The Portland daily press., 1884-11-26
THE Ell LECTION RETURNS.
What the Western UniOn Telegraph COna.
Pany is Responsible Fer Statement of
Has President.
EXECUTIVE OFFICE
WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH Comply,
NEtU Vnpz Nov oS 1874

EXECUTIVE OFFICE
WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH Comply,
NEW YORK, Nov. 25, 1884. }
To the Public.
Now since the presidential election is settled and
the excitement incident a close political contest
has abated it is proper to say that prepared
to show NEST conclusively the utter groundessness
OF all charges against the Western Union telegraph
Company of partiality in reporting or Withholding
the election returns Of the State of New York. l
deny in the most EN- hattie manner that the West
ern Union Company delayed, altered or withheld
State, or tampered with them in any way.
1t had nothing whatever to do with the returns Of
TBS State OF New York except 10 transmit them
Over its lines as prepared by the agents of the AS
s9ciated Press. All the returns OF the State we've
collected by the Associated Press; all the compil
ing done in its offices by its agents. and all
bulletins prepared by it; and copies were sim
ply delivered 10 Mr.. Someryille, supe rintendent of
cur newspaper service, for general distribution to
the public. This company had nothing to do with
nlsking up the bulletins, nor did any officer, or
agent, other person connected with interested
Ia this company, except the operators whe trans.
mitted the returns, have access to, or see any Of
them until the bulletins had been made up there
from in the Associ ted Press Office anu handed TO US
for public distribution; and have no reason 10 be-
eve that the agents of the Associated Press acted
otherwise than in an impartial manner.
Ordinarily, many of our offices are not kept open
for business after O'Clock p. m. To assist US in
meeting the extraordinary expense of the extra
employment Of several ousand nignt operators,
we have had for many years arrangements with the
Press Association giving the privilege Of sell
ing bulletins to political and social clubs and other
subscribing customers and we simply took the As
sociated Press bulletins as that association had
made them up, apd delivered them as heretofore, to
customers who had subscribed for them, nothing
NOR.
The charge that returns were purposely with held,
or that tbere was unusual delay in reporting them
is entirely false Instead of such delay, there
extraordinary promptness. Never before have re-
within so short time. Within 4S hours after the
count of ballots began, returns were received from
SO per cent of the 3 600 election districts in the
State. althOupl \
and there was some trouble in working the wires,
No delay occurred in any reports handed to our
offices outside the city of New York. Within the
city the telegraph service nearly perfect
it was possible make it, and the only trouble
with some OF the short wires hastily erected for
temporary
1t is to be noted that heretofore the majori-
ties reporte from the most populous and therefore
the accessible countless have been so decisive
that the popular mind has been set at rest respect
ing the result of the elections the first night and
there being no hope or fear of change in the gen.
eral result, subsequent returns or less tardy,
have struggled in unheeded.
In two instances in this State 1 have bsen in
formed that the county canvassers, who met one
week after the election this year. had to adjourn
because the county clerks had up to that time,
been unable to get in the vote of their counties The
only other returns complained of were those of In
diana, where, at the request of the political com
m ttees aud the press in the absence of any agent
of the Associated Press the reports came through
and were sent out by our superintendent. Mr.. j K.
Walick, who insists that he used every effort TO OBJ
tain all the returns speedily possible. con-
slider the demand for an investigation of that SER
vice, made by the Indianapolis Sentinel, and also
by MIR. Wallick himself, reasonable aud proper and
have asked the chairman of the Indiana Demo-
cratic State Committee to take part in the investi
cation, or to name representative to do so The
management of this company in its business rela-
tions TO the public il strictly onpohtical and nom
partisan. The employees represent every shade Of
political opinion. and are in the companys service
solely by virtue Of their proficiency telegraphers.
What their individual political opinions are has
never been in any case called into question nor
But of those with whom personally come in con-
tact know that there quite as many Demo-
Gratis as Republicans. 1t is, therefore, manifestly
absurd to charge that the service of the company
could be converted into party machine. could
in any way distort stfe the facts, when such an
attempted conspiracy could only have been made
by the aid of large number of members of the
political party which it was designed to injure.
NoRvIN GREEN, President.