Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-12-24
THE GAZETTE'S SENATORIAL
PROBAB LILIES.

Desiring to throw as much light as pos
sible on the dark places OF the coming
senatorial contest THE GAZETTE, not
long since, requested certain gentlemen
in all the representative and senatorial
districts of the state to ascertain as far as
they could do so the preferences of their
members. This was done, not to boom
any particular candidate or to pull down
any candidate, but purely for the edihca
tion Of the public; the information was
printed just as it came to THE GAZETTE,
without knowledge on the part of this
paper, at the time OF making the request,
of the predictions of single one Of the
gentlemen to whom application was made
for the information. In response to
THE GAzETTE's request, replies
came from about 20 per cent.
of the districts. Assuming the
correctness of the replies and taking
them as basis for estimating the prefer
ences Of the districts not reported, THE
GAZETTE summed up the report of the
| Vi hhV hlob bullOb " w
Maxey fifty votes, Terrell thirty-three
votes, Reagan twenty-nine votes and Ire
land twenty-five votes, as the outlook ap-
peared when the reports were printed,
At once the organs of various candidates
assailed the figures as a desire on the part
of THE GAZETTE to boom certain gen.
tleman for the senate. Had this been the
purpose of THE GAZETTE, this paper GER
tainly would have done better "cooking"
than the figures indicate; but the object
being simply to print the best attainablC
information, the reports we're given as
they came and were so printed in the
paper that "cooking" without detection
was impossible; the reports had refer
ence only to the beginning of the struggle
as perhaps not many Of the members
themselves could say how they woul(
vote should the conditions of the contes
be changed.
THE GAZETTE notes the statements tina
Senator Maxey puts his strength on frs
ballot at sixty votes; that Mr.. Reagan
puts his at forty; that Gov, ireland put
his at thirty to thirty-tlve, and that Judg,
Terrell pnts his at thirty-hve to forty
Each Of these gentlemen, doubtless, base
his expectations on information derived
J from others--just as THE GA
zErTE did, except that in tn
: case of THE GAzETTE's informant
there was desire only to furnish the in
formation, let the result be as it would
, Evidently somebody is IN error; the re
ports TO THE GAZETTE and to the candi
: dates cannot all be correct; but what W
l are waiting to hear is an assault on tn
fguses Of the candidates and an aspei
sion OF their motives In making sue
figures; should not each of them be &c
cused of booming himself at the expens
OF the others?
So far as THE GAzETTR's reports ar
concerned, they were honestly made an
were true In the main, and If the con
ditions Of the canvass are no
! changed before the first ballot
euhNu tuNg NAAt ~ NV0u w dlA \
have been correct. But while THE GA
zETTE feels perfectly confdento OF the hon
esty of Its informants, 1t recognizes tn
fact that the districts unrepo9ed may no
vote proportionally with those reported
indeed, every non-reported vote might b
: given to some enc candidate, or be di
vided equally between only two candi
dates In its summing up, THE GAzETT
stated that the unreported 80 per cent
was estimated upon the basis estsblishe
by the preferences OF the 20 per cent re
ported. But the FIRST ballot will tel
t whether THE GAzETTR's informsnis wer
I correct, and it viii also demonstrat
4 whether the districts not reported vot
e proportionately with those whose prefer
s ences were reported to THE GAzErrE.