St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-11-04
THE NEBRASKA FIGHT.
A Hot Contest, but Returns Are
Not In

OMAHA, Neb., Nov. Sin spite of the
fact that a very slight vote has been
pOlled, the election to-day has been the
most holly contested OF any struggle
ever witnessed in Nebraska. The light
vote is due partly to the weather, and
partly to the Australian ballot system of
voting. which has proved cumbersome.
especially in Omaha, where there were
l19 candidates to be voted for on
the state, county and city tick
cts. 1t required from 10 to 25
minutes for voters to properly mark the
ballots, and as consequence of the de-
lay many men deserted the polling
places, after remaining in line an hour
without, being able to reach the election
booth. AT p. M. cold drizzle set i'm
and hiDdered many from voting. The
Democrats having no state ticket IN the
field was another cause for the light
voting, large number of the old-time
members of that party refusing to vote
for either the Republican or PEOPLES
party candidates.
When Judge j. II. Broadly, the Demo-
cratic nominee for supreme court Judge,
withdrew, the state central committee
decided not to rame anybody in his
place, and this was followed by its
candidates for regents stepping out of
the race: This left the field to A. l..
Post and Joseph w. Edgerton, the Re-
publican and Independent candidates
respectively.
Last year the total vote of the state
was 2l4,O00, but the indications are now
that not over 10000 votes were cast
to-day. A large part of this Shrinkage
has come from the Farmers Alliance
element because of the changed situa-
ton. Last year there was an almost com
plete failure of the crops in the west
ern part of the state, and disaffected
agriculturiStS took the opportunity to
vote as the calamity howlers of the In
dependent party dictated in the hope of
lettering their condition. This year
the crops are Immense, and the farmers
have had no time to organize. Many of
them have returned to their old party
Affiliations, but the withdrawal of the
Democratic ticket and the virtual in
dorsemenr of the Independent nomi-
nees gave the latter great strength and
made the outcome problematic. in
many of the western counties the Dem
Ocrats did not put up local ticket, but
surrendered their strength to the
Independents. In most of the
large cities and towns, inclnd-
ing Omaha, there were factionaI
fights, and the result has been that
hardly straight ticket has been voted.
In this city the religious question played
a prominent part. The American Pro
tectiye association, an anti-CathOlic So
ciety, has large membership, and the
fight was between it and the Catholics.
The contest was bitter, but there was
no trouble at the polls, although much
had been predicted, The complicated
tickets and the novelty of the Austral-
ian system has made the count very
slow. ut 9 p. m. not 4 single precinct
in the city or state had completed the
count, and the probabilities are that of
the eighty-elght voting precincts in
Omaha not over twenty will finish the
count before a. m.
Seven precincts out of twenty-seven
give Post a majority of 594. If tile ratio
keeps up Posts majority will be 1900
i'll Lancaster county.
Rough estimates made from the re-
turns at hand. including those from
Omaha and Douglas counties. indicate
that Judge Post has carried the state by
at least 5000 majority. Counties that
have been expected to give Edgerton
heavy vote have failed to do so in many
instances. Adams county reports large
Republican gains, and Cass county has
probably gone for Post by POO majority.
The city or fremont has added q sub
stantial majority for Post, and he has
made strong inroads on the Alliance
vote in Fillmore. There has been big
revolution in Gage county which
gives Post a majority where Edgerton's
friends predicted a walk-away. Ian
caster county furnished another surprise
with an estimated majority of 1000 for
Post. Platte county, Posts home,
stands by him with a Tousing vote. Mer-
rick, Richardson and Sherman counties
report small majorities for Edgerton. In
many places falling off of twenty per
cent of the independent vote is
reported. 1t may be several days
before the exact vote of each
county will be known. Chairman Mer-
Ger, of the state central committee. in
an estimate made at O'Clock this morn
ing, says that if the present gain for
the Republican ticket is kept up that
Posts majority IN the state will be be-
tween 10000 and $4,000. This is esti-
mating Douglass county at but 5000,
which is undoubtedly very low.
Independent state committee claim
EdgertOn elected by $4,000. Republi-
cans carry Omaha and Douglass county.
Returns slow.
Three precincts in Lancaster county,
outside city, give Post 329; Edgerton,