The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-26
COUNT TO BE SLOW If CLOSE.
OUTCOME OF THE ELECTION MAY
BE IN DOUBT FOR DAYS.

Ahe Austrnitun bniIOt to He HespOn-
SibIc If There Is DeIay-The Count
in Several states 10 De Compile
Gated by the Fact That State Leg
isintive and County Tickets Are
All Printed ON One Ballot
Washington, Oct. 25.-The presidential
election of Tuesday, Nov. 3, next, will be
held under conditions which have never
before prevailed and which will render the
official count a matter of difficulty and un-
usual delay. Since the last presidential
contest almost every state which had not
then adopted the Australian ballot system
has by state enactment prescribed some
form of secret blanket ballot either based
on the Australian plan or closely resem-
bling 1t. The only exceptions are Geor-
gla, Louisiana, North Carolina and South
Carolina. In the first three named states,
the old open ballot system prevails and
the election machinery Is In the hands OF
the state authorities. In South Carolina
there is what is called a reform ballot"
the avowed purpose of which is to restrict
the votes of illiterate negroes.
In nearly all the other states blanket
ballots will be cast and in many of them
the count viii be complicated by the fact
that state. legislative -and county nomI-
nations are all printed on the same bali
lot with the names Of the presidential
electors.
Connecticut has an envelope system.
and New Jersey prints each party ticket
upon a separate ballot.
Should the election be in any way close
1t is, therefore, quite possible that It r1ay
be twenty-four hours, or even forty-
eight hours, after the polls are closed
before the result is known with absolute
certainty.
In states like Nebraska, for instance.
where, according to conservative opin-
ION, there may not be a margin of 5000
votes either way 1t will be impossible to
arrive at correct judgment until all tho
back counties are heard from. The polls
in the cities close at o'clock in the after
noon, but in the country districts keep
open until o'clock, and with a governor
and county officers to elect, all on ons
ballot, 1t will take at least twenty-four
hours to complete the count.
Some ddea of the general trend of the
votes In Ohio can probably be obtained
from the result of the counties in which
Cincinnati and Cleveland are respectively
situated, and these results will probably
be known comparatively early. The rest
of the state, II is anticipated, will go
pretty much as II has done in previous
presidential years. The doubtful points
are Hamilton and Cuyahoga counties.
Chicago viii control Illinois There
will be no doubt of the outcome when
the vote Of Cook county is recorded
But in other doubtful states, like Inda-
ma, Michigan and Kansas, where state
and legislative tickets also complicate
the ballots, There viii probably be no key
frnp tafiat oh.
nltely determined on Tuesday night, un-
less the election should prove a land
slide. In that case midnight may give a
close idea who are the vlctors and who
are the vanqushed. Otherwise, there
may be many hours OF anxious suspense.
The last two presidential elections have
been slngularly free from uncertainty II
was known at 10 p. m. on election day
In 1883 that Mr.. Harrison had defeated
Mr.. Cleveland and II was known with
equal certainty at II p. m. on election
day in 1892 that Mr.. Cleveland had de-
featod Mr. Harrison. But in the election
of 1894, when Mr.. Cleveland defeated Mr..
Blaine, the official result hung in doubt
over the vote Of New York for days.
The fusion tickets will add a further
element of difficulty In the presidential
count this year. Fusion has been arrange
ed between the populists and the demo-
Gratis on the electoral ticket in every
democratic state but Tennessee, Missis-
sippi, Georgia, Alabama, Florida and
Texas. In several of the southern states,
while there has been no formal fusion
between the republicans and populsts on
state legislatures and congressman, local
arrangements have been made that
amount to fusion, and will have more or
less to do with the result.
The following states will elect governors
on Nov. 9: Colorado, Connecticut, Dela-
ware, Idaho. Illinois. Indiana. Kansas,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mis-
souri,, Montana, Nebraska, New Hamp-
shire, New York, North Carolina, North
Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota.
Tennessee, Texas, Washington, West Vir-
glnia and Wisconsin.
The following states will elect legisla-
lures: California, Colorado. Connects
cut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana.
Iowa, Kansas. Kentucky (seven vacan-
cies), Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri
Montana. Nebraska, Nevada New Hamp-
shire, New Jersey, New York (parD, North
Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania
South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee
Texas, Utah. Virginia, Washington, West
Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.