The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1893-02-14
BIG GUESSING MATCH.
One Man Gets a Free Ticket
Around the World and
Two More Shorter
Trips.
Beading Pennsylvanis Eagle.

A New York paper last July offer
ed three prizes to guessers on the
presidential results. The first prize
was one BY BROOKLYN jeweler. He
gets free ticket around the world all
expenses paid. The other two prizes
trips to London and Paris, We're also
won by local residents
1863, 533.-This was President-elect
Clevelands plurality.
:569, 540.-This was the plurality
prediction made August Sth, by f.
+. Konzelman, Brooklyn.
500. 5l3 This was the plurality
made on October 2Sth, by Max
Arnsteine, New York City.
1863, 511.-This is the plurality pre-
diction made on November 9th, by
Joseph w. German, Brooklyn.
By the end of the first months there
were over 200, 900 Cleveland coupons
and only about $4,000 for Harrison,
and more significant than this. the
plurality for the democratic candidate
was generally fixed above 80, 900 while
that for Harrison seldom exceeded
$4,000. By October there were $780,
600 for Cleveland and 10000 for
Harrison assorted and slowed away,
and at the end Of that month Cleve-
land had over 1, 200, 900 and Harri-
son barely 100000.
The paper frequently reported the
statistics Of the competition, and many
republicans wrote indignant COM
plants, because the showing was so
much against their candidate. The
coupons were not ballots, but they Just
as accurately expressed the convictions
and the will of the land. They came
from every state in the union, from
every county in every state, and in
deed, from nearly every township in
every county. They also came from
every land under the sun. They were
thoroughly impartial politically, for
their aim was not to elect president,
but in the hope of most tempting re-
wards to say who would be elected.
They were not a mere ''hurrah for
our side" but carefully wrought out
calculation, based upon keen observa-
ton of the conditions and develop
ments of the campaign under way.
Many Of the prophets were 80 care
full to satisfy themselves of the proba-
bilities that they waited until the last
three days of the campaign before
sending in their predictions. Then it
was that the clerks were overwhelmed.
The envelopes all came in full to
bursting, and every now and then
there came a package containing from
100 to a thousand coupons. More
than 10000 were received on the
last day. There was not time to file
these in the pigeon holes, but they
were assorted a. between Cleveland
and Harrison, and made into great
bundles and slowed away with the
rest. 1t lie because the competition
closed with such a rush that the exact
number of coupons received cannot
be stated. There we're, however, Just
about 1,85, O00-an average of IT,
619 day.
When ClevelaRd's exact plurality
1863, 533-was ascertained, the first
coupons taken from the storage room
were those that came in last and had
to 20 unaseorted. Three clerks, who
did not know the exact figure, were
told to take out all from the Cleveland
bundles between $50, 0O0and 400, 600.
The work took them two days Of ten
hours each. They found about Z 200
predictions between the limits speci-
fed.
Then all the bundles Of assorted