The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-10-31

In all or these predictions the Times anu
its authorities were wrong
Chairman Jones. of the Democratic ma
tional committee, predicted October 81.
1885. that Bryan would be elected and
would receive 252 electoral votes. Said
SenatorsJones, who is now as then chair
man OF the national committee:
at have received from our
chairman of each state commits
tee full estimates of the standing
of the voters In each state ana
am confident that Mr.. Bryan's
election IL assured by . very
large majority"
Senator Jones did not claim IN this
estimate Delaware. Iowa. Illinois, Ohio
and Wisconsin, which he ciassed as
doubtful" He declared. however. that
Bryan's chances were the better in these
states. Senator Jones was wrong again.
The states named all went strongly Re-
publican. His estimates received from
the chairman of each state committee"
were of the same kind as those recently
telegraphed to Chicago by Chairman
Drum. OF the Washington state Demo-
cratic committee, TO the effect that Bryan
would carry Washington this year by
5000.
On election day. the Times made the
acme of false predictions. On the editorial
page there was printed a table based on
the estimate OF the Democratic national
committee giving Bryan 2s2 votes in the
electoral college as absolutely certain.
with a chance OF carrying enough doubt
ful states to make his vote $50.
The states claimed for Bryan as certain
to go Democratic were: Alabama Arkan-
sas California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia,
Idaho, Illinois. Indiana Iowa, Kansas.
Kentucky. Louisiana. Maryland, Michi-
gan, Minnesota. Mississippi. Missouri.
r.
DINA. North Dakota. Oregon, South Car
DINA. South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas
Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Vir-
ginia and Wyoming.
The Times claimed that Bryan was GER
tain of 800 votes. He received 176. The
excess OF the claim over the Bryan cleo
toral vote was 1ls
The Times False Predictions.
The Times made q false prediction re-
garding these states. California. which
elected eight out Of the nine Mckinley
electors: Illinois. which went Republican
by over 142 900: Indiana, which gave Nc
Kinley q majority of 1871; Kentucky,
which elected twelve ID its thirteen Re-
publican electors: Maryland. which rolled
up a majority for Mckinley of S2.22i:
Michigan. which went Republican by more
than 1000: Minnesota. which gave Nc
Kinley 3s75 majority; North Dakota,
which gave the Republican electors a ma
Jority of 5.s4s: Oregon. which elected four
Republican electors. Iowa, which went
for Mckinley by $1,000: and West Vir-
ginia. which went Republican by n,<H
out Of less than 100000 votes cast.
Said the Times editorially, referring to
its claim OF 2o2 Bryan electoral votes:
"In looking over this list there are but
three states-Iowa, Maryland and Michi-
gan-with combined vote of g. that one
would say might be at once relegated to
the. doubtful column And II they were
sofa. with its votes, and II they were
REAL skeptical they might add Illinois,
with its "a votes, thus taking five great
aggregate electoral vote Of 81. and still
leave majority for Bryan with ONE to
sparev'
Thus the Times had Bryan elected to a
moral certainty.
The Times was wrong again, for Bryan
was just 90 votes short in the electoral
college.
Mckinley received 271 electoral votes to
Bryans 176
McKinleys popular plurality over Bryan
was 603. 5i4. the largest with one exception
in the history of the country, Grant hav-
ing received a popular plurality of 10000
in 1872 over Horace Greeley.
In addition, on the same day the Times
claimed that Delaware, Ohio and Wis
consin would probably go for Bryan. All
these states were found in the Republican
column. The Times was therefore wrong
on these three states. and also wrong ON
eleven claimed In the printed table. in
Guiding California Illinois, Indiana Iowa.
Kentucky. Maryland. Michigan. Minne-
sofa. North Dakota. Oregon and West
Virginia.
The Times varied its made-to-order
election predictions now and then with
items on the editorial page like this.
which Is found In the issue of October Is
1896:
During the last few years we have been
rapidly developing a slave element in our
popula tton--a propertyless class entirely
dependent upon the sale of their labor
No longer does Jack hobnob with his mas
ter. The rich and poor do not live in the.
same quarter of the city"
This sounds much like John r. Rog-
ers that IL may have been taken from that
famous book written by the fusionist
governor. entitled, 1.-THE Irrepresslble
Conflict" the circulation OF which was
suppressed az far as possible by the fusion
state committee during the campaign Of
1896.