The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-11-04

didates..Vote Cast Was Exceed.
inyly Large in Every District.
"Never saw a finer election day." was
heard on all sides yesterday and truly
1t was an ideal day.
No chilling winds, no rain. but on the
contrary a bright sky and q warm
sun that filed Republicans and Popo-
Gratis alike with good cheer and gave
their spirits that exhuberance so es-
sential to the successful party workers.
The weather was altogether too fine
to suit many of the Popocrats. Ihey
took 1t as bad omen.
I'VE always vote better In bad
weather." said Colonel Fitzsimmons as
he talked over the situation with sew
eral friends You know the Democrats
are not aNaid to come out and vote
no matter what kind of weather the
Lord provides and this fact has con-
tributed to win several notable victor
les for us. I'd feel better If 1t was
rough and blustry or even wet today
and I think we would have better
showing to make tonight"
This opinion was generally shared
by Popocrats.
The weather had something to do
with the large VOTE for 1t was large,
probably the largest that Lackawanna
county has ever recorded. During the
day a, number of requests came to the
county commissioners for extra ballot
boxes, those sent out being insufficient
to hold all of the ballots cast In some
districts.
Many Of the mines and workshops OF
the city were closed down and OF course
the banks. postOfi1ce and public offices
respected the legal holiday. The sa-
looms kept their front doors closed and
blinds drawn but some Of them did
very active side door business.
The legislative fights in the four dis
tricts Of the county were conducted
with great dash and vigor In the
First district John r. Farr lost some
Republican votes In the North End and
A. T. Connell lost some on the south
Side and In the central city wards
John F.. Reynolds put up gallant
battle against NJ. F. Fadden In the
Fourth district and the same was true
Of DR.. N. C. Mackey, the Republican
candidate In the Third district. Through
activity opposed by some OF the Re
publicans Of the district the Republican
voters refused to follow the dissatisfied
ones In any considerable numbers
II the weather was factor in bring
Ing out the large vote 1t was not the only
one. The great interest taken In the
presidential, congressional county and
legislative fights had their influence
In bringing out the voters. So anxious
were the people of the Thirteenth ward
to cast their ballots that at $50 about
every vote that the ward Is entitled to
was safely slowed away In the ballot
boxes.
At every polling place red-hot McKin-
ley and Bryan men sang the praises of
their favorite candidates and In some
instances the arguments between the
partisans were very heated. 1t Is COM
plimentary to the manner in which the
disputants controlled their tempers,
that no disturbances Of any consequence
were reported.
IN THE CENTRAL CITY.
In the central city wards. the incl
dents and scenes were as commonplace
as might have been. expected at the
usual local election, although 1t was
known early in the day that the heaviest
vote In the history Of the city was be-
ing polled. excepting in the Pine Brook
and Eight ward district, containing a
large population of laboring men, many
of whom did not vote until after
o'clock. I nthe Ninth and Seventeenth
wards, the number Of votes polled early
in the day was phenomenal and in the
Sixteenth the vote was almost as pro-
portionately heavy. In some districts
at o'clock the total number of ballots
cast equalled the total Scranton-Merri
field vote In those districts in 1894, which
was the largest ever recorded in Lacka-
wanna county.
1t was noticed that the voting was
conducted with less confusion and con-
seQuently with more rapidity than at
any election since the adoption Of the
new ballot law. This was considered
somewhat strange on account of the
large size Of the ballot and its compli-
cations. but was explained by the fact
that the X in the circle was being used
more generally than usual and that the
workings of the new system were bet
ter understood than formerly.
The only particular election board ex-
citement, In the Eighth ward, the bust
ness center, which always has its
troubles II trouble Is rife, was in the
First district polling place at Raub's
undertaking establishment. DIR. John
OMalley, Democrat, judge of elections,
could not serve and presented as his
substitute John Welsh. The change
was acceptable to both the Democratic
and Republican officers Of the board,
but the physician, after installing his
substitute. insisted on remaining in the
polling place and discussing the work
OF the board. 1t required ten or fifteen
minutes Of wrangling to convince the
doctor thst his place was outside. He
was angered by the controversy.
The Incident was trivial, but was a
sample OF several equally as important
Misunderstanding that took place in
the business center.
In 1894 the Second district Of the Sew
enteenth ward polled total Of SsS votes
for Scranton and Merrifield. This total
was passed at 2.30 o'clock Yesterday.
In the Third district of the Ninth ward
100 votes were cast within an hour and
a half after the polls opened At noon
In the Second district Of the Ninth POO
votes had been cast as against a total
Of 258 In 1894.
The large voting was equally as an.
parent In the Sixteenth. In the Second
district. one of the heaviest in the city
and which usually polls about 300. ss
many as 260 ballots had been cast at
o'clock.
ON THE SOUTH SIDE.
From the opening of the polls until
they closed last night at o'clock large
crowds gathered at the various voting
places on the South Side, and all day
long kept up discussion Of the issues
upon which the battle was being
waged. There were Bryan men at each
election district, and they made their
presence known to all. The oratorical
fever has spread from the Boy Orat-
or" to his followers, and many of the
South Side admirers Of the Nebraska
candidate made impromptu addresses
at the polling places yesterday, in
which the orators ideas about the sill
yer question were more or less lucidly
set forth
At the polls were many enthusiastic
admirers OF Mckinley and the other
candidates who did gallant work for
them. There was a strong feeling
among Democrats as we'll ss Republi-
cans in favor Of the candidacy OF
William Connell for congress, indicat-
ing that he would get handsome vote
In that part Of the city, with the growth