ELECTIONS AND ELECTION CONTESTS.
Mr. Ryan's bill [H. R. 225] concerning elections and contest thereof was read the third time.
Mr. RYAN--There is nothing in the bill but what is clearly manifested to the members, simply a compilation and revision of the law. There is nothing with reference to registration or anything of that kind. The only new feature is that the ballot boxes used shall be uniform. The box is arranged so that it is out of the control of the Board themselves, and no stuff the ballot-box. Another feature is a requirement for the preservation of the ballots cast for a given length of time in order to afford an opportunity for persons desiring to contest an election to have the ballots precisely as they were deposited. They are sealed up in the presence of the whole Board. The ballot cast has a number upon it and the number is registered by the clerk as the ballot is cast. I want to say to this House as a guarantee of good faith that there is no politics in this bill, because it was prepared by the Code Commission--two members well-known Democrats; the other member a Republican. This bill will absolutely prevent fraud in elections, and certainly no gentleman on this floor wishes anything else.
Mr. MOODY--I desire to enter my solemn protest against the passage of this bill at this time. It may be all that gentlemen claim for it, but I am satisfied it should not be passed until it is printed and each member of this House shall have an opportunity to examine the bill. I am satisfied that this bill is as imsportant as any bill that will come before us for our consideration during the present session, and few members have seen the bill or know anything about the radical changes sought by its enactment. This bill is a very complicated and expensive piece of machinery, and worse than all even before we vote upon the bill I understand there is a patent upon a part of the machinery. The gentleman from Delaware says this box is not to cost more than $25 for each box. How much do you page: 40[View Page 40] suppose this will cost the people of Indiana to enable them to exercise the privilege of free men?
The bill, I understand, provides that in cities of 10,000 voters the Precincts are limited to 300 voters each. This will multiply the number of Precincts very much in the State, and a patent must be paid for by the people for each Precinct. There are now about 1,200 Precincts in the State, and if this bill passes and becomes a law, they will number more than 2,000. The boxes alone will cost the people $50,000. I am opposed to voting for any bill making such radical changes in the existing law without an opportunity to carefully examine it, and I will therefore move that the bill do lie on the table, and 200 copies be printed for the use of the members of this House.
Mr. EDWINS said it was simply for the purpose of making the House conversant with the subject matter that he favored the printing of the bill.
Mr. KENNER said if the House would not put confidence in Committees it would take six months to finish the work before this Legislature. He hoped the motion to print would not prevail.
Mr. WRIGHT--The public expect us to have our work completed at the end of forty days, and to do so we have got to devote ourselves to the passage of these codifying bills, and pass them upon the recommendation of the Committees who have them in charge. I think we had better pass this bill without any further quibbling.
Mr. CAUTHORNE thought the House ought to pass this bill, it being reccommended by two Committees. He considered it the duty of the Committee to ferret out if there is anything wrong in a bill.
The motion to table and print was rejected, and the bill passed--yeas 52; nays, 34.
Mr. CAUTHORNE made a motion to reconsider the vote upon the passage of the bill, and to lay that motion on the table.
The latter motion was agreed to.
