The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-04-09
CHICAGO'S VOTE CLOSE.
Roth PARTIES CONFIDENTLY
CLAIMING THE ELECTION.

CLAIMING THE ELECTION.
The Plurality Not Apt to be Over 400
or 800 Either Wsy-The Republicans
Charged With Having Counted for
Their Candidate Votes Cast for FL
mer Wsshburn
CHICAGO, April s.-Col. Nye, chairman
of the republican campaign committee,
went before the election commissioners this
morning and requested that two members
of his committee be permitted to remain on
guard over the vault in which the returns
and documents are preserved, night and
dav. until the official canvass has taken
place. my reasons for asking this"
he said, 'are amply sufficient.
have been informed upon unquestionable
authority that Mayor Cregier has declared
that no circumstances can remove him
from his office for two years. That seems
to me to warrant extraordinary precau-
tons against fraud" 1t was decided to
hold a consultation with Judge Scales this
afternoon before giving definite reply.
GUARDING THE BALLOTS.
The election commissioners finally agreed
that two men should be permitted to re-
canvass commences tomorrow. As
an additional precaution, the COM
bination was changed on the
safe containing the official returns
Subsequently Chairman Nye asked that the
Judges of the fifteenth precinct Of the
TweDty-ninth ward be prosecuted for re-
fusng to admit Anton Popham, challenger
of the Republican and citizens parties. to
the polling room. Mr.. Nye stated that of
sos registered voters in that precinct
564 are showed to have voted.
strangely large proportions, and that of
these 542 are recorded for Cregier and only
six for Hampstead Wash urne, and four
t en- for the other three candidates. He
said that he had strong suspicious that fraud
had been resorted to in several precincts
and be was engaged in ferreting out the
perpetrators.
CREIGER's MEN CLAIM CORRECTIONS.
The II o'clock edition of the Daily NelVS
ind.) printed the following: H. Washburn,
rep, 46.25S; Cregier, dem, 44,S9l; Har-
rison, md, dem, Al 1,420; Z. Washburn,
citizens, 23,975; Morgan, socialist, 2, 1926.
The above figures embrace all
but seven precincts, and show
Hampstead Washburn's election by over
1900 plurality. Notwithstanding this fact,
the Cregier gang of politicians asserted this
morning that they had information OF
secret return to the effect that there were
corrections to be made that would give the
election to Cregier. Some of the repub-
hcans are apprehepslve that scheme is on
foot to change the result so as to wipe out
WaShburn's majority. Others believe that
the course of the democratic managers
is merely a device to enable them to hedge
their bets. Upon being requested to verify
their tabs, the chief Of police peremptorily
refused to allow reporters to look over the
returns. Chief Marsh and the officials of
the city government allowed no one to enter
the room in which the papers were placed
and disregarded the general protest of the
newspaper men,"
oNAHAN STILL HOLDS OUT.
At 40 o'clock this afternoon Controller
Onahan still insisted that he knew of no
reason for changing his previous statement
that the returns as received at the city hall
apparently showed Mayor Creiger to have
been reelected by small plurality. Onahan
said his figures made last night had been
gone over to-day by other persons and that
the result was substantially unchanged, the
revision giving the victory to Mayor
Cregier, the democratic candidate, by a
lead of 235 votes over Hampstead Wash
burn, the republican candidate. Con-
troller Onahan added that the city hall re-
turns, upon which this computation was
based, were not the official returns and that
the latter in such a close contest, might, of
course, give the palm to the republicans or
show more decided plurality for the dem
ocrats
HARRISON GETS ENOUGH.
Ex-Mayor Carter H. Harrison announces
his permanent retirement from political
life. He says he proposes to leave Chicago
for good and either travel or go on farm.
Concerning the tactics of the Cregier
wing of the democracy, Mr.. Harrison said
to-day in an interview: 'It was in line with
its action for the last two months, fraudu-
lent, intimidating, corruptiug and dis
graceful. 1t was revelation TO me, for I
had never before attended tine polls in the
hoodlum districts Wilder and more dis
graceful orgies, more besotted, savage and
open appeals to buyers of votes could not
exist in the most ignorant of the southern
plantation districts"
BOTH SIDES CLAIM THE VICTORY.
CHICAGO, April 9, 1 A. NAT midnight
Tonight both republicans and democrats
are claiming to be victors in the exciting
election for the mayoralty. Each side,
however, had practically minimized its
claims to plurality of 200 or 300 The
official count, to begin tomorrow
ts being awaited with impatience.
the narrowness Of the margin for either
party, aud the charges and ounter-charges
OF trau1s making the suspense almost dis,
tractlng. The democrats put forward an
-NSOA IIOu Ludb III sCOTeS OI luSUduC6S NOb6S
ior Elmer Washburn, the citizens candi-
date, were deliberately counted for Hemp
stead Washburn, the republican nominee,
such substitution being facilitated by the
similarity of Names
ILLEGAL BALLoTING CHARGED.
On the other hand the republicans pro-
TEST That In one precinct alone at the stock
yards over 100 votes were deposited for
names names that were refused registration, and
tnat some of the names are those of per-
sons who have been dead for weeks or
months. In this particular precinct, it is
charged, affairs were so manipulated that
every judge and clerk, without excep-
tlon, were democrats. and the plurality
lor CTegier was something abnormal Not
lew people were inclined to believe that
many alleged mistakes and changes in the
estimates we're in the interest of the gam
bnng fraternity, and were designed TO
give certain big bookmakers chance to
nedge out on their bets