-
ing the Prohibition-U Union Ticket,
as follows-Supervisor, Bradford M.
Beeman; Clerk, Fl. w. Cooley; Treas
urer, John B. Buffum; School Inspect
or, Nelson B. Gillctt; Justices, Jno.
w. Foot and Thomas Lean; Drain
Com, Benjamin w. Tinney; Consta-
bles, William Tucker, Ezra G.. Wisner,
Lewis F. Long and Frank Rocka-
fellow. We are safe in assuming
that Frank Rockafellow was popu-
lar constable as his name appears on
all of these ballots. 1t is not likely,
i varhaNs that o1J 80 <Losa ho11n<o x,yorc