Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1888-10-16
BITS FROM NEW YORK.
The Strnw Vote Takor-A MEsIeadino
Legend Near tho Postonicc.
rSt,aclol f.arras.,,.,4..

The Straw Vote Takor-A MsIeadtno
Legend Near tho Postonicc.
Especial Correspondence
NEW YORK Oct. lily this time IN
the campaign the man who takes straw
votes" for the presidential candidates ON
railroad trains, in ferrybcat cabins and nll
other public places infcsts tho land To
such nm extent as to constitute himself
an almost omniprcsent nuisance party
Of jolly Commuters" on the N. 1 and
d. X X. have organized mutual protec-
tive league and invented q system Tor tho
Encouragement OF tho STRAW vote fiend''
that. Judging from an experimental trial
last wock, is likely to prove delightfully."-
effective Tho Commuters in question.
doing business In New York and living in
the numerous pleasant littlo villages
along the limo OF the road, travelling back
and forth daily in company together. are
acquainted with each other, and by com
mon consent, for the preservation Of pleas
ant relations In thor daily enforced com
partnership. avoid the discussion OF poll.
TICS when ON tho trains. Taking straw
votes threatened to disturb this har1no-
NOUS relation.
What You don't mean to saw Won
vote for Cleveland, do your" or "lfbun-
DER II anybody had told mo YOU were
Harrison man wouldn't have believed
~ had already broken up more than ono
pleasant game Of whist or railroad euchre
played laps, slam, jam bones and the
widow in''-in the smoking cars, when
some OF the older brethren grasped the
situation and propounded q scheme that
promised so much fun that all the Others
heartily agreed to cooperate In it.
A lew mornings ago eleven commuters
were interested In two games OF whist
three Of them as lockers on-in a crowded
smoking car little below New Rochelle
whom . protracted wrangle between two
strangers eliminated in bet over the
result OF straw vote in that car,
Neither Of the wrsnRlers would trust tha |
other, so each started out with pencil and |
piper, explaining, requesting, interrupt |
ing conversation and play, Enu5v;rS
everybody, One OF therh started fron |
tho front OF the car, the other from the |
rear, each on an independent canvass.
When each had got through they met TO |
compare results. One had Cleveland SO. |
Harrison. 20; the other, Harrison 81. |
Cleveland n; total In each case, o.
Tho vote takers for moment glared at |
each other In silence, while they breathed |
hard and grew red in the face Then each
charged the other with deliberate falsifica-
ton and lying, called zach othor oil man |
ner Of things common and unclean and
speedily were engaged in a vigorous pun |
melting match which was eventually |
stopped by tho train hands
Meanwhile the eleven commuters roarea |
with laughter, slapped their thighs and
impartially announcement to |
both the combatants. They had mado ali
the trouble and had IN exclusive right Ia |
the triumph In compliance with an |
agreed upon signal BY ono of their mem |
bers, they had simply cast their eleven |
Votes solidly to one man for Cleveland. |
and 20 the other for Harrison. That was /
the scheme by which they hope to either
put stop to vote taking on the trains |
they patronize or get tho maximum OF fun /
out OF the attempts at it that ara made.
I'm Mail street, opposite the rear of the /
postoihee and near Broadway stands a |
huge block Of stone, handsomely carved, |
adorned on its ends and ono side with the |
words, in great raised letters: Drink. Pa
tient Friend" It's interiors; dug out, so |
that II forms a great stone watering trough.
which WINS originally intended to be for |
the use and benefit of horses. But season
after season goes by and no patient |
friend drinks there. 1t is kept dry and |
boarded over summer after summer The |
end Of pretended philanthrophy seemed
to be attained when the thing was put in
place and nice paragraphs about 1t had |
been inserted in all the newspapers.
After that the sham only remained and, |
Tor all anybody seems to care, the patient |
friends tongue may hang out of his |
mouth with drought. The fountain in
the City HALL park does not play regularly |
IN summer. but does so spasInodicaily and |
wastes fifty times as much water as |
would keep that trough full all the sea
son through, so that lack Of water can be
no excuse. What pity it is that horses
cannot read that inscription and give |
the benefit Of their philosophic l
reflections upon such humbug.
J. Fl, Connolly.