The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-11-04

| bnree majority.
Columbus, Ohio, November 3.-This
has been day of anxiety with the Ohio
politicians. 1t opened with the Republi-
cans and Demoora ts both claiming the
election of their state ticket and ma.
jority of the members of the legislature.
| Before noon the Democrats conceded
the election of the Republican state ticket
| by larger pluralities than were given
last night in the earliest dispatches as the
claims Of the Republicans. Tonight the
| Democratic state committee announced
no definite claims on the legislature and
the Republican state committee made its
| claim to majority Of five on joint ballots
as follows: Senate, II Republicans and
10 Democrats; House, 5S Republicans and
81 Democrats; totals, IS Republicans, 20
Democrats.
Wood county had been conceded to the
Democrats until tonight when the COM
plete returns caused the Republicans to
claim 1t.
On the returns complete at Republican
state headquarters the Democrats will
have majority of two in the Senate and
the Republicans of seven in the House.
In these claims the fusionists from
Cincinnati are all counted as Democratio.
The Republicans can organize the House
without fusion. There is only one of the
four Senators elected on the fusion ticket
| in CINCINNATI, who is Republican and
he now becomes factor.
| II Senator Voigt of Cincinnati, who is
a Republican elected on the fusion ticket
should vote with the Republicans on the
organization of the Senate, or anything
else, that body will be tie with Lieuten-
ant Governor Jones, Republican, having
the deciding vote If the Democrats had
secured majority Of the legislature or
the fusionists held the balance of power,
| it is said that the fusionists would have
voted with the Democrats.
The Republicans now expect two or
! more of the fusion Republicans to vote
| with them for Senator, in which event,
they claim q majority of on joint ballot,
with II Republicans and 6s Democrats.
| One Of the fusion votes for Senator was
X
| in event they would be needed by the
Democrats to elect their nominee. but
| now many speculations are made about
the fusion votes.
| When it was thought today that the
control OF the legislature might depend
| upon one vote there was apprehension of
| trouble in some counties. Emissaries
were sent out from state adouarters to
close counties, to watch the counting.
| The Ohio law provides that ssnot less
than one nor more than five DAYS from
the date Of election, the deputy state
supervisors in each county shall begin the
official canvass of the vote and continue
from day to day until completed.
| In the event of protraoted contests in
the close counties the suspense of TODAY
might have continued until the Iegisla-
Uure meets next January.
| Since the change of the claims at Demo-
cratic headquarters tonight on the oom-
plexion of the legislatures, two important
rumors have been vigorously circulated.
One is that John 4. Mclean will be
pressed by the Ohio Democracy for the
nomination for President in 1900, and
| that Senator Hanna will have opposition
in his own party for election to the Sen
ate. 1t is claimed by those advocating
Mclean for this presidential nomination
that he deserves credit for reduction of
the Republican plurality to less than half
VI Whho ~ was ldSt year hDu "a tlo Iee-
publican majority In the legislature from
eighty on Joint ballot to five. And the
Democrats claim that the majority on
joint ballot would be five, the other way
If they had an equal chance on contests.
| There are thirty-six members of the state
senate and only one or two of these dis
| tricts are SO close or doubtful as to admit
Of contests on which Republican Senators
could be unseated.
On the other hand there are 1O9 mem.
bers of the house in which the Republi
1 cans claim majority of seven, while the
| Democrats have majority of two in the
Senate. And there are several counties
that several seates could be changed In
that body In the settlement of contested
seats, the Republicans would have suct
an advantage in the House over the
Democrats in the Senate that it Is moi
likely that the latter will be aggressors
in that matter. And this may allow the
close of the margin of the Republicans or