Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 December 1900 — About Voting Machines. [ARTICLE]

About Voting Machines.

The First Oii'fit Nhoii'd Be Furnished By the State. We are in favor of the universal adoption of voting machines, but we are not in favor of leaving it to the individual counties to adopt and purchase any kinl of a machine they chops', and at any kiudofa price. If that is done the prices paid will be exorbitant, as witness the contract just made in Clinton county for a supply of the machines at S6OO. The manufacturers and agents for the dis- , ferent machines will at once proceed to work all kinds of schemes to sell their outfits to county boards, at enormous prices, and where they cannot succeed by cajolery and deceit, they will not scruple to resort to bribery, as was tlie widespread custom, a few years ago, of bridge and stationery firms. The right way to adopt voting machines is to pass a law requiring the state to furnish to the various counties the first mnfit. of voting machines. The law should contain about the following provisions: Constitute a' non-partisan commission which should have power to examine and test the various kiudsyaf voting machiues on the market, and then to contract with some responsible individual or firm for enough of the to supply them to every couuty at the rate of say one to every 400 voters.

A maximum price for the machines which the commission could pay should be named iw the law. That price should not exceed S3OO per machine aud probably not over $250. If a company can go to the expense of making a few machines and pay the big agents’ commissions, and sell them to counties here and there for S6OO each, they cau sell 4hem in such large quantities as the whole state would require, for S3OO, and probably considerably less. The law should further provide that the company which got the contract should supply whatever additional machines counties or cities might requires, at prices no higher than the contract price with the state. The law should provide some equitable means by which cities and towns could use the machines furnished by the state to the counties, and whereby they could buy additional machines as needed either by themselves or in conjunction with the counties. The law should also fix the maximum number of voters to each precinct, and also the minimum, so far as it can be d<me within present township lines. If voting qaachines are adopted by the method above indicated they will cost the people of the state, in the aggregate less than half what they would if the counties buy them individually, and a better and more uniform system be secured.