River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-11-05

Probably last Tuesday evening was
the most interesting election night
the town has ever known, certainly it
was the most active. The returns,
coming from all over the country and
growing more and more definite and
conclusive as the evening advanced,
were announced at the Congregation
al church and al the Gladstone as fast
as they came from the wire.
At the central telephone station
the bulletins as transmitted in Els
worth from the telegraph Office to the
court house, were repeated aloud by
the operator, thus informing the by
ISLANDERS of the reports, which at the
same time circulated through the
phones. Quite a number of people
who were fortunate enough To dis
cover that their receivers were drop
pig Significant words in regard to
inc election of the next president,
comfortably sat beside their phones
and listened to the returns.
And so it went, with the vote see
saving back and forth, now for
Mckinley, now for Bryan. Up. to
ten o'clock hope still fitted over the
faces OF the free-silyerites, and doubt,
though family and far away, was now
and then baying at the heels of the
gold bugs. But after ten and on till
twelve the bulletins piled up heavy
odds for Mckinley. BY midnight a
Republican victory was assured.
At the Gladstone the one topic of
interest was the handful of messages
that came up every few minutes from
the depot. Men, sitting or standing,
crowded the hotel Office and listened
with occasional applause or comments
to the returns read hastily from the
desk. Two messengers brought them
fresh from the telegraph Office. The
operator in response to the almost
constant clip of the receiver, coolly
pushed his stylus over the thin paper,
and for six hours issued carbon copies
of the returns-written, too, in a
| perfectly legible hand to the last.
At the Congregational church
where the bulletins as delivered every
few minutes by an usher were, of
course. the main topic of interest, a
| great variety of other enter
tainment was provided. The
! program was divided into convenient
| periods Of one hour each and included
music, short addresses, ard a series of
beautiful views now and then enliven-
ed by a comic picture or catchy
"ad."
| Mr. Haugen introduced his address
by saying that contrary to tue pre-
vailing idea congressman was not
necessarily a speaker, that he was
fortunate to catch the recognition OF
the chair once or twice during a ses-
sion. With touch of humor here
and there, he outlined the conditions
of social life at Washington and gave
frank estimate of the leaders in
congress. Prof. Brier traced the
process of an Election" through its
various stages, and graciously ex
planned the knotty points that have
often perplexed the best of brains
The addresses were informal an6
fostered spirit of freedom that de
veloped much pleasantly as the eve.
ming advanced. Several apt retort:
were made, not the least of which oc
Cured in this wise: Mckinley had al
ready piled up heavy majorities when
a well known Bryan man, accom-
panied by his wife, were departing
for the East door by way of the re.
freshment room. Oyerhearing an
idle thrust that came from the OPP
posite corner of the church the Bryan
man turned his head and said in in.
jured tones, "Come, don { throw
stones at a funeral procession"
The audience, which nearly filled
the church, was in a happy mood all
the evening and briskly cheered the
reports as read in trumpet tones by
Rev. Balch. Now and then he let fall
a witty comment or responded to a
keen shot from the audience, and Oc-
casionally exercised his ingenuity by
playing some notable gain of Bryan's
against the odds of Mckinley in the
fresh returns.
The entertainment was an entirely
new departure and thoroughly justi'
fed the faith that Rev. Mcintosh
had placed in it. To its utmost de-
tail it was enjoyable and even uplift'
ing. 1t abounded, too, in Christian
courtesy and good will, and showed
how completely the Bryan man and
the Mckinley man are companions
before the cross.