Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-01-26

hours after midnight this morning,
and at seven O'Clock the polls will
open for the voting, closing at six
o'clock this evening.
The ring crowd was very anxious
last night, over the result, and while
whistling to keep their courage up,
and making -extraVagant claims in
public, they privately admitted that
they were not quite able to size up the
situation, and that disaster might be
impending.
whats the outlook" asked one of
the big ri~ng-leaders OF a worker in
charge of a ward.
"One hundred and eighteen major
ity," was the reply.
Can you hold 'em?"
blessed if I know; a good many
people appear to be pretty independ-
ent, and some good people are openly
for Sweeney and against Butts. Any
old thing may happen"
NCll, w lu0 DCoI yOu Cdu. IlldI .
what we're all doing" and the ring
ster sighed and turned to a waiting
delegation.
This little conversation about ex-
presses the situation throughout the
CITY. A good many very good Repub-
licans have tired of the ring dictation,
and are going to do their own voting
to-day. The fact is recognized in high
ring circles, and while the leaders on
the ring side will do all that money
and untiring industry can accomplish
to-day to poll the usual vote, they
very much feared, as they went to bed
this morning, that defeat was staring
them in the face.
1t was generally admitted yesterday
and last night, that Mayor Butts was
defeated. He had six hundred and
siXty-one majority two years ago.
Yesterday the largest claim made for
him was three hundred, and from that
it dWindled down to nothing. The
Mayor himself thought he would win,
but has recognized for some days that
he was up against a tough proposition,
and might be made a scape-goat for
the ring, or sacrificed to save the
other city candidates or Councilmen.
The friends of Mr.. Sweeney were very
sanguine last night, and predicted his
election by a substantial majority.
The City Sergeant fight was equally
interesting all during yesterday, both
sides claiming victory. The friends
of John S. Ritz said they had made
remarkable progress during the past
week, and particularly in the last few
days, the North Wheeling candidate
having made a great many warm
friends, who will give him a lift at
the polls to-day. Will Clemans said
everything was lovely, on the other
hand, but you can never tell about
these things.
The fight for Clerk and Wharf
master has not been as interesting as
that for Mayor and Sergeant, but still
the candidates on both sides have put
in their best ticks, and everybody was
confident last night.
Outside of the Mayoralty, Council
was a matter of anxiety for the ring
people, yesterday, and if the worst
m to the worst, they will trade
any and everything for lies for
members of Council. This Viii partic-
ularly be done in the Fourth and Fifth
wards. The latter is sort of ring head
quarters, because it is the baliwick OF
James X. Hall, Charles H. Henning,
Charley Bachmann and other big guns
in local Republican circles, and they
will lose no small amount of their
prestige if they are showed under on
the Council ticket, while in like man
ner Dick" Robertson and Harry Haw-
kins have personal charge of the
Fourth, and have consulted over. it
about sixteen hours a day for the last
month. Aided and abetted by Her
man Zwicker, they will do everything
possible to swing the Republican
Council ticket through, but will have
an exceedingly tough time Of it, as
they fully realize. The First and
Sixth wards have been virtually given
up by the ringsters for some time past,
but they have made a show of keep
ing up the interest for the general
good of the cause. They will also pro-
badly drop Council candidates here
and there in other wards, and that is
why they are sad. The Island will
show a big cut in the Republican ma
jOrity to-day, particularly for Mayor,
and the same thing is true of the
Eighth ward, and to a less degree of