The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-10-26
RETURNS BY TELEPHONE.
Novel Means of Communicating
Election News.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Oct. 25.-On
the night Of Nov. 8, one Of the most
novel experiments in the dissemination
OF election news ever made in this
country will be tried by the American
Telephone and Telegraph company,
who operate the long distance telephone
lines of the country.
An effort is to be made to supply all
the subscribers of the telephone service.
where connections with the long dis
lance lines are possible, with election
bulletins from every state. The num-
Der Of telephones in the United States
is about 100000. Connections cannot be
made with more than about three
fourths of this number, for the reason
that st. Louis is the farthest point
West where long distance lines are
operated, but for all the rest it will be
possible to furnish bulletins as rapidly
as they are received in the office of gen
eral distribution, to be established in
New York -
III. F. Hill, the assistant general SUI
perintendent Of the long distance tele-
Washington today for the purpose of
completing the local arrangements for
the service in these two cities. Through
his visit here the knowledge Of the
great experiment to be made by the
company which he represents, was
learned. The news bureau to be es-
tablished in New York will be perfect
in all it's details. AS soon as bulletin
is received there, giving returns from
any point, 1t will be sent over the long
distance lines to the main offices in all
of the large cities. The local distribu-
ton of the information will be made
simultaneously to all the subscribers
in that city. a.
There are in Baltimore 1900 tele-
phones, and in Washington, 1880. Sew
eral days before the election each one
of the subscribers will receive a notice
from the main offices that, beginning
at o'clock on the night of election he
can, by sitting close to his telephone,
| receive as complete returns of the cleo
ton as will be furnished by the tele-
graph comprehensive is the claim
made. The subscriber WILL however,
have to take the news as be gets it,
without asking questions, as 1t would
not be possible to have any break in the
lire while the bulletins are being, sent.
The location Of the New York office
has not yet been decided upon, but it
will be at some central point. The. COM
pany intends to- make special efforts to
have the returns from New York state
/ the best that can be had. A corps of
| experienced editors will be in charge
of the bulletin service, and as rapidly
as the returns are received they will
be carefully condensed and put in the
most Ineligible form for the thousands
of auditors throughout the country
Manager Upperman, of the Washing
ton office has made all of his prepara-
| tons for the distribution of the tele-
phone bulletins in Washington and vi
entity. His Intention Island it will be
the intention of managers throughout
the country-to discontinue commercial
business for the night of Nov. 8. 1t
will then be possible to plug up the en-
tire switchboard and ring up all the
subscribers at once for the receipt of
election news 1t Is the expecta ton
that bulletins will be had as rapidly as
they are displayed on stereopticons, so
that all the subscriber will have to do
is to sit close to his telephone to get
complete news of the election results
| throughout the country. er
The long.distance telephone has al
ready been put to considerable use in
! the campaign. In the headquarters of
both parties in this city, Chicago and
New York the managers can at a few
minutes notice secure connection with
their ieutenants in any one of the
states. except those in the far West.
Chairman Babcock, Of the Republican
congressional committee, with head
quarters in this city, holds converse
ton with Mr.. Hanna in Chicago al
orally Of any change in the situation
which may have come to his notice.
The Democrat and Populist committees
have also had this service at their head
quarters, both here and in Chicago, and
have found it of greatest convenience
and value. The cost has been very
great, as the amount charged for a
five minutes talk between Washington
and Chicago is $3.50. A five minutes
talk between Washington and New
York costs 81, SO that it may be readily
seen that conversations at long range
are costly. The campaign managers,
however, say that the telephone is
much more satisfactory in political
communica tons than the telegraph for
two reasons, the first being that there
is no record kept, and the second that,
as a politician put it today, you can
tell by mans voice whether he means
what he says"