The morning times., 1896-11-10
ELECTION BETS HUNG UP
Many WagerS Suspended By the Pc
cuilar Slale Gt Affairs.
Delaware and Kentucky's Vote the
Cause of Muddle Among
Sporting Men.

Several thousand dollars of money in this
city and many hundreds of thousands IN
the country rs OF uncertain ownership be
cause OF Ihe pervcrsIty OF Kentucky poll
ticians.
A large number of wagcrs were made
here on questions that cannot be deter
mined until ii is definitely known whether
the Blue Grass state VIII cast its electoral
vote for Bryan or Mckinley. Some nf these
were on the Stat. issue direct: others upon
combinations OF States, like Col. Ike Hill
bel that Nebraska. Kansas, Missouri and
kentucky would all 20 for Bryan, and
others, and this forms the MA jority OF
cases, upon bets that Bryan would carry
u ma lorIty of the States IN the Union.
Never before i'll the history of election
betting have so many elements been brought
in TO make uncertain the Issue. Never be
lore have so many States been 50 close III
politics that tie official count had 10 be
waited for To determine the result.
In South Dakota The Official count will
be necessary 10 prove the CDfuplcXiOn Of
Its politics; in Wyoming the matter is vet
in doubt; IN delaware the vote will he
split, two electors being for Mckinley and
one for Bryan.
II can probably be taken for granted that
both South Dakota and Wyoming will lie
democratic by very small ma iorities when
the whole vote is in. With these two States
III lhe DTAdn FdIlh ana IGIaW6Et Out Ni
tie count, as she VIII lIr by virtue of the
fact that all its votes are not counted for
either candidate, Kentucky Will, by going
Tor Mckln klnley, just tie the betting on III.
majority Of States; there being then just
twenl y-two commonwealths i'll lane for each
candidate.
If, ON the other hand, the final count
shows that Kentucky is for Bryan such
wagers VIII he won by the confident souls
NED StlkRI their rho Nnlnrgp 81 n
man. II il the uncertainty that attaches
fOhcntucky Us vote that Ii brIi CinE gray hairs
In the raven locks of some sports IN thiScity
VIII it really be 4 tie with Delaware out
Of the count? This question was debated
IN hundred different places iii Washington
last night.
1t is not only a question for 81 orts to
wrangle over, hut matter that the law
itself takes COgniZanCc Of in an indirect
way. II Is an old saw of common law
that where 4 contract is IuaGc contingent
upon certain cvcrt and the event is in
the nature of 2 surprise to both parties,
then tie contract iS void. in that he minds
OF the parties TO the contract did not meet
or did net inclnde the possibility of the
subject matter Of the agreement getting
iHioa position satisfactory olG.tEcrparty
For example, II 4 lets b that Delaware
Would go fer Bryan, 1t is evident that the
only other cSiscnCy contemplated by either
party Is thar il VIII 20 itr Mckinley, there
beng only Two tickets. praci icaIly, in the
field Buf If the State does not cast it full
Ecie for eilher Bryan or Mckinley hut for
both IN part, then neither has won and
therefore neither can have lost
Merely taking the affirmative side Of the
proposition does not place any extra bur
den ON bcttor. To bet that Bryan would
csrry the State is, Ia 4 fair-rninded man,
and In { ne ewes of The law, So FAR as the
law recognizes wagerS, equally n wager
that Mckinley VIII not carry il.
SO 1t Is that upon Kentucky depends
whether certain gentlemen shah draw
down their money and call bets off or
whether such wagerS as have been men
TONED shal! me Won by the persons taking
the Bryan end of it.
With the press dispatches showing an
increasing Mckinley majority for a1c-
klnley IN the dark and hluucy ground
the result looks a little dubious to the
Democrats. There is only one move
possible hy which the State can bc saved
to BRIAN. 1t Is proposed as a plausible
method to combine the wranrlc over
the Campbell county precincts which went
81 strongly for Mckinley and in which the
Poll books were burned by the officers i'm
mediatcly after counting th. vote
II The vn.e from the Eleventh district
were officially counted and so could not
be Increased to cover corrections made
''ti's ~ 'lA-iil l'hItN o. ne the
Campben county canyasSers could then
Proceed 10 throw out the irregular pre-
GnctS ard so overcome the harrow ma
1ori'v 10y which the Republicans hold the
State.
s. j Roberts, chairman OF the Repub-
hcan State committee, is as foxy a poll
uclan as there is going. however, and re.
fuses 10 commit himself to any figures
until all sources Of Democratic strength
have been exhausted
Whatever may be the result. there are
several people in Washington who are on
the anxious seat and would like for some
thing to happen to ease their aching
breasts
II. aS was at one time stated. Kentucky
divides her vote, then the whole thing Will
fan 10 the ground and all bets in which
her vote Is involved wiil be drawn 1t is
hardly likely that this viii happen.
As the full vGtc is not yet in from South
Dakota or from Wyoming, any change in
these States from the position into which
probabilities have placed them will change
the whole matter and cause the Repub-
hcanS to win all bets upon tie majority
Of States.