The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-11-04
CHANGE OF SYSTEM THE CAUSE
How Advance of Wheat
is Accounted For.
Broker Gives His Views-Matrimo
ny in High Life-ItaIy'S Crown
Prince Marries a Princess.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25.-The Presi-
Dental election of Tuesday, November
Sd, will be held under conditions which
have never before prevailed, and which
will render the official count a matter
of difficulty and unusual delay.
Since the last Presidential election
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 resembling it. The only excep
lions 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" In
nearly all the other States blanket bal
lots 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 the
Presidential electors. Connecticut has
an envelope system and New Jersey
ballot.
Should the election be in any way
close, it is, therefore, quite possible
that it may be twenty-four hours, or
even forty-eight hours, after the polls
are closed before the result is known.
In States like Nebraska for instance,
where, according to some estimates,
there may not be a margin of 5000
votes either way, it will be impossible
to arrive at a correct judgment until
all the back counties are heard from.
The polls in the cities of some States
close at 4 p. M, but in the country dis
tricts keep open until 6, and with
Governor. Legislature and county Of
ficers to elect, all on one ballot, it will
take at least twenty-four hours to COM
plete 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 re-
spectively situated and these results
will probably be known comparatively
early.
The two last Presidential elections |
have been singularly free from uncer-
tainty. 1t was known at 10 a. m. on |
election day in 1888 that Mr.. Harrison |
had defeated Mr.. Cleveland, and it was |
known with equal certainty that Mr.. !
Cleveland had defeated Mr.. Harrison. |
But in the election of 1884, when Mr.. |
Cleveland defeated Mr.. Blaine, the of |
fetal result hung in doubt over the |
State of New York for days.
The fusion tickets will add a further J
element of difficulty in the Presidential /
count this year.
Fusion has been arranged between |
the Populists and the Democrats on the /
electoral ticket in every Democratic |
State but Tennessee, Mississippi, Geor-
gia, Alabama, Florida and Texas In !
several Of the Southern States, while /
there has been no formal fusion be- /
tween the Republicans and Populists |
on State tickets, 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 Gov
ernors on November Sd: Colorado, Con-
necticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, In
diana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michi-
gan Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Ne
braska, New Hampshire, New York,
North Carolina, North Dakota, South
Carolina, Texas, Washington, West
Virginia~and Wisconsin.
The following will elect Legislatures:
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Del
aware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Kansas, Kentucky (seven vacancies),
Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mon