New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-01-26
WHIT WAS THE DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY
IN NEW- YORK;

A correspondent at BinghamtoD, n. Y, writes
as follows:
In your paper a. 1882 sateths actual majority Of
mour nine thousand hundred and sItes
$780, correction Of your preysus report and has here
regarded by Republicans authoritative IL o't tsar'sg
to TRIBUNE psge 81 the majority published
ten thousand 30 OoO II few words explain the Zoe
change you V settle point that good maJ
every state addition your Obedent servant p HousrS
Mr. p Houston and most of the readers OF TIE
TRIBUNE who take any interest in election returns
are doubtless aware that voters cast their ballots for
Electors of President and who in turn.
cast the vote of the State for those high Offices OF
these Electors there SO in the State of NewYOrk
under the present appOrtOnment Anyone who will
take the trouble to examine the tables of returns,
as made out by the State Canvassers, will find that 1t
is rarely the votes of any two Electors on the same
ticket foot up exactly the same aggregate. Tins
arises sometimes from scratching" and sometimes
from defective ballots In making ND tables of cleo
ton returns like those in The TRIBUNE ALMANAC, 1t
is impracticable to publish the whole electoral Ticket
on account of the great space would occnpy 06col
umns of solid fgures, two names from the list are
selected TO represent the voteOne from each party.
In this case the compiler of The ALMANAC, on tho
principle, perhaps of first come first served" selected
the first name on each ticket being Gen. Slocum ON
the Democratic ticket and Marshall o. Roberts on
the Republican side. AS between these two Electors
the majority is exactly 10000, Gen. Slocum having
received 429sS3 and Mr.. Roberts 4l9,ss3.
As Gen. Slocum, from personal popularity, received
tho highest vote of any elector on the Seymour
ticket while the vote of Mr.. Roberts was trfe
under the average of the Grant ticket ii is obvious
that farer selection of to represent the rola
tive strength of the two parties might have been made
if the compiler had had to the complete returns
at the time of making up the table. If wo take tho
vote of Gen. SlOcum and compare il with that VI
Moses H. Grinnell. which was 1889 we find that
the majority is 1904. Again, taking elector James
McQuade who received 429,s2i, and compare with
Patrick Costello, whose vote was 419,)l5, We have
Democratic majority Of only $500. But the obviously
fair way Of determining Mr.. Seymour's majority Il
the State is to take the average vote of each electoral
ticket and discover the difference. This may b.
done by adding together the votes received by Su
the electors on each ticket dividing the aggregate o.
each by the number of electors @ and then subtract
ing the smaller thus found from the larger.
Such calculation shows
The average Seymour vote to have
And the average Grant
And the average Seymour majority. eSt
The average vote seems TO to be the faircst test
of the relative strength of parties. BIT il wa select
the two names highest on each tickett;en. SlOCum.
$50 and Patrick Costello, 4l99l5-we nave Soy
mour majority of $685. CT within four votes Of tho
average Again. if we take the lowest each ticket
j. e. Timothy ID. COpp i29S20, and Moses II. Grinneu
4l0SI2, we have Seymour majority OF 9,siS.