San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-10-28
NEWS MAY BE SLOW.
OWING TO GENERAL Use OF AUS
TRALIAN BALLOT.
Fusion Will Also Add to Difficulty in
Giving the General Result of the
Returns Promptly.

ial.-The presidential election of Tues
day, November 3rd, next, will be held
under conditions which have never
before prevailed and which will rem
der the official count matter of diff
ficulty and unusual delay. Since the
last presidential contest almost ev-
cry state which had not then adopted
the Australian ballot system has by
state enactment prescribed some
form of secret ballot, either based on
| the Australian plan or closely reSem-
bling it. The only exceptions are
| Georgia, North Carolina and South
| Carolina. In the 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 pur-
| pose of which is to restrict the votes
of illiterate negros.
In nearly all the other states blank
ct ballots will be cast and in many of
them the count will be complicated by
! the fact that the state, legislative and
| county nominations are all printed on
| the same ballot with the names of
! presidential electors. Connecticut has
| an envelope system, and New Jersey
prints each party ticket upon a separ-
ate 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
| hn a1ncn1 hAfnnn Tho
| is known with absolute certainty. In
states like Nebraska, for instance
where, according to conservative Opin-
ion, there may not be a margin of
five thousand votes either way, it will
be impossible to arrive at correct
judgment until all the back counties
are heard from. The polls in the cit
les close at 4 p. M, but in the county
districts keep open until 6 p. m. and
with a governor, a legislature and
| county officers to elect, all on one bal
lot, 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 obtain
| ed from the result of the counties in
which Cincinnati and Cleveland are
respectively situated, and these results
will probably be known comparative
ly early. The result Of the state, it
is anticipated. will go as it has
done in previous presidential 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 Indiana,
Michigan and Kansas, where state
and legislative tickets also complicate
the ballot, there will probably be no
keynote so the result can be definite
ly determined on Tuesday night, I'M
less the election should prove a land
slide. In that case midnight may
| give a close idea who are the victors
and who are the vanquished. 9th
erwise there may be many hours of
anxious suspense. The last two pres
idential elections have been singularly
free from uncertainty. 1t was known
at 10 D. m. on election day in 1888 that
Mr.. Harrison had defeated Mr.. Cleve-
land. and it was known with equal
certainty at IL p. m. on election day
in 1892 that Mr.. Cleveland had defeat
ed Mr.. Harrison. But 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 further
element of difficulty in the presiden-
| tial count this year. Fusion has
been arranged between the POpjulists
and the Democrats on the electoral
| No., gfn 70 hNrf
! Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, Ala
bama, Florida and Texas. In several
of the southern states. while there has
been no formal fusion between the
| Republicans and Populists on state,
legislature 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 gov
errors: Colorado, Connecticut, Della
ware. Idaho, Illinois. Indiana, Kansas,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,
Missouri. Montana. Nebraska, New
Hampshire, New York, North Carroll
na, North Dakota, South Carolina,
South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas,
Washington, West Virginia and Wis
| cOnsin.
The following states will elect legis-
latures: California, Colorado, Con-
necticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, In
diana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky (sev-
en- vacancies), Michigan, Minnesota,
Montana, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New
York (part), North Carolina, North
Dakota. Pennsylvania, South Dakota,
Tennessee. Texas, Utah, Virginia,
Washington, West Virginia, Wiscon-
sin and Wyoming.