The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-15
M'KINLEY WORKINGMEN.
True Result Of the Illinois Steel Works
Poll Of EmpIoyes...No Vote Taken
by Armour Men.

Chicago, ILL.,. Oct. H.-The report sent
out from this city and printed in East
ern papers purporting to give the result
or q ballot taken among the employees of
the Illinois Steel company as being
about 1000 votes for Bryan and 300 for
Mckinley Is false. The dispatch Is an
other of the roorbacks that have been
SO numerous in the past few weeks
from the silver managers. Similar
groundlesS statements come to Chicago
from various places, and all with the
same idea-that workinmen are in a
majority for Bryan.
In the case of the Illinois Steel COM
pany, the statement distorted and re-
versed the truth, and was inaccurate
in every detail. The dispatch, as print
ed in Eastern papers, said that the
employees in the works of the Illinois
papers, said that the employees in the
works Of the Illinois Steel company
We're required to cast their ballots in
three separate boxes and that all the
ballots were placed by the men in the
Mckinley receptacle, but that when
they were counted there were only 800
Mckinley ballots and over 1000 Bryan
slips. 1t was further said that the poll
was taken few days ago.
THE TRUTH OF THE POLL.
The only poll taken among the EN-
ployes of the Illinois Steel company
was on Sept. Il. The details of it are
given by two Of the employees who acted
as judges. One of these, Mr.. Knight,
employed in the pattern shop. is an
advocate of free silver, and will vote
for Bryan. The other is f.. +. Jewel.
secretary of the Sound Money club of
the wOrkingmen. Auditor Abbott, of
the company. who, with two head
clerks assisted in counting the ballots.
corroborates their statements and
figures.
The result Of the ballot, as given by
them, was: Total, 1921; for Mckinley,
2,765; for Palmer, 100; for Bryan, 1885,
Preparatory to the poll, each man in
every department of the plant was
given three white ballots, all of the
same size. representing each one vote
for Mckinley, Palmer or Bryan. These
were distributed by a workingman,
who made the rounds with the pay
master, and the men were informed
that the ballot was secret, and were
urged to vote correctly, as the COM
pany wanted to ascertain the true sem
timent Of its employees as whole, not
individually.
There was only one box. Into this
the men dropped their ballots, which
were all folded. As the box was locked.
1t was impossible for anyone to know
how a man had voted When all the
ballots had been deposited, the count
was made. 1t was watched and as
sisted in throughout by the Republi-
can and the Silver Democrat, and they
acquiesced In the correctness Of the
figures given.
The vote represents "a per cent. of
the pay roll Of the company. 1t gives
Mckinley "a per cent, Palmer per
cent. and Bryan II per cent.
NO VOTE BY ARMOUR MEN.
More glaringly false was the report
concerning an alleged poll of the en-
ployes of the packing house of Armour
& Co. The statement of course, gave
Bryan large majority, but the silver
people would have been just as safe
in placing the figures higher for no
poll Of the employees has been taken
this year, and the firm of Armour &
Co. has made no attempt to find out
the political belief of it's workingmen,
either individually or as q whole,