The San Francisco call., 1896-10-26
Conditions of the Election
That Are New.
Owing to the Complicated Ballot
Systems the Result May
Be Delayed.

WASHINGTON, D. C., Oct. 25.-The
Presidential election of Tuesday, Novem-
Der 5 next, will be held under conditions
which have never before prevailed and
which will render the official count .
matter of difficulty and unusual 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 Aus
tralian plan or closely resembling 1t. The
only exceptions are Georgia, louisiana,
North Carolina and South Carolina. In
the first three States named 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
reform ballot" the avowed purpose of
which Is to restrict the votes of illIerate
negroes. In nearly all the other States
blanket ballots will be cast, and in many
of them the count will be complicated by
the fact that State, legislative and county
nominations are all printed on the SAME
ballot with the names of Presidential
electors. Connecticut has an envelope
ticket upon separate ballot
Should the election be in any way close,
it is therefore quite possible that it may
be twentyfour hours or even forty-eight
hours after the polls are closed before the
results are known with absolute certainty.
In States like Nebraska, for instance,
where, according to conservative opinion,
there may not be margin of 5000 votes
each way, it will be impossible TO arrive at
correct judgment until all the back coun-
ties are heard from.
The polls in the cities of some States
close at 4. P. NJ, but in the country dis
tricts keep open until6. With Governor,
a Legislature and county officers TO elect,
ali on one ballot, it Will take at least
twenty-four hours to complete the count.
Some idea of the general trend of 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 result of the
State, it is anticipated, will be pretty
much as it has been in previous years.
The doubtful points are Hamilton and
Cuyahoga counties. Chicago will control
Illinois. There will be no doubt of the
outcome when the vote of Cook County is
recorded.
But in other doubtful States like. In
diana, Michigan and Kansas, where State
and Legislative tickets also complicate
the ballots, there will probably be no key
note from which the result can be defin-
itely determined on Tuesday night, un-
less the election should prove landslide.
In that case midnight may give a close
idea who are the victors and who are the
vanquished. Otherwise there may be
many hours of anxious suspense.
The last two Presidential elections have
been singularly free from uncertainty. 1t
was known at 10 P. NJ. on election day in
1888 that Mr.. Harrison had defeated Mr..
Cleveland, and 1t was known with equal
certainty at IL P. NJ. on election day in
1892 that Mr.. Cleveland haG defeated Mr..
Harrison. But in the election of 1884.
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 ar
ranged between the Peoples party and the
Democrats 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 Popuiists on State,
Legislatures and Congressman, local ar
rangements 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 November 3: Colorado, Connecticut,
Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kan
sas, Massachusetts, Michigan. Minnesota,
Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hamp-
shire, New York, North Carolina, North
Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota,
Tennessee, Texas, Washington, West Vir-
ginia and Wisconsin.
The following States will elect Legisla-
lures: California, Colorado, Connecticut,
Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Kansas, Kentucky (seven vacancies),
Michigan, Minnesota. Missouri, Montana,
Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New
York, New Jersey, North Carolina North
Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina.
South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah,
Virginia, Washington, West Virginia,
Wisconsin and Wyoming.