The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-11-17
The Election Decided
The Canvass Of New YOrk'S
Vote Completed.
Cleveland Has a Small
Plurality.
No Important. Errors Dis
covered.
How Mr.. Blaine Received the
News.
He will Resume His Interrupted
Task.
He will Resume His Interrupted
Task.

NEW YORK, Nov. 16.-The canvass in this
city, with the exception of one election die-
trict IN the 18th assembly district was COM
pleted today. The result in this district is
however knowr, ard is included in The follow
ing summary:
Greene county reported today plurality for
Blaine of 10, the same as before. The result
OF au informal canvass of Kings county gives
Cleveland plurality of 1915, which is taken
as the actual plurality in these calculations.a al
though there will probably be slight changes.
The vote in New York city is, Cleveland 1885,
013; Blaine, $685. st. John, 1856; Butler,
1876. Cleveland's plurality, 43,o15. The vote
Of the State, exclusive Of New York city, is,
Cleveland, 429, ,947; Blaine, Al ,906; st. John,
"a, 1888; Butler, Il, ,462. Blaine's plurality, A..
959. The total vote OF the State is, Cleveland,
562 $780, Blaine, 561 ,904; st. John, %, ,174; But
Ter, 16,83S. Oleveland's plurality 1906. The
official canvass Of New York city reduced
Cleveland's plurality from 1926 to 4S,Ol5,
loss of 211.
Another Account.
New YORK, Nov. 15.-When Chairman
Waite began At 9 a. IA, today, to sign the
opened returns in order to prepare for the
more rapid announcement of the electoral vote
by the canvasSers, the chamber of the board
was almost deserted, and there were barely
enough members to permit the opening OF the
returns. Even the usually alert George Bliss
was late Alderman Waite tackled his big
job with q stout heart. His office as chairman
made it obligatory for him to sign his name on
every sheet of every return as soon as il was
opened. This required the signing of his
name 8,266 times and gave the supervisor
terror Of pen paralysis He relieved the mus-
cles of his hand by occasionally seizing the
bupgstarter gsvel, ,and giving the desk a sound
ing wback. The county clerk was permitted
to shift the burden of his signature upon
deputy. 1t appeared TO be we'll understood on
all hands that the motion tc count all the
electoral returns first would be agreed to, and
when that mobion was made at p. M, by
Supervisor O'Neil, there was not even de-
Inand for rol-cal. The room hai gradually
filled up.
"If there are any inspectors or poll clerks
here they are requested TO go to the room of
the committee on corrected returns," was the
announcement of Chairman Waite. The al
most simultaneous movement OF the greater
part Of the assembly toward the door was so
ludicrous that it set everybody on broad
grin 1t was evident that good many in
spectors had been summoned TO correct their
returns. The committee sat in the governors
room, around Washington's big dining table.
The inspectors went ID, one set after another,
and made their corrections in The presence OF
the COMMITTEES, closely watched by Franklin
Bartlett, Charles P. Miller and N. j. Water
bury on the Democratic side, and George Bliss
on the Republican side.
A frequent mistake veg the multiplication
of the electoral vote by 36, the total number OF
the electors. In the 9Th election district OF the
7th assembly district, for instance, the 1nspec-
tors returned the Blaine vote as 1868 instead OF
2I3 aud tue Cleveland vote as 6336 instead OF
176, thereby giving Blaine q very handsome
plurality in the State. Mr.. Bliss amused him.
self bv insisting that the committee could not
go behind the returns. The inspectors were
directed to amend their returns, and did SO.
At 10 20 g. m. all was ready to go on with the
rapid calling OF the electoral vote on the plan
suggested by Supervisor Kirk, of calling first
the electoral vote in each district. The result
was that the 1st assembly district to be dlspos-
ed of ON this plan was run through in twenty
minutes. Sheet after sheet of figures was
rolled up, and Mr.. Outwater, the lightning
calculator, who has for 19 years made the final
addition, began to view the approach of the
most important part of his task. Supervisor
Kirk read in clear, loud voice and rapidly, at
an average of an assembly district every 70
minutes Meanwhile the committee on cor
rected returns reconvened il the Governors
room, and, helped on by the amicable spirit of
the lawyers were able to complete their work,
so far as the electoral ticket was concerned 1t
should be noted, in justice to the lawyers on
both sides that there was no disposition to
csyil at incoDsiderahle technical defects. The
fears on the part Of Clevelaud's friends that
obstacles would be thrown in the way OF the
count proved to bs groundless. When the
board took recess at p. N. tho electoral vote
had been read in every electiou district except
those referred to the committee on corrected
returns, and there were no disputes sffecting
the electoral vote in these districts.
It was settled, however, that tbs official
fgures could lot be announced until the close
of the entire canvass, but the substantial close
of the canvass of the electoral vote at once
decreased the interest in the proceedings of the
board. Most OF the lawyers went away, hav-
ing finished the bulk of their task. Even Col.
Bliss at last Acknowledged that the official an
nouncement of the vote for electors in this
county would confirm the figures relied upon
for Cleveland's election. AT $50 p. IN. Alder
man Kirk moved that Mr.. Outwater's fooiings
be given to the press, not as an official an
nouncement. but to inform the press what the
official announcement will be, except ss to one
solitary election district of the 712-the first
election district OF the 18th assembly district.
In that district formal corrections are to be
made by the inspectors of election on Monday,
although the result to be declared By them was
not questioned by anybody. The final footlngs
were ready at 730 O'Clock, and Clerk Beatie
| read this statement:
This is a statement authorized by the board
as an unofficial statement by the board of can
vassers. The beard of oanvasssrs has COM
pleted the canvass of the 712 election districts
| In the city of New York. AS to one district, it
| Is necessary that the inspectors be required to
correct the return as to an error supposed to 6e
| apparent on the face of the return. That re-
| turn gives to the Blaine electors "a votes,
while from other statements in the return it
ought to be 81. This can make difference of
| 27 votes-no mora, no less. II those q votes
are allowed to Blaine, the result will be for the
lowest elector on the Cleveland ticket 1873 157
| and the highest on the Blaine ticket 9O,093
| Plurality for the lowest Cleveland electors,
| 43, ,064.
Every county in the State has now been eff.
| cially eanvsssed, and official returns have
| been received from all but New York, Kings
aud Greene, but the New York vote of course
will not be changed from the unofficial figures
| given out above. Kings county electoral vote
has been unofficially announced, and the Off
cial announcement will not be made until the
rest of the ticket has been eanvassed and
| Greene county vote is known, the delay in the
official announcement being due to the fact
that the returns from one petty and remote
! district were sent back for technical eorrec-
| tion; consequently the Correct electoral vote
in the State stands, Cleveland, 563,073; Blaine,
| 561 1885, Cleveand's plurality, 1087. This is
made by taking the lowest electoral vote in
| New York city as basis. AS Mr. Offender
| fer ran about 100 behind his ticket, this reck-
oning gives Cleveland 100 less than the other
L IL II -