The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1899-04-07
CARTER HARRISON A VICTOR
DEFEATS TWO OPPONENTS FOR
MAYORALTY OF CHICAGO.
HIS PLURALITY PLACED AT $3.50.
Election Was Upon Local Issues and Many
Republicans Voted For tho Present In
cumbent and Successful Candidate.

Sarter II. harrison was reelected
mayor of Chicago Tuesday by total
vote of 146,914, against 1O7, ,3O4 for
Zinar r. Carter, the republican can.
didate, and As, 41O for John p. Altgeld,
the Independent democratic candidate.
Harrison's plurality $3.50.
The democrats also carried all the
town elections, electing assessor, col
lector, supervisor and town clerk in
the north, south and west towns, the
majorities ranging from 6 to 10000.
The vote from the wards indicate
that the republicans have elected four
teen aldermen and the democrats nine.
The contest in several of the wards is
very close aud the official count will
probably be necessary to determine
the result.
The city council has been composed
of forty-five democrats and twenty
three republicans, and the democrats
will without doubt retain working
majority.
The election was entirely upon local
issues, no element of national politics
entering into the campaign. The firm
stand taken by Mayor Harrison
against the proposed fifty-year exten.
ion of the street car franchises was
strong element of his popularity and
| gained many from the republican par
ty, besides holding closely to him
many Of the democratic party who
| might have cast their votes for the in
Another fact that drew to him many
| republican votes was the existing op-
position to the republican machine
among the rank and file Of the repub-
| lican party. Thousands of votes were
| cast for Harrison that would have
been received by Carter, the re-
publican nominee, had not the latter
been backed by the machine politi-
clans. There was nothing against Mr..
Carter personally, but the fact that he
was reputed to be the machine nomi-
nee was enough to set many against
| him.
Several independent and republican
papers supported Mr.. Harrison, among
| them The Times Herald and Post,
which have been known as Mckinley
organs.
The election revealed some remark
able changes in the republican vote,
particularly in the strong republican
wards, where the shifting to the demo-
cratic candidate was very marked.
| The election was one of tn, Inietest
that the city has ever experienced.
Mayor Harrison declared himself as
being greatly pleased with the result
of the election, saying:
"It shows that the people Of Chicago
are pleased with the administration,
and am glad of that, for / honestly
endeavored to give them the best ad-
ministration 1 could. The result
shows for itself"
Mr.. Carter, the republican candi-
date, said.
81 do not take the Harrison victory
to be n rebuke to the republican party.
Indeed, [ think that national issues
were not in the minds of the people
when they cast their ballots-simply
the idea was uppermost that Carter H.
Harrison was alone to thank for de-
feating the attempt mt long-term fran
chises and that reelection was due to
him as a reward for that act"
John p. Altgeld said of the result of
the election:
zone reason for the election Of Mr.
Harrison was that the press supported
him almost without exception, and the
great republican papers were on his
side. Why did the republican papers
support Harrison? The reason is hard
to find They saw that Mr.. Harrison
had already betrayed the democratic
party, as he had it in his power to do,
and he will carry the betrayal great
| deal further, and this makes the re.
election of Mckinley certainty. The
republicans look on this fight as the
| first battle of 1900 and feel that the
reelection of Mr.. Harrison already
seals the results of the next presiden-
tial campaign"