The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-08
BLUE GRASS STATE BALLOTS.
THE REPUBLICANS CLAIM IL OF
THE 13 ELECTORS.

A Net Plurality of 456 Claimed for
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Roberts De-
MES That He Is Meeting Demo-
cratic Gains by FaIking Up Repub-
Iican Gains in the Eleventh Con-
gressional District-The Official
Count Completed.
Louisville, KY, Nov. 7.-McKinley has
certainly got 12 of Kentucky's Is electoral
,,o+as The official count by the county
canvassing boards was completed this af-
tarnoon. but the returns are slow in COM
ing in and at this hour, p. m, it is impos-
sible to get 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 100
votes on his plurality of 12,Sn.
The last edition of the Evening Times es-
Inmates McKinley's plurality in the state
at 64S. The Posts estimate is over 100
more.
The official count in most every county
heard from shows that Kast, the first re-
publican, and Smith, the first democratic
e1ector lead their tickets by from 90 to lOO
votes and this insures Bryan one elector'
Up to o'clock, it was impossible to Sc
cure a statement from democratic head
quarters. The rooms were dark and the no.
tel clerk at the Willard, said Natlonal
Committeeman Urey Woodson hao gone
home Secretary Richardson Of the state
committee could not be found.
At 6 O'Clock the following bulletin was
issued from republican headquarters:
"Kentucky has certainly gone republican
for the first time in it's history In presl-
Dental year. Returns from Ill counties
and reliable unofficial returns from the
other eight counties, give Mckinley ass
plurality. Four years ago the state gave
Cleveland 10000 plurality over Harrison,
and gave Weaver, the populist candidate,
1850 votes. The fusion of the democrats
and populists this year was complete, and
the victory for Mckinley means, there
fore, reversal of $4,000 votes based on
the figures of 1892.
"Our silver friends make great ado
over 1000 republican gain in the Eleventh
district but see nothing remarkable in
gain Of 1000 democratic plurality in
single county in the First district They
also affect surprise that the republican
state committee has been sticking to its
claim of 400 to 900 plurality for Mckinley,
in spite of the discovery of great errors
against Bryan in Hardin, Fayette, Gallo
way and other counties, and say that
whenever Bryan made a gain in this way
l sent a cipher dispatch to the Eleventh
district for a corresponding addition to the
Mckinley plurality.
These errors, which the newspapers
made a great ado over in each succeed
ing issue, were their own and not ours,
and explained how some of the newspa-
pers gave Mckinley anywhere from 1000
to 5000 plurality, when the committees
figures, open to the world, staid between
400 and 900 for three days.
K a
election we realized that the result would
be very close, and wired every county
chairman who could be reached to rush
complete unofficial returns and to closely
watch the official count. On the strength
of the answers to the messages I issued a
bulletin Wednesday evening, which was
published in all the Louisville papers, say
ing among other things: The democrats
will go to the Eleventh district with 13 600
d in their favor. Returns from one-haf of
4 the counties of the Eleventh district al
ready in, assure considerably over 1900
republican plurality.
This bulletin was based upon actual
unofficial figures from every county put
five, and has stood the test from last
81 Wednesday until to-day, in spite of cr-
rors of newspaper correspondents and
81 the surprising claims of the free silver
Il leaders, evidently based upon before the
81 election estimates, rather than the re.
81 turns. This committee has had nothing
to do with the conflicting reports of news
papers, and the big gains and losses
they have been finding in unofficial re-
turns for several days have not changed
our tables at any time
The official count has resulted in oc-
casional changes from our unofficial fig
ures, but they have about balanced each
other, and my figures of Wednesday are
practically confirmed by the official count.
At this writing our almost complete
returns show that the democrats 20 to
Eleventh district with 13, ,S22 in their favor,
ana are met there with 14,27S republican
plurality giving a net plurality of 456 for
Mckinley. S. ]. Roberts.
Chairman