The morning times., 1896-11-03
IT WAS A NIGHT Of BLUFFS
Election Eve Crowds Full of
Talk and No Money.
BOTH SIDES BUSY CLAIMING
There Was Mckinley Cash and
sa" i'oo"ie' nut we honieis
Walked Around Corners 10 Avoid
Each Other-PO!itical Clubs En-
JOY II Final Ghost Dance.

absolutely sure Of It,
| All the hunors of the strangest cam
paign ever fought out or talked out in
| this country were concentrated in the situa-
| ton last night. The headquarters were
| deserted. but the hotel lobbies and the
| barrooms were thronged with an eager.
| shifting mass Of humanity. restless, con-
stantly changing from one place to an
other, wrangiing, arguing. betting, doing
| every conceivable thing that concerns an
| election except voting.
The most noticeable feature of the even
| ing was the conspicuous absence Of the
party leaders from their usual haunts.
| All the po.entialities Of great crisis
seemed Ia BIZ IN the air and excitement
was rife. without anything in particular
| over which to lie excited.
A few words OF defamation in a tone
louder than common would gather a crowd
as quickly as would street fight. Too
restless 10 remain long at one point the
| excitement of the people was as ap-
| parent on the streets as in the resorts.
| Nobody knew anything positively, hut
! all were eager questioncrs The Mary
| lander might make some good guesses
! about Kentucky. but he was all in the
dark about Baltimore II was always the
| Ohio man who persisted i'll analyZing the
situation in Illinois. In order to get any
| sort of a guess on the North west. you
were sent either to Mr.. Potter of Texas
! or Mr.. Barnes of New York. The doubtful
| States were discussed and We're far more
| doubtful after the discussion than before.
| ALL TOPsY-TURvY.
| In downtown hotel was bevy Of
| Republicans who wanted To let on Bryan.
| III The RIges House could be- found IL
Democrat who was just dying to wager
on Mckinley and hoped he would lost the
| bet. he said.
| RrN
could find taker FOR his proposed wager
/ at IA certain hotel he would carefully
| avoid that place. down at Drivers there
| was plenty Of Bryan money and no takers;
| al Shourna ker sicrc was Mckinley ,uuH.y
| to burn-and no matches.
| The odds constantly changed. and in
| no two places Were they alike. Three to
one ruled at one place, TWO to one at
| another. IL the Seventh street car tracks
| had been 1--we wires, or a military "trocha,''
| it would not have been more carefully
observed as Il dead line by the Mckinley
bettors on the west side and the Bryan
| bettors on the east.
| They would nos come near each other
| as IA rule.
! The Mckinley and Hobart Club meeting
| was sort Of iovefeast, and no one could
| listen To the iubla.ons. and Congratula
| tory speeches made by Ncssrs. Warner.
| Dorian Mercer, Dudley and other speakers
| without being convinced that they were
absolutely certain of a Mckinley landslide
! today.
Further UP street, the Lakeland Dcn1-
| cratic Club held final ghost dance and
| the solemn assurance was made by the
| speakers that everything was over "x
| Ccpt the shouting. land Come votingi. and
| That tine BRYAN avalanche was already on
its way east and would shove the New
| England States clear off the map.
! A. t,A
| and song added their exhiiaratng IN
! finences To the Observation-Disclosures seemed to be
| in the air. Bursts of SoIIg reached the street
| when the doors OF saloan opened for
| the exit OF some. disguised soul who had
| been out-talked, or who had been caught
| biuffing an election bet through. We
I want you Mckinley. YES we do" and Gold
| wanted Contended in sound and fury
| for supremacy.
| FINAL QUALIFICATIONS.
| The arguments grew maudlin in character
| and boisterouS in tone IL Is safe To say
| that more offers to bet We're made and
| fewer wagers actually laid than Oh any
| evening OF the last fortnight.
relcgrams received by individuals during
| the evening from New York Indicated that
, the feeling theT, wa o. a deep uneaSineSsaS
To the result in the West and that the odds
| in the betting hadfallen off. Tie announce
| ment in the early evening that three Bal
| timorc men We're i'll town with what
! was termed "a wagon lead OF money" To
| wager at 10 to 5 On Maryland gcing for
| Mckinley WAS hailed with JOY by the Re
publcians.
Later i'll the night however, their spirits
| were dampened and the Democrats were
! proportonately elatcd by telegram re-
| Ceived by prominent hotel man TO the cf-
| feet that Baltimore was being SwaInped
| with money at odds of 10 TO Z On the STATE
| going for Bryan.
Ram in The East and sunshine in the
| West is what the Democrats want and if
they don't get it the charge will be cir
culated that Hanna has bribed Mr. Moore
| of the Weather Bureau.
The meeting of the McKinle V Hobart
Club. at 339 Pennsylvania avenue, WIS
largely attended by a select audience.
with many ladies'. Vice President Warner
presided. The speeches WIRE all in The
nature Of congratulations on the conduct
| and results of the campaign.
AT THE WHITE HOUSE.
| The President will receive Gews to-
The dispatches Of the United Associated
| Presses and the Western Union Tel, graph
Company supplemented by private auvices
from friends.
He VIII have for company in the Cabinet
| chamber. Secretary Olney, Secretary Car
Isle aud Secretary Morton, who do not
II,
| who VOTES in New York, and Postmaster
| General Wilson, who votes i'll Charleston
| West Virginia. Both of the latter gentle
| men will come direct to Washington after
| depOstiug their ballots against the Chicago
| free silver ticket. They have already
| gone home. hut expect to vote early this
| morning and return TO Washington in the
| early evening.
| None OF ne other absent members of the
| Cabinet will lie able to reach shis city be-
| fore Wednesday. Secretary Herbert votes
in Montgomery, Ala, Secretary Frances
! votes in St Louis, and Attorney General
| Harmon votes in Cincinnati. Private Sec
| retary Thurhcr, who was unable to 70
| home o Michigan at this time, viii he IN
| general charge of affairs at the White
| House this evening.
GONE HOME TO VOTE.
A number of Treasury officials have
| gone home to vote, among them being
| Assistant Secretary Wike or Illinois. A s
| sistant Secretary Hamlin Of Massachusetts ts
| Commissioner Miller OF West Nireinia Judge
Bowler of Ohio, Comptroller of the Treasury
| Mr. Eckels of Illinois. Comptroller of th,,
| Currency. Treasurer Morgan of Ccn-
| uecticut and Auditor Baldwin.
| Assistant Secretary Curtis went to New
! York last night and will vote early today
| SO as tn return here, in the Afternoon in
time to sign the official mail of the Treas
| ury Department as actin. secretary. As
| sistant Secretary Doe, of the War Depart
ment, who favors the Bryan ticket Is
suffering with a severe cold, and is unable
to leave the city. Assistant Secretary Me
Adoo, who is acting Secretary of the Navy,
| in the absence of Secretary Herbert is
registered in Jersey City, but viii not be
able to getaway in time to vote.
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