The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-11-14

II
tables of the election two years ago offered
a ready opportunitNCto figure percentages.
remarkable 1t is hoy ACCURATE this method
proves nine times but 4nof ten 1t shows
that the American; apeoble from Maine to
| oregon, and all the fyayIsouth TO the Car
oHnas and Kentucky, are influenced by the
| same sentiments and the same motives.
| Even the solid South is not so impenetrably
solid as to escape the effect of the growth
| OF Republican sentipent rim the North If
the Incomplete tablf showed that in half
| of the districts NAsonD had gained 5000
votes, it could be taken for granted that in
| ths remainder he would gain as much.
| There is always one difficulty that stands
! in the way Of the nlan making estina ties.
He wants to appear reasonable to the pub
| lie and he discounts ,hs, own guess in def
erence to that impenetrab1e something that
| he feels lin the airs "
GUESSING ABOt'T The MATTER.
The state ticket Vas easily disposed of
and the writing of a summary of the facts
as reported was the task of but few
minutes. but how about mayor? All through
the whole Of the memorable Tuesday the
betting sentiment, which, after ALL is about
as reliable barometer as any other one
clement had been favorable to Than; not
rampant and wild, but ccnservatively it
backed Than to win. There were few TAX
ers. Mr.. Pratts campaign had been quiz
ct one. There was not much "Hurrah,
boys about it. The outcome has provsn
the general correctness of betting men, for,
as all signs fail in dry weather, no man
can figure against a landslide.
The figures in for the first edition could
be used for comparison in two ways, but ex
cept as the basis of reasoning they were too
incomplete to give any general satisfaction.
About a dozen returns on the city ticket
were in and tabulatsd by $3.50 a. nj. From
these it was reasoned that Pratt would beat
Than by from 1.500 to 5000 majority. 1t
was seen that Pratt was running ahead of
Eustis' vote, and that Than was behind
Haynes vote Of two years ago.
But the figures, calculated upon an
other basis, threw some doubt upon the
accuracy of the previous computation. 1t
was noted that while Pratt was running
behind Nelson, Than running ahead
of Owen, and the difference between the
gubernatorial nominees was not sufficient
to allow THAN a big gain without over
taking Pratt. This was just as the first
edition had gone to press and 1t was
noted in the second anchor cast to
windward. But the precaution was not
needed, as the next few minutes devel-
oped that Pratt would have votes to sell
or give away to the poor.
A WAY THE TRIBUNE HAS.
Gradually, as the day passed on, the
little blocks in the great sheets filled up
and were sent down in condensed form
for the compostors to put into shape.
THE TRIBUNE was the only paper in
the Northwest that gave the vote in any
thing like satisfactory compet enesS. The
average voter, after having learned the
general result wants to know how his
own voting district went He likes to
compare it with some other district. In
his own way he likes to make deductions
and comparisons innumerable, and THE
TRIBUNE was the only paper which fur
nished him the figures for his computa-
TONS
In an off year, when no presidential
campaign is on it is customary for the
vote and the interest to fall off. The
contest over the governorship and the
mayoralty are ordinarily not of sufficient
general interest to bring out the voters
or occasion a lively campaign This year
there were, beside the usual fight between
the old parties and their, joint fight against
the would-be usurper Topuist, a number
of campaigns of more than common inter-
est. One was the fight of Kiichli in the
Third and First wards. To see the presi-
dent and dictator of 1.-THE city council
pulled down from his high horse was the
hope and ambition of as many Demo-
cratic politicians rs Republican. The
Twenty ninth DISTRICT MAS always Demo-
cratic, but the campaign made by w. E.
Johnson was a marvel, and the public had
been aroused to the contest. The returns
from the Twenty-nlnth We're, therefore, of
more than common interest Equally inn
portant in a news way was the question
whether z. b. Winston should go back to
the legislature. He had a Republican vote
of at least a thousand to overcome; could
he do it? The Single Takers had made a
great fight to send their champion, O. T.
Erickson, to congress. What would be
the result of this nomination? Would
Fletcher get votes enough to give him
majority over Erickson, Clark and the
Prohbitionist? All these questions pre-
scented themselves, and one by one the
figures worked out the answers.
TOTT,FD THROUGH WEARY HOURS
1t was midnight of the day following the
election before all the returns were in and
every district in the county was accounted
for. During this period the entire staff of
THE NE. was at work snatching
a few hours rest for renewal of their
labors. The city editor and reporter to
help him were on duty for 10 hours. Others
worked equally hard and faithfully. Park
w. Peck. an accoun tant employed by THE
TRIBUNE as the chief of the "computers
DIVISION bent over his great sheets from
o'clock Tuesday night until midnight
Wednesday, never even leaving the build
ing. The accountants who worked with
Mr.. Peck We're all capable and attentive,
and upon their conscientious effort THE
TRIBUNE depended for the full reports it
was able to furnish the public.
To keep up steam in this working force
luncheon of coffee and sandwiches had
been sent by THE TRIBUNE manage
ment, and a hasty meal was dispatched
every one stole few minutes for meals,
but Mr.. Peck, the chief accountant forgot
his meals and kept adding away until his
brain was a-whirl with figures and tally
sheets and pluralities and maiorties
The hard work is no drawback to the
newspaper man who is interested in his
profession. He has his days of relaxation
and rest to make up for it, but there are
drawbacks that every man on THE TRIB-
UNE feels and regrets. One of these is the
Inevitable error which creeps into every
thing human; especially everything done in
a hurry A figure dimmed by being rubbed
over by an accountants sleeve score of
times gave one man LOCO less than the COM
putation made it, 1t was oversight which
could be quickly corrected, but the news
paper and the newspaper man love accura-
cy too we'll to feel anything bat the keen
est chagrin at any misleading statement.
THE TRIBUNE made guesSes except
when indicated; when the returns were not
to be had there was no fake mill at work
to get them up upon the line of probable
ties, and pass them off certainties The
figures were based upon actual returns,
and they were on the whole the most
nearly correct of any published in the city.
On such night no man should go into
the editorial rooms unless he is there for
a very well defined purpose. Occasionally
some man runs counter to this rule and
as result his feelings may be ruffled by
the time he has learned his lesson. How
machinery to tell some. man that Aid.
Lackey ran behind AID Phillips in the
steenth district of the Eleventh ward! A
supreme disregard of the conventional pro-
prieties is sometimes an evidence of great
ness but the man that, goes into a news