The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-11-14
H OFFICIAL COUNT
Gives Kentucky to Mckinley by a
Small Plurality.
Statement by Chairman Roberts Explain
ing Alleged Discrepancies in For
mer Claims by the Repub-
lican Committee.

LOUISVILLE, ny, Nov. T.-Mchlnley
has certainly got Il of kentucky's Is
electoral votes. The official count by
the ~canvassing boards was completed
this afternoon, but the returns
are slow in coming in. and at this
hour, nine o'clock, it is impossible to
give the total vote with any degree of
accuracy. The totals of the official
count in this (Jefferson) county have
not been announced, but Mckinley
gained about $50 votes ON his plural
ity of 1871.
The official count in almost every
county heard from shows that Kast,
the first republican and Smith, the
first democratic elector, lead their
tickets by from so to 100 votes, and
this insures Bryan one elector.
Up to nine o'clock it was impossible
to secure a statement from democratic
headquarters. The rooms were dark
n the hotel clerk at the Willard said
National Committeeman Try Woodson
had gone home. Secretary Richard
son of the state committee could not
be found.
At six o'clock the following bulletin
was issued from republican head
quarters:
kentucky has gone republican for
the first time in its history in 2
presidential year. Official returns
from Ill counties, and reliable
unofficial returns from the other
eight counties give Mckinley 456 plu-
rality. Four years ago the state gave
Cleveland 10000 plurality over Harri-
son and gave Weaver, the populist
candidate, %, 500 votes. The fusion of
the democrats and populists this year
was complete and the victory for Me-
Kinley means, therefore, a reversal of
81, 600 votes based on the figures Of
1892
Our silver friends make a great ado
over 1000 republican gain in the eley-
enth district, but see nothing remark
able in a gain of 1000 democratic plu-
rality in a single county in the first
district. They also affect surprise
that the republican state committee
has been sticking to its claim of 400 to
600 plurality for Mckinley, in spite of
the discovery of grave errors against
Bryan in Hardin, Fayette, Galloway
and other counties, and say that when
evcr Bryan made a gain in this way l
SEM a cipher dispatch to the Eleventh
district for a corresponding addition
to the Mckinley plurality.
"At FIVE o'clock on the morning after
the election we realized that the re-
e,,1t Would hn rarr- close and yyIra6
every county chairman who could be
reached to rush complete unofficial re-
turns and to closely watch the official
count. On the strength of the an
swers to the messages l issued a bulle-
tin Wednesday evening which vas
published in all the Louisville papers,
saying among other things: The
democrats will 60 to the Eleventh dis
trict with LOGO in their favor. Re-
turns from one-half the counties of
the Eleventh district already in assure
considerably over 1900 republican
plurality
This bulletin was based upon actual
unofficial figures from every county
but five, and has stood the test from
last Wednesday until to-day in spite
of errors of newspaper correspondents
and the surprising claims of free sill
yer leaders. evidently based upon be-
fore-the-election estimates rather than
upon election returns. This commit
tee has had nothing to do with the
conflicting reports of newspapers, and
the big gains and losses they have
been finding in unofficial returns for
several days have not changed our ta'
bles at any time.
1.-THE official count has resulted in
occasional changes from our unofficial
figures, but they have about balanced
each other and my figures of Wednes-
day are practically confirmed by the
official count.
"At this writing u almost complete
returns show that the democrats go to
the Eleventh district with 1882 in
their favor and are met there with IA
27s republican plurality, giving a net
plurality OF $50 for Mckinley.
ISigned] S. j. ROBERTS,