Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-08-05
Th. Nor,I Carolina Election.

Since last Thursday night, the newspapers,
and the telegraph dispatches general and spe-
cial. have labored with great zeal and some des-
peratiou to tell the result of the North Carolina
election. Up to Sunday morning there were no
returns collected at Raleigh or anywhere else
which could enable any one to know certainly
whether the republican or the democratic state
ticket was elected. There were rumors, uncer-
tain reports and one-sided estimates, from va
Tious counties; but there were very few actual
returns of the vote in the ninety-two counties of
the state. Late Friday night the New York
Worlds reporter, at Raleigh, claimed to have
returns, perfect and imperfect, only "from a
third of the state;" the Tribunes reporter said,
"Scattering returns have been received from less
than half the counties of the state;" and another
report made at the same time stated that there
were "ffty counties" from which nothing had
been heard. And yet, we were told, on one side,
in the most positive way, that Merrimon was
elected by 900 majority, and, on the other,
that there was majority of 10000 for Caldwell.
These eager reporters undertook TO announce
the result without knowing certainly, or with
any good degree of probability, what it was.
AS to returns, very little of what they had was
official. 1t consisted of rumors, guesses, doubt
full reports, and favorable estimates based on
previous votes and assumed probabilities. Only
three of the counties composing the Raleigh
congressional district had been heard from;
but the democrats elected their candidate in
this district, by means of confident Estimates"
assuming for him majority of 500 in one Of
the unreported counties. At length came re.
turns from the other counties, showing republi-
can gains. The republican candidate had II
majority in the county where the democrats had
expected majority Of 500; and there was a
republican gain of about 600 votes in another
estimated county. Of course, the republican
candidate was elected by q majority about
which there could be no further question. We
take these particulars from report in the New
York Tribune. They will enable any one to
understand how the reports have been made up,
and how worthless were all the reports, on both
sides, which pretended to tell who was elected
governor,
The associated press agents in that quarter,
being in sympathy with the democrats, have,
very naturally, felt more confidence in their re-
ports and figured estimates than in those of the
republicans; and this has given color to their
dispatches Saturday evening, after studying
carefully all the reports, we thought it possible
that Merrimon was elected by about 1000 ma
iority; but to reach this conclusion, it was nee
essary to accept the democratic guesses and esti-
mates in regard to the vote in large number OF
counties not heard from, in which we really had
no confidence. Several hours later, however,
there came dispatch saying positively that the
republicans had elected four congressman and
their whole state ticket. We gave up the mat
ter in despair, resolving to wait as patiently as
possible for the official announcement. No
doubt somebody was elected governor of North
Carolina on the first day of August, but we were
quite sure, that no man living could tell certain
ly whether his name was Caldv ell or Merrmoa
1t might be Merrimon; we hoped it was Cad-
well; meanwhile, it was certain that partizan
guessings, assumptions, and cipherings, in the
absence of trustworthy returns ofthe vote, could
not settle the question.
Since Saturday night, the reports have be-
come more favorable to the republicans. The
majority claimed for Merrimon, in the demo.
cratic reports, went down from 10, 600 to "from
1900 to 2000," with good many counties still
unreported; while the republicans went on
Claiming a victory with more and more conf
dence. As we write this, the telegraph is at
work and more dispatches are expected. We
cannot say what complexion the final reports will
have; but we doubt whether anybody will know
who is to be governor of North Carolina, until
the complete official returns are reported.