The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-11-26

10 Inc fHOlC.
Now, since the presidential election is
settled, and the excitement incident to a
close political contest has abated. It is
proper to say that we are prepared to
show, most conclusively the utter ground
lesSness of all charges against the Yves
tern Union Telegraph Co, of Partially
in reporting or Withholding the election
returns of the state of New York. | de
ny in the most emphatic manner that the
Western Union Co, delayed, altered or
withheld the election returns Of this state
OF any other state or tempered with them
in any way. II had nothing whatever TO
do with the returns Of the state of New
York except TO transmit them over its
lines as prepared by the agents Of the
Associated Press. All returnS of the
state were collected hy The Associated
Press, all The compiling was done in its
own offices aud all bulletins were pre-
pared by it and copies were simply dciiv.
cred to Mr. Somervile, superintendent of
our newspaper service, for general distri-
button TO the public. This company mad
nothing to do with making up the buila
tive NOR did any officer or agent OF Other
person connected with or interested in
this company, except the operators who
transmitted the returns, have access to or
see any of them until the bulletins Had
been made up therefrom in the Associated
Press office and handed to us for public
distribution. and | have no reason to be-
iicVe that the agents of the Associated
Press acted otherwise than in an impair
tai manner. Ordinarily many of our of>
fees are not kept open for business after
s clock p. m. To assist US in meeting
the extraordinary expense of the extra
employment Of several thousand night op.
orators we have had for many years ar
engagements with the press association
giving up the privilege of selling bullc>
tins to political and social clubs and
other subscribing customers. We simply
took the Associated Press bulletins as
that association had made them up and
delivered them as heretofore to customers
who had subscribed for them, nothing
more. The charge that the returns were
puTposely withheld, or that there was an
unusual delay in reporting them, is en-
| tircly false. Instead of such delay there
was an extraordinary promptness. Never
before have reports from so many election
districts been received within SC
short Il time. Within fortyeight hours
after the count of the ballots began, re
turn were received from 9S per cent OF
the 5000 election districts in the state
Although the night of the election was
| stormy and there was trouble in working
the wires; no delay occurred in any re,
| ports handed to our offices outside the
city Of New York Within the city thu
| telegraph service was as nearly perfect as
it was possible to make it and the only
trouble was with some of the short wires
hastily erected for temporary use. 1t i,
| here to be noted that heretofore the ma,
! jorities reported from the most populou
and therefore the most accessible counties
| have been so decisive that the popula
mind has been set at rest respecting the
! result of the election on the first night
and there being no hope or fear of {
Change in the general result, subseQuen
returns more or less tardy, have straggle,
in UNDECIDED. In two instances in thi
state | have been informed that the coun
ty cauvassers, who met one week ate
the election this year, had to adjourn eve
because the county clerks Ind up to tina
time been unable TO get in the vote of thl
counties.
The only other returns complained o
we're those Of Indiana, where at the re
quest Of the political committees, and th
press, in the absence of any agent Of Tn
Associated Press the reports came through
and were sent out by our superintendent
Mr.. }. T Wallack, who insists that h
used effort 10 obtain all returns as speed
lily as possible l consider the demand
for an investigation of that service, mad
by the indianapolis Sentinel, and also b
Mr.. WallaCk himself reasonable and prop
Gr and have asked the chairman Of til
Indiana democratic state committee It
take part in the investigation or to nam
a representative to do so, The manage
ment Of this company in its bushes
relations to the public is strictly non
political and non-partisan. The en-
plOycs represent every shade of politiCa
opinion and arc in the company's servic
solely by virtue of their proficiency a
telegraphers What their individual pc
liuCal opinions are has never been in an
case called into question nor have thei
notes ever been canvassed or ascertained
but Of those with whom | personally com
in contact know that there are quite a
many democrats as republicans. 1t
) therefore manifestly absurd to charge tina
the service of the company could be con
verted into party machine or could i
any way distort or stide the facts, whe
such an attempted conspiracy could onl
have been made BY the aid Of larg
number of members of the political part
which ii was csigned to injure.
NORvIN GREEN.
CROP REPORT