The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-11-19
A CLOSE ELECTION.
IN THIS CONTEST A DOLLAR WAS
THE DECIDING FACTOR.


The Story of an Election In an Ohio
Railroad TOwn-The Untmpeacha-
BILE Evidence That Succeeded In
Getting In the Last Vote.
"Guess you fellows never heard how
the almighty dollar settled an election in
Ohio" said the man with the full beard,
booking around for an answer in the eyes
of his companions, but getting none.
WELL" he went on, ga dollar isn't
much money, but | know that that dollar
was the only one used in the campaign.
The election took place in the little town
of North Bend, o., in the fall of 1887. 1t
was an election for a mayor. The town
had population of just AIT, of which
number exactly seventy-seven were vot-
ers-that is, there were seventy-seven
men who could vote according to the pre-
election figures, but two days before cleo
ton day Charlie Cain, the grocer's son,
got a job in a wholesale house in Cincin-
natl and left town, so the number went
down to seventy-six-even number, re-
member.
''Now I'll explain right here that the
town of North Bend, O., lies between
two hills ON the north shore of the Ohio
river, which takes a sharp turn at that
point. That's how the town got its name.
North Bend has been railroad town
ever since the choochoos began to run out
in that section. Two railroads, the Q. and
NJ. and the Big Four, turn there. There
is big switchyard in the town where
heap of freight is shunted and shifted
around.
every one in the town talked railroad
and dreamed railroad and heard trains in
his sleep. The ambition Of every small
boy was to sit at the throttle some day or
wave a lantern from a string of cars
Distinction in the town was based on the
number of rides each man had taken or
the number of wrecks he had survived.
'The candidates for mayor were old
Billy Meader and Tommy Gleason. Mead
er was sixty and had been an engineer
most of his life, but had been retired on
a pension and a crutch. He had three
sons railroading Gleason was young
man and was one of the telegraph opera
tors in the switch tower at the head OF
the yards. AS both we're railroaders the
contest narrowed to a fight between the
older and the younger members of the
community.
1.-THE polls were opened in the old car
penter shop down near the yards. When
it came along to O'Clock in the after
noon, it was discovered that exactly sew
enty-six votes had been cast and that OF
this number each candidate had received
thirty-eight. The supporters of both can
didates then started out to find some one
who could vote.
"Just at that moment young Walt
Love, whose mother was widow and
kept candy and tobacco store, came in
"'What do you want here, young manF
said HAPPY Moore, who was judge Of
elections. The vote amt counted yet
"'Mine amt said young Walt. That's
why come here
"'What you givin' meT said HAPPY.
"'Nothin', only I'm twenty-one today
"'Why, young man. said Harry,
was a pallbearer at your dads funeral,
and bought him drink when you came
into this world. I'll buy you another If
you can prove you're twenty-one. How
can you prove it, anyway? Got any doc
umentary evidence?
"'You watt said Walt, and he skinned
home and got the family Bible. When he
brought it into the shop, he opened the
front page, and there was his birth regis
tered, Walter Matson Love, born Nov. o.
| 1866
""There it is in black and white, and
you can't scratch it out said walt.
"'Walter Matson Love, Ell? said old
Harry. We'll, guess you can vote. Give
| him a ballot, boys
"Walt voted for Gleason. In ten min
utes more the polls were to close and the
election would be over.
T ccfon in
the corner chewing tobacco. He was
quiet young scamp, and when he saw
| Walt vote he began to fidget. Finally he
went over to Harry Moore and stood in
| front of him.
"Wen, what do you wantY asked
Harry.
"'I'm goin' to vote said Luke.
"'Spose you got your family Bible in
your pocket said HAPPY, grinning. Go
on, now; you amt twenty-one years old
81 amt, ehy drawled Luke. We'll,
guess l am. I've had the seven years
itch three times, an you can't scratch
that out neither
after that they simply had to let Luke
| vote. Luke casts his vote for Billy Mead
err, and there was a tie vote. Then there
was a discussion as to how to settle the
| affair."
"The schoolteacher proposed that the
| two candidates should get together and
| answer questions on mathematics. his
| tory and geography to decide which was
the better man, but Billy Meader object
ed to that because he hadn't been to
school since he was seven. The preacher
suggested that they should compete in re-
peating quotations from the Bible, but
Gleason said that would not be fair be-
cause he wasn't much of a churchgoer,
| anyway. Some one proposed foot race,
i but that was quickly ruled out as unfair
because Meader was lame. Another man
proposed a game of railroad euchre, but
| the conservative element frowned heavily
on that. Then Billy Sheridan, who kept
| the cigar store, came to the rescue.
"'Here's a new silver dollar, said he,
drawing the coin from his pocket. Wen
| throw it up. If it comes down heads.
Tommy Gleason is mayor; if it's tails,
then Billy Meader is mayor How's
thatY
every one was so tired of thinking
that the vote in favor of toss up was
unanimous. The coin came down head up.
az formally declare that Thomas Glea-
son has been elected mayor, said old
HAPPY Moore, and the crowd cheered.
Billy Meader cheered too.
"And that's how a dollar decided the
| election"- New York Sun.