The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-26
THE ELECTION RETURNS.
The President Of the Western Union Explains
the Manner of Their Collection.


ident Of the Western Union Telegraph Company,
furnishes the following:
4 EXECUTIVE OFFICE WESTERN UNIoNl
TELEGRAPH COMPANY,
NEW YORK, Nov. %, 1884.
To the Public:
Now, since the presidential election is settled,
and the excitement incident to close political
contest has abated, it is proper to say that we
are prepared to show most conclusively the ut
ter grormdlessness of all charges against the
Western Union Telegraph Company of partial
ity in reporting withholding the election re-
turns of the. State of New York. deny in the
most emphatic manner that the Western Union
company delayed, altered or withheld the cleo
ton returns of this State, any other State, or
tempered with them in any way. 1t 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. Ali the
returns of the State were collected by the Asso-
ciated Press; all the compiling was done in its
offices by its own agents, and all bulletins were
prepared by it, and copies were simply delivered
to MIR. Somerville, superintendent of Our news
paper service, for general distribution to the
public This company had nothing to do with
making up the bulletins, nor did any officer or
agent or other person connected with or inter
ested in this company, except the operators who
transmitted the returns, have access to or see
any of them until bulletins had been made up
therefrem IN the Associated Press office and
handed to us for public distribution, and 1 have
no reason to believe that the agents of the
Associated Press acted otherwise than in an i'm
partial manner Ordinarily, many of our Offices
are not kept open for business after o'clock p
NJ 10 assist us IN meeting the extra
ordinary expense of the extra employment
OF several thousand night operators, we have
mad tor many years arrangements with the press
associations giving us the privilege of selling bull
letlnS to political and social clubs, and other sub
Scribing customers. We 'sinply took the Asso-
clated Press bulletins, that association had
made them up and delivered them, as hereto
fore, to customers who had subscribed for them
nothing more. The charge that returns
purposely withheld, or that there was unusual
delay In reporting them, is entirely false In
stead of such delay there was extraordinary
promptness. Never before have reports from
so many election districts been received within
so short time Within forty-eight hours after
the count of ballots began, returns were received
from SO per cent. of the 5000 election
districts in the State. Although the night of
the election was stormy, and there was
some trouble in working the wires
no delay occurred in any reports
handed to our Offices outside of the city The
telegraph service was a 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 is here to be noted that heretofore the ma
jorities reported from the most popuous and
therefore the most accessible counties, have
been SO decisive that the popular mind has been
set at rest respecting the result of elections on
the first night, and there being no hope or fear
of change in the general result. subsequent re-
turns, more or less Sardy, have struggled in I'M
lfaaf ia1 T
been informed that the county canpassers. who
met one week after the election this year, had to
adjourn over 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 Indiana, where, at the
request of the political committees and
the press in the absence of any agent of
the associated press, the reports came
through and were sent out by our superintend
ent, MIR. j. If. Wallick who insists that he used
every effert to obtain al! the returns as speedily
as possible. consider the demand for an in
vestigation of that service, made by the Indian
apolis Sentinel, and also by Mr.. Wallick himself
reasonable and proper and / have asked the
chairman of the Indiana Democratic State
committee to take part in the investigation, or
to name representative to do So
The management of this company, in its bust
ness relations to the public, is strictly nonpoiti
cal and non partisan. The employees represent
every shade of political opinion, and in the
company's service solely by virtue of their prof.
cheney as telegraphers. What their individual
political opinions are has been, in any case,
called into question, nor have their votes ever
been canvassed or ascertained But of those
with whom personally come in contact | know
that there are quite as many Democrats as Re
publicans. 1t is therefore, manifestly absurd
to charge that the service of the company could
be converted into party machine, or could in
any way distort st1e the facts, when such
an attempted conspiracy could only have been
made by the aid of large number of the politi-
cal party which it was designed to iniure.
NoRvIN GREEN President