Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-03-11
HOW THE MAYOR HEARD 1T.
A Look mt the Successful Candidate
in the Mayors Office Last Night
na Returns Came In

In his private Office, up under the caves
of the southwest corner of the tall city
hall building, sat Mayor Jones early in the
evening. 1t was private in name only. The
door stood wide open, the chandeliers were
brilliantly lighted and visitors by dozens
came and went. On the mayors desk was
a telephone. A box of cigars sat on a
table in the center of the room. The air
was blue with swirIing clouds of smoke.
The mayors father-in-law. ]. w. Towson.
sat near the mayors desk. Next to him
sat Colonel Longwell, superintendent Of
the water works. keeping tally as the re-
turns came in. Near him sat S. 8. Winn,
assistant city counselor. Politicians and
friends of the mayor who were not polit-
clans. sat and stood around.
The telephone rang almost constantly
after o'clock. At each ring the mayor
placed the receiver to his ear. The re-
turns from the very first indicated that he
was sure winner.
Hello! Who's this?' the mayor would
say as he sat at his desk. the telephone re.
All right. How about Westport, Cooke
Then there was a silence Of a minute.
and the mayor said through the telephone:
ny, IL . 6oiH6 dDOul " III lily ldSOE
all over the city. Cook
.Hurrah!!!' yelled a negro. and he reach
ed over and seized the mayors hand and
shook it, The mayor stood up sat down
Say, boys. I'll give you the returns from
Westport. It's not official yet, but the in
dications are that 800 votes have been
cast. and l got 400 of them
'.Yi, VI! Yi.' screamed the crowd.
The telephone rings again, and Mayor
Jones grabs the receiver. In moment he
announces:
Now. here's the Eighth ward boys. In
| the East precinct. | get AS votes and Green
| 102. In the West precinct, / get 81 and
Green 105''
where's Bishop there?' some one asks.
'.Oh. they didn't send in his vote" the
mayor answers with a laugh.
A minute later he gets the returns from
| the Third ward over the telephone: 40 for
! Jones. l95 for Green.
| Police Judge Clifford pushes his way into
/: the room and hands the mayor card. slap
! him on the back at the same time. The
may or holds his hand up TO quell the buzz
/ of talk and reads:
East district Of Ninth ward gives Jones
! JS5. Green 101. Bishop 16.''
Jones puts one knee into the cushioned
| seat or his office chair. leans over its back,
and says:
"Boys. we hadn't expected TO carry the
| Sixth ward. They threw out one OF our
| judges and clerks there. But the indi-
cations are that we will carry it by from
| 50 10 10o.''
I'VE don't need II anyway" stout man
| says from the depths of a leather cushion
ed chair.
Yes we do. too. we want to make it
unarimous.' the mayor answered.
And so it went on for an hour. the re-
| turns coming in rapidly. showing that
Jones WAS nominated by more than to /.
| Occasionally great bowling cheer foated
| UP from the street far below where some
| crowd of judges and clerks We're coming
in with the official returns from pre-
cinct. The mayor said he was not sur
prised. lie said to a reporter for The Jour
| nal:
Il always told YOU I'd get IS per cent of
Mont Reilly. the mayors private secre-
tary. moved around joyously shaking hands
with friends. He had handkerchief tied
! around his neck to hold poultice on a
| carbuncle the back of his neck.
| That boil bothered me last night" lie
i said. but l haven't felt it to-day. Too
| He told OF an encounter he had In the aft
I ernoon in the west precinct in the Seventh
/ ward. He said he found that some OF the
I Judges in the voting booth were electioneer-
/ ing against Jones. He went in to protest
and when he came out some one accused
him of voting three or four times. He
| told his accuser he was lying and a crowd
started for him and showed fight. Mr..
Reilly stood his ground and dared any one
man in the crowd to come on and tackle
him across the street to a drug store and
At ii o'clock Mayor Jones left the cheer
| Ing crowd in his Office and went alone
down to the Office of the election commits
| sioners on the first floor. A deafening cheer
| went up he entered. People rushed TO
| shake hands with him and II took some
time for him to force his way inside the
railing where the commissioners and their
| porter for The Journal when asked what
| he thought of the result:
! "Jt is an unqualified Endorsement of the
present administration. II shows that the
people will stand by a public servant OF
| theirs who stands by them and does his
duty by the people. ! had an abiding faith