Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1868-11-11
How the Candidates Received the
News.

Galena IL, Nor. After depositing his vote for
Congressional and State candidates, this afternoon,
Gen. Grant went to the house of the Hon Z. B.
Washburne, where arrangements had been made to
receive the telegraphic returns The first report
was from the Hon. J. G. Blaine" Maine pledged
10000 majority, and she has kept her faith" The
next announcement was received from the Hon. W.
Z. Chandler, that New Hampshire had gone Repub-
ican by at least 5000 majority. Soon reports came
in thick and fast from all parts of the country but
rs yet they are varying. Many Of the friends of
Gen. Grant came in, anxious to hear the news
Much sport was made by the General, who had
written out estimate Of the maiorities for either
candidate in the different States several days before
This he allowed no to see except as each State
was compared with his estimate and in nearly every
case he proved a prophet. The two States first
named gave exactly the majorites he had predicted
and the Presidential candidate seemed much more
pleased at his political sagacty than at his success
Indeed, during the evening he manifested neither
anxiety nor elation, while every one else was ex-
cited IS the changing returns came in. The 'fnev-
table cigar was IS Indispensable as ever and the
calm which he had displayed at Vicksburg and at
ApP0mattox was as conspicuous as if he had still
been ~ t-c head Of a million soldiers. Galens
which had almost always been strongly Democratic,
and had given Mcclellan majority of l 20 there in
1861, was announced as having gone for Grant BY
a majority of nine, at the very moment when dis
patches came in proclsiming Republican gain in
Scymour's own Decrfeld When Connecticut was
certain for .he Union, the whole room, Grant only
excepted, applauded, but sooa the General was
doomed 70 a disappointment. Ho had calculated on
5000 majority in Massachusetts, but the Bay State
was announced as giving him $4,000 majority and
he acknowledged the error in his calculations. As
the evening wore away, the success of the Republ-
cans In Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana became
sure. Messages from Grow, Colfax, and Young Of
the Tribune declared that all doubt about these
States was past. Every New England State was
now certain.
Michigan and California came into line, the Pa
cidc coast responding to the Atlantic and the Lakes
and West Virginia. with an Unexpectedly large ma
orty took her place, while Nevada and Nebraska
reached across the Rocky Mountains, hsiling the
Alleghenes. Bands of music saluted the victor
from the streets; fireworks Illuminated the neigh
b0rho0d, and cannon announced the peaceful vic
tory of Grant. But Grant was still as calm and
impenetrable as ever. His adherents were elated
but his equanmity was undisturbed. AT length
word was brought that North Carolina was loyal
once more, the first Southern State that had voted
since 1861. The room was crowded with Congress
men, Judges, town and country politicians, army
officers, reporters all apparently more eager than
the man on whose account they were gathered
While they compared the returns, and fingered to
receive more, a dispatch arrived from Petroleum V
Nasty, who forwarded his resignation Postmaster
and announced that he had gone in the grocery bus
mess After this the torrent Of news and congrstu-
atous was incessant, interrupted only by the COM
ments Of the little party, but than the requis
te number of electoral votes was now secure and
by degrees the citizens dropped away, and a little
after midnight the President elect of the United
States retired from the scene of his latest triumph
us modestlv as he had left the little house at AppO-
muttox, where four years ago he received the pre-
vious surrender of the enemies of his country.