Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-04-25


The greatest scramble for nomina-
tons in the political history OF Ohio
county came to an end last night.
This morning at eleven o'clock the
polls will be opened for the solemn ana
official registration of the Republican
idea as to the best and most popular
candidates, and to-night-or rather to-
morrow morning about daybreak-the
result will be definitely known.
More money has been spent, more
beer and other alcoholic beverages
drank, more bad cigars smoked, more
hard work done, and more unfairness
practiced than was ever before known
in even the hottest local campaign, ana
vet there will be a bad taste III the
mouths of most of the rival candidates
tomorrow morning, while the county
will hold more CT disappointment, dls-
content and disaster than the average
reader can imagine.
The tickets were distributed at the
City Hall yesterday afternoon between
four and five o'clock, and the event
brought together more than one hun
dred workers for the various candida
ties. There was a goodly sprinkling OF
colored men among those who damned
into the offices and lined the corridors,
and the scene was very animated one.
The tickets were given out in big bun
dies to the candidates or their repre-
sentatives. and were then sub-divided
into punches and handed over to the
first heutenants. for distribution
throughout the various districts. In
about an hour seventy or eighty thous-
and tickets had been thus carried OF,
and last night they were to be seen
in every saloon, cigar store, restaurant,
/ hotel lobby. and all along the streets.
These tickets were terrors in the mat
ter of length and number OF names.
Washington district contained forty
four names, Madison the same. Clay
and Union thirty-eight each, Centre
thirty-six. without Metzner, Webster
forty-seven. Richie no less than fifty
two. while the country precincts aver
aged forty-four. In all, there are two
hundred and five separate names on the
tickets, from which fact some idea OF
the extent of the rush can be formed.
If we give each of these candidates an
average of five personal workers, and
that is a low estimate, we have one
thousand hustlers for votes to-day,
without counting the candidates them
selves at all. 1t is in this way that rec
ords are broken.
The big sheet iron ballot boxes pur-
chased after the adoption of the Aus
tralian law in this State will be used,
and the returns will be received, as
stated in the Register yesterday, at the
Office of the City Clerk. The final re-
suit is not looked for much before four
o'clock tomorrow morning, as the work
OF counting such a long ticket will be
slow
A tour of the city last night revealed
some interesting scenes. One of the
most exciting localities was around the
market house, in the Second ward,
where everybody was at work in the at
tempt to clinch the colored vote. Can
didates for county offices visited this
portion of the city very frequently. and
there was nearly always two or three
in sight The saloons did a rushing
business, and everything wore an air
of interest and intoxication, particu-
larly as the hour grew late. In the
Fourth ward there was also a great
deal of lively work. and in the Fifth as
well. but after the Second ward the
most interesting locality in the city
was in the Eighth, where everybody
appeared to be talking politics in the
most lively fashion. To-day the Sec
ond, Fifth and Eighth wards will be
the places TO look for fun. In the Sec
ond the colored element and certain
proportion of the whites always afford
interesting combinations in the Fifth
the fight will be on between the ring,
represented by Chairman Hall. and the
opposition, which clusters about Mr..
Metzner's candidacy for Committeeman
against Mr.. Hall. and smoke will pro-
badly arise from this locality during the
day. In Richie the hot fight will be
for Justices, between Messrs Schultze,
Hahne, Ankle, Allen and Deiters. and
for County Commissioners between
Messrs. Fritz, Uttermohlen. Zulauf, Alt
meyer and Steurnagle, and these con-
tests will probably overshadow the
fight for county Offices. There is also
warm fight in Madison for County
Commissioner, between Messrs. McGre-
gor. Britt and Kennedy.
Last nigiht there were a fsw bets made
on Sheriff. with Richards against the
field but the concensus OF opinion was
THAT ,ba wOuld win without muf'h troll
BILE. ard not a great deal of money was
put up. Late there were offers to bet
on a plurality for him, but generally
the wagers fell through on the question
of how much o. a margin he was to be
allowed. Down town there was con-
siderable talk in favor of MeSSrs. Moi
Fat and Travis for first place. but four
out of five people claiming to be or hav-
ing opportunity to be fairly well post
ed. were o. the opinion that the Second
ward man was we'll in the lead. AS to
second place about half the prophets