The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-11-14
How 1t Is Collected and Pre-.
Sented After the Elec-
ton Is Over.
Scenes and Incidents in the Of
flea OF Great Daily
Newspaper.
An Army Of Men Engaged in
Collecting and Compiling
the Returns.

No information published by the newspa-
pers has greater news value than the re-
suit of an important general election. On
the day following an election news of the
most interesting general character must be
cut down TO the simplest statement of
fact. Everything must be subordinated to
the great general topic.
What the average man demands princi-
pally is to know which party wins. Have
the Republicans regained their old strength
in the state? How many votes have gone
to the Populists? Did the Democrats re-
elect any OF their congressman?
These and similar questions of a more
personal character form the bulk of inter-
negatives, such as was Owen elected or
defeated? VIII Than or Pratt be next
mayor? These dogmatical questions can be
fully answered in the most categorical
manner. Either the Republicans or Popu-
lists elected their governor; Congressman
Hall and baldwin were either elected or
they were defeated by Heatwole and
Towne |; is short work to state the sal
lent facts. but to gather the returns from
every voting district in the state and to
do it while you wait" is the highest art
of newspaper work. 1t was compared by
Julian Ralph, in Il recent magazine article
to the Mosaic portrait work of the Floren-
tines. in which every color is made by a
store of that particular hue. The smile is
apt except that while the Floren tines
Sales. the collection of election returns and
their compilation are the work of a night,
a day and another night all rolled into one
There is, perhaps, no better test of the
general aptitude of a newspaper man for
the work than that which grows out of an
election. After all the conventional labor
OF campaign is done-and it grows very
tiresome to the reporter who hears all the
principal speakers of all the parties night
after nisht-then comes the climax. What
is the result?
The average saaried man. when his
usual hour Of labor. at end, wants
to quit and 90 home. Some newspaper men
are of this stamp hut the man who loves
his profession is rs loath to quit as the
sportsman whose dog has just struck fresh
ccvey Of prairie chickens. Go home then?
He would m more SO home at that time
than he would walk opened-eyed through
slaughter house to an open grave
There is plenty to do about a newspaper
office on election night. This is occa-
sion when great paper becomes par-cX-
cellence the servant Of the people. All or
binary economy is thrown to the winds
and while the public is not admitted to the
holy of HOLES, ii gets all the dearly bought
news from that sacred place with the least
loss OF time
Long before the returns begin to come
In, the political man the paper has
turned in schedule of the candidates
whom me expects to see elected, and all the
preliminary work possible has been done
in every department. The great ruled
sheets upon which are set down the votes
of the many election districts, all properly
prepared and ready for the returns as they
come in. hand; the printed tables
have been set up in the composing ROOM
and all that remains is to fill in the figures
with a SUMMARY and the typesetting ma
chine and the press do the rest.
BJLLETINING THE RETURNS.
The first visible Indication of the excite
ment which is destined to mark Newspaper
Row on every election night. is the stretch
ing of large white sheet upon the build
inGs opposite the newspaper offices. Upon
these later on the stereopticon throws the
words and figures, as well as the pictures
which tell the tale of the night. DAYS De
fore the art department of THE TRIBUNE,
has been busy upon cartoons and legends
to fill in and amuSe the crowd while the
returns delayed. New jokes and old
ones, observations upon current topics and
hits at the several candidates are studied
up and stored as ammunition to be fired at