The San Francisco call., 1898-11-09
55,16o
Total vote cast


 gone, and now all that re-
 mains to be done is the fix
 ing of the exact measure of
 success or failure.
 In San Francisco the cleo
 ton as well as the campaign that preceded it was one of peculiar significance and was marked by condi- ions never before presented at a gen. aral election. Strong, bitter partisan ship rather than party lines separated he opposing forces, and it is safe to say that more than 75 per cent of the 7otes cast were cast in accordance with personal preference, regardless of the politics of the voters. The straight Re publican or Democratic tickets that lound their way into the ballot boxes were few and far between.
 Viewed from the standpoint of dis interested spectator the election passed off quietly, and there was little out ward indication of the undercurrent of excitement, personal feeling and pri- vate jealousies that dominated the popular mind and influenced the ulti mate result. The absence of visible hgns of the more than personal interest taken by voters in the proceedings of he day and the final result of the days events was due, no doubt, to the pecu- iar nature of the campaign just closed. Never before in the history of the State nave the issues at stake been so plainly ret forth before the people, not alone by the press of the State, but by the op- posing candidates themselves. In many respects the manner in which the cam .paign was conducted in this city was more like a house to house canvass than any ever before seen here. The candidates sought out the people and laid their various claims for recogni- ton before them by word of mouth. If there was a voter within the confines of the city who did not know what each and every candidate had to say for himself and the principles for which he stood it was not for lack of oppor- tunity.
 As a result of this campaign of edu- cation the great mass of the voters  minds fully and finally made up as to their choice of candidates. There was no stopping on street corners to argue concerning the merits of respective candidates, and there was no button holing by strikers paid to loiter about the polling places to catch the man whose vote could be influenced
 The business of voting began at the time of the opening of the polls and went ahead with clocklike regularity until the closing hour.
 In this connection 1t is proper to give due credit to Registrar Biggy, who for months past has been untiring in his efforts to instruct voters as to their rights and their limitations. Thou sands of questions have been answered through the medium of his office and all complaints of whatever nature, both before and during the day of election, were promptly attended to and law fll and satisfactory adjustment made. The effect of this was apparent yester- day in the IeW IllSIdkeS lHdl "SA . made regarding the location of proper polling places, the rights of voters and the details necessary to the proper casting of ballots. At Registrar Biggy' s request, the Grand Jury remained in session all day yesterday and last night visited a great number of the polling places in the city during the progress of the count.
 T he vote cast was unusually large in rroportion to the registration, fact due in part to the perfect weather, but more particularly to the conditions al- ready enumerated concerning the per- sonal interest taken by voters and the intensity of private partisanship. With the exception Of few insignificant rows and a few arrests for minor of lenses against the election laws, the day was devoid of incident. Watch CTS at the polls had very little to do