The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-02-03
OLD.TIME ELECTION RETURNS.
HOW THEY WERE TRANsAITTFD BEFORE THE
DAYS OF TELEGRAPHs-sOME INTER
EsTING POLITICAL HISTORY.


DAYS OF TELEGRAPHs-soN INTER
EsTING POLITICAL HISTORY
EDITOR FREEMAS-Ded- Sir On the day
after the last November election when the
telegraph had substantially announced the
result in the State, young man who had
then cast his first vote, asked me TO tell him,
if l could. in some future number of the
FREEMAN, how long time it required before
the telegraph came into general use to ascer-
tain the vote of the State, and how the cleo
ton returns were received. l told him
would do so, and l viii now not only fulfil
that promise, but refer. in addition, to some
matters not Immediately connected with the
subject.
My earliest accurate recollection Of the in
cidents connected with a political campaign
goes back to the memorable contest for Gov
ern0r in 1888 between JOS. Ritner and David
R Porter the first-named having been renom-
mated by the anti Masonic party. and the
other (P0rter) being the Democratic noIni-
nee. This was six years before the first tel
eGraph line in this cOuntry-that between
Washington and Baltimore-was erected bv
Morse, lis inventor in the face of almost in
surmountable difficulties The Ritner and
Porter campaign was, so far as nv knowl-
edge of elections extends the 7..OSt exciting
and hOtlv contested one that has ever occur
red in this State 1t became so in conse-
querce Of the vindictive and bitter attacks
made unOn the personal character of Porter
by the Ritner press, and also from the settled
Stevens, then one of the Canal Commission.
eTS, who was the power behind the throne
greater than the throne itself and of Thomas
II. Burrowes. Secretary of the Common
wealth, and Chairman of the Rtner State
Committee. to carry the election Mt all haz-
ards. hv fair means, If they could hut in anv
event to carry it. The amount of money
staked on the result was enormous Betting
became perfect mania all over the State
and it was rare thing to meet with a man
who had not wa0ered something on the Sue
cess of his candidate. If il was not money.
it was coat, a hat or a pair of boots and
often a horse. a cow. or an OK
Two four horse stage coaches, forming the
line between Pittsburgh and HaMisburg
passed through this place each dav. one 90
ing east and the other west. and the wav-biU
IN addition to the list of passengers contain
Ell the first and subsequent result of the cleo
tion in the different counties along the route
Before the stage left Pittsburgh. on the dav
after the election, the agent of the line in
that city wrote on the wav-bill what he then
knew about the vote in Allegheny county
and gave what was regarded as the probable
result in that county. When the stage ar
rived at MurraySvile in WestmoreIand
county, Gen. Murray, a veteran Democrat at
whose hotel the stage StnpDed added M, the
way-bill the returns from that county as far
as he knew them with his estimate of Por-
te-'S majority in the county At BIairsville
the vote of Indiana county, as far as received
was noted down, and when the stage reached
ing ten election districts was added and / n
all the other counties as the stage passed on
to Harrisburg The way-hiIl from Harris
burg to Pittshurg was used for the same pur-
pose, and hv Thursday night the returns on
one way-bill going east and those of another
going west were known here but as thew
were very meaGTe, no intelligent opinion
could be formed of the ger erat result By
Friday night, although the way-bills contain
ed great many additional returns from the
notth- western and remote eastern counties
they did not afford any decided encourage
ment 70 the friends of either candidate still
they formed the material out of which the
adherents of each built innumerabIe castles
in the air It was believed that all dOubt
would be removed bv Saturday night when
the stage arrived from the east and sucb
proved TO he the case. There was a general
rush to the hotel when the sOuDd Of the staga
drivers tin horn announced his near an
proach-even the small boy of that dav par
ticipating in the excitement, and formiuo a
large and important part of the anxious
crowd. Among the stage paSSenoerS was
the late John &. Miles, ESQ. of Huntinodon
on MS way to Pittsburgh He was known to
al the citizens of our town and both Michael
Dan Magellan, Ritner man. and DR. Smith
Forter man, Immediately undertook to in
terview him Mr. Miles, who was a strong
WhiG. or anti-MasOn, was evidently not iust
then disposed to tell all he knew and there
fore kept the excited crowd for short time
on the ragged edges of hope and fear but at
ceived at Huntington that morning from
Bradford and the northern tier of counties
showed that they had given Porter maiorifies
so largely in excess of what had been antici-
Pated as 10 render his election certain by
about FIVE thousand majority And Thus the
long agony was over on the tffth night after
the election
As an indication of the extremely bitter
ieellng that marked the contest, I recollect
that rs soon as Mr.. Miles made the statement
that Porter was elected beyond all doubt n
prominent Rianer man in the room avowed
his Willingness to het ten dollars to five with
any Loco foco' that Porter would be i'm the
penltentiarv before the end of the wear 1890
and he would have put up his money without
hesitation, so wild was the political frenzy of
the day. -
1t may be here stated that the newspapers
IN each county, on the day after the election,
issued small slips, or extras, containing the
returns of their respective counties. so far as
they were known, and when these extras
reached the printing offices TO which thew
were sent they furnished data from which to
make gradual approach to a more iuteIi-
gent estimate of the general result.
most notable feature of that remarkable
campaign was the powerful influence exerted
Dy the addresses to the people of the State,
tral Committees. Such productions are now
generally regarded with inGifferpnce-as
mere sound and fury, Signifyinp nothing
Ihey were published at short intervals were
'7.,N'iJ W ext iIelle length, and were written
with great ability. Their appearance in tho
county papers was looked forward TO with
intense interest, and it was made the husi-
ness OF the party leaders to see that they
reached every nook and corner of every
county IN the Commonwealth Each of tbp
Two parties put its best foot forward in these
addresses, aid regarded the arguments they
contained as the strongest possible anpasI
that could be made to the voters in favor of
the election of its candidate. So imnortant
We're thev considered that if a neysp,nsr of
erner parry had for anv reason vhatever
omitted or neglected to publish one of them
Ine 0HenSe would never have been candoned
Inc Chairman of the RitnPr State Com.
ihIttre was Thomas II. Burrowes. who "a
oeIore stated, was Secretary of the Common
wealth, and Dr. Daniel Sturgeon. of Favetta
county, then the State Treasurer. was Chair
man OF the Porter State Committee Tho
addresses issued by that COMMITTEES were as-
pecaliy vigorous and able. and had Given
Ut sturgeon very strong hold on the orat-
lIude oil the Democracy of the State. He was
not however theiI author, that credit beino
ehtrely due 70 Ovid F. Johnson. ESQ q
lawyer or Harrisburg, who was rewarded by,
governor Porter with the office of Attorpey-
IN January, 1910, a little more than a year
alIeT tne campaign was ended, DR.. SturSeon
was elected to the United States Senate LI.
AN~